 1792 Half Disme. Silver. Extremely Fine. A very pleasing example of the first Half Disme struck by the government of the United States. Both sides are a medium silver gray in color, the fields slightly deeper in shade than the central devices and legends. Liberty's head on the obverse is full and the encircling legend LIB[ERTY IS THE] PAR[ENT] OF SCIENCE & INDUSTRY is complete if struck slightly off center to the left. On the reverse the eagle is softly struck as usually seen but the denomination HALF DISME is bold and the legend around, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, is fully legible. Like the front, the reverse is slightly off center, this time towards the top. Thomas Jefferson wrote in his household accounts book entry for July 13, 1792 ''rec'd from the mint 1500 half dimes of the new coinage''. From this, it is clear that Jefferson believed that the 1792 Half Dismes were struck by the United States Mint. Adam Eckfeldt, chief coiner at the time, said in an interview recorded in April, 1844, that the 1792 Half Dismes were struck ''expressly for General Washington'' from silver coin and bullion donated by Washington for the purpose. Only $100 worth was coined, according to Eckfeldt. As Breen notes about this issue, the 1792 half Dismes were struck to the standards called for in the April 2, 1792 Mint Act. Breen states that they ''were official issues of the United States''. Judd 7, Crosby X, 19.
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