 1804 JR-1 (R-5). 13 Star Reverse. Extremely Fine. Obverse type: Liberty's draped bust facing right. LIBERTY above, 1804 below. Reverse type: Heraldic eagle derived from the Great Seal of the United States of America. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around. 13 Stars over eagle's head. A high grade example of this classic American Dime rarity. The 1804 has the distinction of the third lowest mintage of any Dime ever struck. With a mere 8,265 struck in 1804, only the 1894'S' (mintage 24) and the 1867 (mintage 6,625) beat it out for first place. In addition to its great rarity it is an extremely elusive date to find even in Fine grade. VF 1804's are rare and an EF example, like this one, is cause for celebration. Lovejoy's first was AU and his second was EF, for example. Eliasberg found a sharp looking one but it was gouged. Both the obverse and reverse are pale silver gray in color with a light gold iridescence. The strike is fairly sharp on the obverse, particularly for the grade, with most of Liberty's hair strands individually delineated. The piece is soft on the upper right and center right on the reverse, the eagle's wing feathers on the viewer's right soft, some letters in the legend there indistinct, and the stars in the upper right are quite soft and indistinct. A few light marks are noted, none significant. NGC EF40.
Engraver: Robert Scot
Statutory Weight: 2.70 grams
Statutory Size: 19 millimeters
Mintage: 8,265
Ex Bowers & Merena's January 2001 Sale, lot 136.
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