Learn About John Reich and the 1809-1837 Capped Bust Dime

Mint Director Robert Patterson hired German immigrant John Reich in March of 1807. Reich had been seeking employment at the Mint since 1801, having arrived in Philadelphia just a year earlier. Not much else is known about him prior to his tenure at the Mint. Reich worked as an Assistant to Chief Engraver Robert Scot. Reich first worked on redesigning the Half Dollar in 1807 and then the Half Eagle ($5.00 Gold), Large Cent and then the Quarter Eagle ($2.50 Gold). By late 1808, Reich began work on the dime.

Replacing the Draped Bust Dime, Reich had Miss Liberty’s face left with 13 stars around her – 7 to the left and 67 to the right. The date is below her. On the reverse was an American Eagle, also facing left, a shield covering her body, an olive branch and arrows in her talons, a banner with “E PLURIBUS UNUM” above the eagle with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” around and the denomination, “10C” at the bottom.

1809 was the first year that these Capped Bust Dimes were struck and 51,605 coins were minted. No coins were struck dated 1810. In 18115,109 coins were struck and all of them are the 1811/09 overdate. No Capped Bust Dimes were again struck until 1814 when 421,500 coins were minted which included a Large Date variety, a Small Date Variety and a variety where the words “STATESOFAMERICA” were all pushed together as one word.

By 1817, Reich had worked for the Mint for over a decade. He had received neither any recognition for his services nor a raise and he was fed up and resigned from the Mint where he so badly wanted to work. For a man who came to the United States as an indentured servant and worked off his debts for his transportation costs over several years, he was a proud man. But his design lived on for another twenty years.

It was not again until 1820 that Capped Bust Dimes was again struck. The Mint struck 942,587 coins and did them in all 3 varieties as previously – Large 0 Variety, a Small 0 Variety and a “STATESOFAMERICA” Variety. Over 1 million coins were struck dated 1821 and these were split between a Large Date and a Small Date variety. But only 200,000 1822-dated coins were struck so all of them are rare in any grade.  

440,000 coins were struck dated 1823 – all of them were overdates 1823/2 – and there are coins struck with Large E’s and with Small E’s. There are two varieties of 1824-dated coins, all of which are overdates of 1824/2. There is a Flat Top 1 and a Pointed Top 1. It is unknown how many coins were struck in 1825 but a significant number of coins have used that date but no coins are dated 1826.

1827 saw 1,215,000 coins struck with a flat top 1 in 10C and a pointed top 1 in 10c. 1828 has two major varieties – Large Date with a Curl Base 2 and a Small Date with a Square Base 2 in only 125,00 coins minted.

1829 saw 770,000 coins minted and 4 varieties. The only valuable variety is the 1829 Curl Base Two. 510,000 coins were dated 1830 spread among all 3 varieties, none of which are particularly more valuable than any others.  1831 and 1832 were without varieties and had mintages of 771,350 and 522,500 respectively.

There were 485,000 1833-dated Dimes struck in two varieties with neither more valuable nor interesting and 1834 had 635,000 mixed between Small and Large 4 varieties. 1835 had 1.4 million coins struck, 1836 had nearly 1.2 million coins struck and the final year, 1837, had only 359,500 coins of that date. None of those years had any significant varieties.

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