JR-4. R-3. Large 8 in date.

The 1798 Dime is numismatically significant as the first year in which this denomination was produced with the Heraldic eagle reverse. There are four die varieties known of which the Large 8 is the most available. It is generally seen in lower grades and properly graded EF’s with natural color are scarce. In comparison, the 1796 Dime is more available than any of the 1798′s but its status as a first-year-of-issue makes it far more valuable.

This natural-looking example shows rich gunmetal color with some lighter hues on the high spots and a bit of green-gold pastel at the upper reverse. The strike is typical for the variety with some weakness at the central obverse and on the radial lines in the obverse stars; the reverse is better detailed and more closely resembles an AU50 or slightly finer. There are two old intersecting scratches below stars three and four on the obverse; a die crack juts out from Liberty’s chin and is often seen on intermediate die states of this variety.

The last auction record for an EF45 of this variety is Stack’s 10/10: 4200 (graded by NGC) which realized $4,485.

This attractive 1798 Dime will be of interest to the PCGS type collector or even for the specialist who appreciates originality.