The 1792 Copper Disme, Judd-10, Pollock-11, Rarity-6+ Copper, PCGS MS62BN is the Professional Grading Service’s (PCGS) Coin of the Month.
The early United States coinage system was a work in progress for many years before the Coinage Act of 1792 established the United States Mint as we know this institution today. Along with the establishment of the U.S. Mint came a formal plan for coinage production, which began in limited form in 1792, even before the original mint building was completed. Among the first coins made was the 1792 disme, a small silver coin that was the forerunner of the dime that debuted in earnest in 1796.
All coinage from 1792 is worthy of its American treasure status, as these coins were the very first struck under the Coinage Act of 1792 law which predicates the production of coinage today. But there’s much more behind the allure of these early coins than the history alone. There is also the tremendous rarity of these early coins, and rare are these 1792 dismes, which offer collectors today only relative handfuls of specimens.
Various patterns were struck, including a tiny run of fewer than two dozen copper versions as seen here. This copper pattern, classified as Judd-10 and Pollock-11, is extremely rare and is sought after by distinguished collectors who pursue early numismatic Americana. This piece once resided in the Cardinal Collection and had once belonged in the cabinets of Peter Gschwend, Dr. J. Hewitt Judd, and Ed Price. It was graded by Professional Coin Grading Service as Mint State-62 Brown (BN) and is the second-finest known specimen of this variety. When it was sold by Stack’s Bowers Galleries on August 25, 2022, it took a whopping $900,000.
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