Half Dime Coins FAQs
Half Disme, Flowing Hair, Draped Bust, Capped Bust and Liberty Seated.
Half disma (1792): The half disme was one of the first coins minted by the United States federal government. It's essentially a precursor to the half dime.
Flowing Hair Half Dime (1794-1795): This was the first design of the half dime and featured Liberty with flowing hair on the obverse and a small eagle on the reverse.
Draped Bust Half Dime (1796-1805): This design showcased a draped bust of Liberty on the obverse. There were two main reverse designs during this period: the small eagle (1796-1797) and the heraldic eagle (1800-1805).
Capped Bust Half Dime (1829-1837): This design had Liberty wearing a cap on the obverse and a more modern eagle on the reverse.
Seated Liberty Half Dime (1837-1873): This design underwent several variations during its mintage:
- No Stars (1837-1838): Liberty seated without any stars surrounding her on the obverse.
- Stars on Obverse (1838-1859): Stars were added around Liberty on the obverse.
- Arrows at Date (1853-1855): Arrows were added to the obverse on either side of the date to signify a weight change.
- Legend on Obverse (1860-1873): The design was modified to move the stars from the obverse and replace them with the legend "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA."