1824/2 Capped Bust Dime. JR-2. Rarity-5+. EF Details--Environmental Damage (PCGS).

1824/2 Capped Bust Dime. JR-2. Rarity-5+. EF Details--Environmental Damage (PCGS).，With uncommonly bold definition in an example of this highly elusive and conditionally challenging variety, this important piece is sure to be of keen interest to early dime specialists. Both sides are a bit rough in texture with dusky sandy-tan and steel gray patina, although the stated impairment is quite minor and not all that distracting to the naked eye. This particular variety has proven to be one of the scarcest of the entire Capped Bust dime series, and examples are highly collectible in any grade. Furthermore, high grade survivors are virtually unobtainable and the present example would rank as second finest in the detailed photographic and descriptive Census of the 1824 JR-2 dime variety by Jim Koenings published in 2010 were it not for the rough texture of the surfaces.<p>Today, the 1824 JR-2 retains the rank of the seventh most difficult die variety to obtain in the entire Capped Bust dime series of 1809 through 1837. There are probably 35 to 40 examples known including this new discovery. Thirty three distinct examples are listed and photographed in the Koenings Census, about half of which grade Good-6 or lower, confirming just how challenging this die pairing is to find in high grades. The finest reported grades EF-45. Of the known examples, several have damage or problems that preclude them from grading.<p>Anticipated production of 1822 dimes did not materialize at the Mint, so there were leftover obverse dies at the end of that year. Two obverse dies were overdated and used to strike the 1823/2 dimes, while a third was overdated to 1824/2 and used to strike the two varieties of 1824/2 dimes (using two different reverse dies). Although no dimes were released by the Mint in 1824, it is generally believed that approximately 100,000 dimes of this date were struck and included with the 510,000-piece mintage recorded for calendar year 1825.<p>Recognition of the JR-2 variety requires examining the reverse, as both the JR-1 and JR-2 attributions share the same obverse die. The key diagnostic of the reverse is the shape of the 1 in the denomination; on the more plentiful JR-1 variety the old style "flat topped 1" is used, while for JR-2 the 1 has a diagonal serif with a strong slope at the top. This diagnostic is normally present even on coins with considerable wear from circulation.，，