One Dime 1796 Draped Bust, Coin from United States - detailed information

The dime, in United States usage, is a ten-cent coin (10¢), one tenth of a United States dollar, labelled formally as "one dime". The word dime comes from the Old French disme (now dîme), meaning "tithe" or "tenth part", from the Latin decima [pars]. In the past prices have occasionally been quoted on signage and other materials in terms of dimes, abbreviated as "d" or a lowercase "d" with a slash through it (đ) as with the cent and mill signs. After the half dime became five cents in 1873, the dime is now the only United States coin in general circulation that is not denominated in terms of dollars or cents.

The Draped Bust design was the first type of dime issued into circulation. It features on the obverse the draped bust of Miss Liberty, giving the design its name. The design is the same as on other denominations of the same period and, given that the value and denomination are not written on the coin, they have to be inferred by size only. The obverse was paired with two different reverses, a standing eagle (in 1796 and 1797 only) and the "heraldic eagle" from the Coat of Arms of the United State (1798 to 1807). The composition is 89.24% silver and 10.76% copper.

In 1809, the design of the denomination changed to the Capped Bust obverse and a new eagle reverse. In later years, there were also changes in size and composition (the dime is now smaller and made of copper-nickel), but these coins have never been demonetised and are still legal tender. This, of course, is of academic interest only, as their numismatic value is enormously higher than their face value.