1828 Small Date

The 1828 Small Date Capped Bust Dime is the first issue of the new 18.5mm Small Type, the format that defined the rest of the series through 1837. Earlier Capped Bust dimes had been struck at 18.8mm using the open-collar method, in which the planchet was free to spread slightly as the dies came down, producing irregular reeding and softer rims. The Small Date introduced close-collar striking, a technique in which a segmented restraining collar held the planchet to a fixed diameter during the strike. The result was a smaller, more uniform coin with sharper rims, evenly spaced reeding, and tighter design definition. Cataloged by the John Reich Collectors Society as JR-2, the Small Date represents a fundamental transition in U.S. coining technology, and most numismatists treat it as a distinct sub-type from the 1809 through 1828 Large Type. The combined 1828 mintage of 125,000 covers both varieties, but the Small Date is generally the scarcer of the two because the open-collar process remained in use for the bulk of the year's production. It carries a Semi-Key classification on collectorskey.com.

Authentication of a Small Date begins with the diameter. A genuine close-collar 1828 measures 18.5mm across, while the Large Date and earlier Capped Bust dimes measure 18.8mm; calipers settle the variety quickly when the date itself is worn. The reeding on the Small Date is fine, regular, and uniform in count, a direct product of the restraining collar, whereas the open-collar Large Date shows reeding that varies in spacing and depth from coin to coin. Weight should land near 2.7g for an unworn example, with composition of .8924 fine silver and a copper balance. Cast counterfeits, the most common threat at this date, typically show a faintly grainy surface texture under magnification, soft detail in the cap drapery and eagle's neck feathers, and a seam along the reeded edge. Slabbed examples from PCGS or NGC, the two major third-party grading services (TPG), carry the JR-2 or Small Date attribution directly on the label, which protects collectors paying the variety premium.

The Small Date sits at the technological hinge of early American coinage, and demand reflects that status whenever a problem-free example surfaces. Pieces in well-circulated grades such as Good through Very Fine appear with some regularity at major auctions, while strictly original Extremely Fine and About Uncirculated coins are markedly scarcer. Mint State examples, designated MS by the grading services, are genuinely rare, and gem-grade survivors with full strikes and original toning command prices well into five figures. Population reports from the major grading services show the Small Date trailing the Large Date at every grade tier above Very Fine. For context on the open-collar predecessors, the diameter change, and the full run of close-collar dates that followed, see the Capped Bust Dime series history.