Capped Bust Half Dimes

William Kneass designed the Capped Bust half dime, though the degree to which he borrowed from John Reich's earlier work is hard to ignore. Reich had created the Capped Bust motif for the half dollar in 1807, and when the half dime returned to production in 1829 after a twenty-three-year absence, Kneass essentially adapted Reich's portrait to the smaller format. Liberty faced left wearing a cloth cap with the word LIBERTY on the band, her hair curling below, surrounded by stars and the date. The reverse carried an eagle with a shield on its breast, arrows and olive branch in its talons, and the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the border. It was a handsome enough design, well suited to the coin's small diameter, and it gave the half dime a visual consistency with the other silver denominations that had been using versions of the Capped Bust motif for years. Kneass had succeeded Robert Scot as Chief Engraver in 1824, and while he was a competent engraver, his health was poor. He suffered a debilitating stroke in 1835, after which most of the Mint's die work fell to Christian Gobrecht and other assistants.