
Highlighted in our February 2025 Showcase Auction, we are pleased to offer a significant Mint State example of the scarce and historically significant 1792 half disme in lot 1041. The strike is uncommonly well executed for a type that often displays notable weakness. On this coin, all focal design elements are sharp except for a few of the highest curls of Liberty’s hair and isolated high points of the eagle’s breast, wings and left leg. Free of wear, the surfaces retain frosty to modestly semi-prooflike luster. Both sides are lightly toned in iridescent pearl-gray and pale gold.
On October 15, 1792, George Washington received a report from Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson noting a small beginning in the coinage of the half dismes, and he included this milestone in his Annual Address to Congress that November. Struck from $75 of silver bullion deposited by Jefferson, the coins were produced in the cellar of John Harper’s shop several blocks from where the first United States Mint was still being readied. Jefferson took delivery of 1,500 half dismes on July 13, 1792, his last day in Philadelphia that summer, and it appears he spent them on his trip back to Monticello, largely as tips for servants he encountered along the way.
Ever since the very beginnings of American numismatics, the 1792 half dismes with their direct connections to the nation’s Founding Fathers have been among the most coveted of all federally issued coins regardless of condition. This Mint State example of one of the most significant American issues would make an impressive addition to any advanced collection.
For more information about the Stack’s Bowers Galleries February 2025 Showcase Auction visit StacksBowers.com. To consign your coins or paper money to one of our 2025 sales call 800-458-4646 or email [email protected].