COMPLETE CARSON CITY DIME SET OFFERED

 

The upcoming sale of the Gerry Fortin Liberty Seated dime collection, by GFRC Online Auctions, features a rarely seen complete set of the early (1871-1874) Carson City dimes. These issues are long recognized as the "stoppers" of the series, and the allure of the Carson City coinage has only increased in recent years. The 19th century collectors paid little attention to mintmarks, and these coins tend to be encountered only in low grades or with various problems. The Fortin set includes well-detailed examples at collector-grade levels, with all four pieces approved by CAC, which has certified less than 20 examples of any of these issues. Indeed, this sale likely represents the first public sale of an early CC-dime set with each piece being CAC-certified.

The Carson City Mint struck few dimes in its early days, and each of these issues is represented by only a single die pair. Die wear was sufficiently minimal that the same reverse die was used for all four of these years. A horizontal die crack through the mintmark begins to appear on the later 1872 coins and progresses through 1873 and 1874. The situation changes greatly in the mid-1870s with the massive silver production in the west. Fortin documents 33 different die marriages for the 1875-CC issue, with similar numbers for the subsequent 1876-CC and 1877-CC emissions.

The Carson City Coin Collectors of America club (2005-2015) served as a nexus that signified the popularity of Carson City coinage, though to be sure collectors have been attracted to the romance of the Old West, not to mention the minimal production levels, for a long time. The appearance of this set of four dimes, original examples in mid-circulated grades, will only serve to highlight the desirability of these mementos of a frontier Mint in the American west.

 

 

 

Link to GFRC Online Auctions:
https://www.seateddimevarieties.com/auction.html

Link to Liberty Seated Dime Varieties:
https://www.seateddimevarieties.com/Date_mintmark_variety.htm

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