Jeff Garrett: The True Story Of The 1792 Half Disme

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Author	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,804
CCFPress Press Manager United States 1420 Posts	Posted 06/24/2020 11:08 am NGC - One of the wonderful things about numismatics is the endless sense of discovery the hobby provides. This applies to beginning collectors and seasoned veterans. The 1792 Half Disme has been one of the great classics of American numismatics for generations. Much of that allure, however, has been based on what is probably fiction. But in my opinion, the true story of the coin, which has only been discovered in recent years, is even more compelling than the myth. The 1792 Half Disme has also seen an elevation of status in A Guide Book of United States coins (the Red Book), of which I am the Senior Editor. Since 1947, when the Red Book debuted, the 1792 Half Disme was to be found in the Colonial section. We recently added the coin to the beginning section for regular issue Half Dimes. This decision was based on clear evidence that the coins were struck for general circulation and are not pattern coins like the other issues of 1792. Read the Entire Article Report this Post to the Staff

Greasy Fingers Pillar of the Community United States 6985 Posts	Posted 06/25/2020 9:43 pm Report this Post to the Staff
jbuck Moderator United States 187446 Posts	Posted 06/26/2020 10:51 am Very interesting story. Quote: The coin pictured earlier in this article is claimed to have once belonged to David Rittenhouse, the first Director of the US Mint, and was sold in 2018 for almost $2 million. That Half Disme is quite the looker! Quote: Collectors sometimes have trouble pronouncing the word disme. Is it the phonetically obvious "diz-me," or is it the traditional way in which we pronounce dime today (the word into which disme transmogrified)? Actually, the answer is neither. Disme is a French word, pronounced "deem." Thus, the Half Disme is properly pronounced "half deem." Learned something new. Coin Collector Since 1978 Avatar Old Avatar 7070 Eisenhower Australia Canada World CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
MrPink2018 Pillar of the Community United States 2455 Posts	Posted 06/26/2020 9:02 pm that was very interesting, thanks for posting. disme kind of reminds me of gouache.... another word that people try to say without having ever heard it spoken & without looking up how to pronounce it. in that respect it's similar to 'gouache'. I never knew what that word was til I heard someone use it in a sentence in college. it's pronounced like 'gwash'. I heard someone mispronounce it once and I attempted to quietly correct her, but she insisted her way of saying it was correct, so I left that be. if I ever hear someone say diz-me, i'll just smile. disme......i always thought it was just 'dime', with a silent s. yep, I learn something new here every day. Report this Post to the Staff
psuman08 Pillar of the Community United States 1747 Posts	Posted 06/26/2020 10:30 pm Thanks for sharing, very interesting. Never knew it was pronounced "half deem." Report this Post to the Staff
TimNH Valued Member United States 416 Posts	Posted 06/26/2020 11:29 pm This is my 1 ultimate wish-list coin. I watch them whenever they come up on ebay (3 on there right now, ranging from $40-90K, all Details grades). Wonder if anyone here owns one, and how you went about searching for it? Report this Post to the Staff
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