Anyone Here Dream Of Getting A 1792 Half Disme?

It's one of my dream coins, frankly. And that's where it shall remain. I did notice that David Lawrence Rare Coins had one recently (forget the grade). It was priced at $80k, and looked pretty dipped out - but within a pretty short period of time it sold.

I have to agree, to a point. I do appreciate the history, but I do not think it is ugly. I also know I would spend that amount of money on several other coins before this one became a target for acquisition.

Indeed!

I love the design.

There were 1792 dismes, but they were definitely patterns, while the Half Dismes apparently circulated.
This page currently depicts an 1792 disme. Very pretty.

I'm not sure when the spelling was switched from "disme" to "dime"; the later Draped Bust 10 cent coins had no denomination given on them at all, and the Capped Bust ones said "10 C" instead of any spelling of "dime". AFAIK traditionally the spelling "disme" is only used for the 1792 issues.

A little copypasta from another thread http://goccf.com/t/389906 we had on a 1792 Half Disme that was found in a junk box of coins, and sold at Great Collections in the six figures (lowball type set coin). This is one of the posts I wrote. Check this book out, it may be a bit dry in reading all the descriptions of each known Half Disme, but the history sections are fantastic.
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The book "1792: Birth of a Nation's Coinage" by Pete Smith, Joel J. Orosz, and Len Augsburger lists every one of these known and would be a good reference to consult with the coin in hand. There are photos of pretty much each example as well. I can't say from the photos either, but it does look pretty good. Wear is consistent with these coins and nothing is jumping out at me that says fake.

The book I mention is from Heritage Auctions and runs $40.00 + S&H it's a fantastic read in itself. Lots of research on Jefferson and the founding and creation of the US Mint. The 1792 Half Disme being the primary coin of the book, the authors also touch on all the other coinage from 1792.

Following is the description from Heritage's page on the book:

1792: Birth of a Nation's Coinage is the long-awaited research-based study of the 1792 coins, which were produced during the first six months of the U.S. Mint's existence. These cents, Half Dismes, dismes, and mysterious eagle-on-globe pieces, have been little studied and long misunderstood. In the 225 years since they were struck, mysteries have accumulated around them. Legends have explained their origins, arguments have raged over their status, and wild guesses have been taken about their rarity.

1792: Birth of a Nation's Coinage begins with the "prehistory" of the Mint, covering the legislative debates leading to the passage of the Mint Act in April of 1792, and the concurrent experiments in coinage by private individuals seeking government coinage contracts. The book does not solve every mystery about the coinage of 1792, but it does debunk some myths (George and Martha Washington's silver service was not melted to strike Half Dismes); settle some arguments ( Half Dismes are regular issues, not patterns); and defines the rarity of each issue of 1792 (a detailed census of every locatable specimen is provided, along with each coin's pedigree). Along the way, many new facts and insights are revealed; for instance, while Washington did not provide the silver to strike Half Dismes, another future President did! Whether you are a collector, a dealer, a cataloger, or just fascinated by the enigmatic coins that serve as a bridge between the colonial, state, and Confederation issues that went before, and the myriad federal issues that have followed, 1792: Birth of a Nation's Coinage is a must-read book.

for anyone who has only seen the word in print - it is pronounced like deem rather than diz-me. I went around talking about diz-mes for quite a few years before someone was kind enough to correct me.