The half dime today is something of an orphan to the eyes of a modern collector. There are specialists in the series but nothing like those for the silver dollar and cent. Yet, half dimes are deserving of more attention, if for no other reason than the history behind them.
Alexander Hamilton, in his famous report on the establishment of a mint (presented to Congress in January 1791), recommended the coinage of half dismes; the official spelling was later (1830s) changed to half dime. He felt that small silver coins were of the most use to the general public, rather than the large coins of silver or gold. In those days, a skilled laborer might earn a dollar per day or a bit more, and money was spent with great care.
Congress agreed with Hamilton on this point, and the new mint law of April 1792 included the half disme in the list of coins. In July 1792, at the makeshift mint in the cellar of a building at Sixth and Cherry Streets in Philadelphia, Director David Rittenhouse and Chief Coiner Henry Voight oversaw the striking of about 1,700 half dismes, the first regular coinage of the new government. (A few-hundred more were struck later in the year.)
President Washington
