1803 Draped Bust Dime. JR-3. Rarity-4. AU-58 (PCGS). Gold Shield Holder.

1803 Draped Bust Dime. JR-3. Rarity-4. AU-58 (PCGS). Gold Shield Holder.，Remarkable quality and eye appeal for this scarce and underrated issue in the Draped Bust dime series. Satiny in texture with plenty of original luster intact, both sides are further enhanced by delicate silver, gold, powder blue and lilac-russet iridescence. This is a well produced coin by early U.S. Mint standards, the strike nicely centered and the detail bold to sharp apart from a touch of softness in the star field on the reverse and at isolated peripheral areas on both sides. Smooth and inviting in hand with much to please the discerning numismatist.<p>According to federal records the Philadelphia Mint struck 33,040 dimes during calendar year 1803 to fill orders for this denomination received from contemporary bullion depositors. We have no way of knowing whether or not all of those coins were actually struck from 1803-dated dies, or if additional examples of this date were produced in 1804. What we do know is that the 1803 as an issue is elusive in todays market with only 175 to 250 coins extant in all grades (per Winston Zack, Louis Scuderi and Michael Sherill, <em>Bust Dime Variety Identification Guide</em>, 2015). Of the five known die marriages three (JR-1, JR-2 and JR-5) are major rarities. JR-4 is scarce and typically offered well worn, if not also impaired. The same can be said for JR-3, the most frequently encountered variety of the issue, but still a significant condition rarity. Only a handful of AUs are known for this issue in its entirety, in fact, and with only three or four Mint State coins believed extant this outstanding AU-58 is solidly in the Condition Census for both the date and die pairing.，，