Also known as the original "Oops! coin....
The double-dime, or twenty cent coin, had one of the shortest tenures in US
coin history. It was minted from 1875-1878, but was only released for
circulation two years, 1875 and 1876.
Why a 20 Cent Piece... Good Question
The US Mint didn't have their thinking caps on when the topic of the 20 Cent
Piece came up... first the size, it was 22 mm in diameter (the quarter was 24
mm). Second, its design, they could have chosen something that would stand out;
instead, it was identical to the Seated Liberty Quarter also in circulation.
Citizens were on their game, this double-dime was the
first coin in history that caused businesses confusion (the 1883 No Cents
Nickel didn't come along for another 8 years). The quarter had a reeded edge...
so a few individuals took the 20 cent piece and put a reeded edge on it (an
instant 25% profit). One of the funnies stories I came across over the years
was in the November 1877 Burlington Daily Hawk-Eye, the article spoke of
patrons going to their local inn and ordering a 3 cent beer, leaving a 20 cent
piece on the counter... and if they were lucky they would get 23 cents in
return and a free mug of beer!
The Miniscule Mintage... A value to tough to pass up!
Being made for circulation only 2 years, this double dime also goes down in
history as having one of the smallest mintages and less than 1.4 million were
released. The trouble it caused resulted in the US Mint recalling all they
could. Remember, these were 90% silver issues!
The mint mark is positioned on the reverse, below the eagle.
The coin will arrive encapsulated for
protection with a display pouch.
