A survey of 19th century business strike coin
10C SEATED LIBERTY, DRAPERY (1840-1860)

Owner Comments:

In 1840 officials at the Philadelphia hired Robert Ball Hughes as an engraver. Hughes’ first assignment was to revamp the Liberty Seated designs that appeared on all of the silver coins. Hughes’ most notable change was the addition of a large drapery that hangs from Ms. Liberty’s right arm (left arm to the observer). Upon closer examination Hughes’ handing of Ms. Liberty’s body and the folds in her gown are less artfully rendered. Hughes made the fewest changes to the half dollar which reflects much of Gobrecht’s original design. The present coin is an attractive example of the Liberty Seated dime from the early 1840s. Since there were few collectors in the United States at the time, Mint State coins from this period are scarcer than some collectors have been led to believe.