The Capped Bust dime was the work of John Reich, a Bavarian-born engraver who had arrived in America under an indenture and joined the Mint as second engraver in 1807. His capped Liberty went onto the half dollar that year and reached the dime in 1809. Reich prepared the dime hubs as a smaller version of his half dollar, and he added the value 10 C. to the reverse, the first time a dime said what it was worth.
Dimes were struck only now and then. Spanish and Mexican reales circulated freely, and people bringing silver to the Mint rarely asked for dimes, so none were made in 1810, 1812, 1813, 1815 through 1819, or 1826. Dies were costly and were used until they wore out, which is why the reported figure for a year often includes coins with another date. The 1809 dimes were partly struck in 1810, the 1811 dimes come from an 1809 die re-dated as 1811/09, and NGC believes that much of the 100,000 reported for 1822 actually carried the date 1821.
Through 1828 the dimes were struck without a collar to contain the metal, and the edges were probably reeded beforehand on a separate machine, so the coins vary a little in size. William Kneass, chief engraver from 1823, brought in the close collar, which held the planchet and reeded the edge during striking. The first close-collar dimes appeared in 1828. Kneass also reworked Reich's design for the smaller coin, and by 1829 the change was largely complete. The weight stayed the same, so the new dimes are narrower and slightly thicker. Mint Director Robert M. Patterson ended the habit of using up old dated dies in 1835 and 1836. In late spring 1837 Christian Gobrecht's Seated Liberty dime replaced the Capped Bust design.
