The Capped Bust coinage of the United States consisted of a

half dime The half dime, or half disme, was a silver coin, valued at five cents, formerly minted in the United States. Some numismatists consider the denomination to be the first business strike coin minted by the United States Mint under the Coinage Ac ...

, dime,

quarter A quarter is one-fourth, , 25% or 0.25. Quarter or quarters may refer to: Places * Quarter (urban subdivision), a section or area, usually of a town Placenames * Quarter, South Lanarkshire, a settlement in Scotland * Le Quartier, a settlement ...

and

half dollar The term "half dollar" refers to a half-unit of several currencies that are named "dollar". One dollar ( $1) is normally divided into subsidiary currency of 100 cents, so a half dollar is equal to 50 cents. These half dollars (aka 50 cent pieces) ...

History

John Reich designed this capped-head concept of

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

, and it was modified by Chief Engraver of the Mint,

William Kneass William Kneass ( "niece"; September 25, 1780 – August 27, 1840) was the second Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1824 until his death in 1840. Kneass is credited with designing the "Classic Head" motif, which appeared on numerous ...

. It proved to be a popular design and lasted from 1807 to 1839 on the half dollar, 1815 to 1838 on the quarter, 1809 to 1837 on the dime, and 1829 to 1837 on the half dime. All four of these coin were struck in 89.2% silver and 10.8% copper. There was also a gold design created by engraver Robert Scot created in 1795, also called the Capped Bust, although it is more popularly known as the " Turban Head" because of its unusual, exotic appearance. The Turban design was used on the gold Quarter Eagle, Half Eagle, and Eagle from 1795 to 1834. On the Quarter and Half Eagles, the Turban design was replaced with the regular Capped Bust design in 1808 and 1807, respectively, while the Eagle, having been out of production since 1804, adopted the "Coronet" Liberty Head design in 1838. The obverse of the 2008 Andrew Jackson's Liberty First Spouse coin and medal features the Capped Bust design.

References

1807 introductions Coins of the United States Eagles on coins Goddess of Liberty on coins {{coin-stub