Rare 1840 Dime Errors (List & Pictures)
The Chin Whiskers nickname is easy to remember, but it is only one of five 1840 Liberty Seated Dime errors here. An exceptional example sold for $16,800 in August 2022, with condition playing a major part in that result.
Estimated values run from $100–$20,000. All five groups use the No Drapery design, without the added fold below Liberty’s elbow; inspect the chin and stars, then the reverse and outer shape.
| Area | Feature | Estimated range |
|---|---|---|
| Chin and shoulder | Chin Whiskers die lines | $100–$20,000 |
| Stars | Repunched outlines | $100–$1,500 |
| Shield, DIME, and O | Filled-die report | $150–$2,000 |
| STATES or UNITED | Reverse cracks | $100–$1,200 |
| Expanded border | Broadstrike | $500–$3,000 |
The Philadelphia coin has no mintmark, while O beneath the wreath identifies New Orleans. A normal example began at 2.67 grams and about 17.9 mm, with a grooved edge.
1. 1840 Dime Raised Lines Extend below Liberty’s Chin: Chin Whiskers Error
Lines between the chin and shoulder give Philadelphia F-103 its nickname. They came from a defect in the die and were copied as raised metal during striking.
Supporting tool lines appear behind the reverse bow and knot. The date is high and slopes slightly upward, helping identify the full variety.
How to Identify
Use side lighting to follow the chin-to-shoulder lines above the surface. A scratch cuts into the silver, while a loose hair or reflection can look like a whisker in a photograph.
Confirm the reverse lines, date position, and absence of O. Also check the No Drapery portrait rather than comparing the revised 1840 design.
What It’s Worth
$100–$900 is an estimated range for worn examples, with $1,000–$20,000 for unworn pieces. The top end requires exceptional preservation.
The PCGS MS67 F-103 with CAC approval sold for $16,800 in August 2022. A readable whisker on a worn dime does not give it that complete coin’s condition value.
2. 1840 Dime A Star Has Pieces of an Earlier Outline: Repunched Stars Error
The medium-O reference shows repunching at star 11. A separate small-O example has extra outlines at stars 9 and 10.
The star punch entered the die in more than one position, leaving part of the earlier impression. The resulting extra points do not mean each coin was struck twice.
How to Identify
Use the full front view to count the stars correctly before enlarging the candidate. Then compare its raised earlier outline with the matching reference.
Turn to the reverse and verify the correct O size. A rounded worn point or a flat strike-doubling shelf is not enough to identify a repunched star.
What It’s Worth
$100–$1,500 is an estimated whole-coin range for worn through lightly worn examples with a clear match. No completed sale is assigned to the supplied reference photographs.
Visibility of the earlier outline helps collector appeal. Several affected stars on one coin do not create separate complete prices to add together.
3. 1840 Dime LIBERTY and Other Details Nearly Disappear: Filled-Die Report Error
The examined coin lacks LIBERTY on the shield and has weak tops of IM in DIME. Its small O is so faint that it initially appeared to be a Philadelphia dime.
Gerry Fortin examined the piece submitted by Angelo Macero and suggested material such as grease blocking the die. No particular substance was identified.
How to Identify
Compare the missing letters with the sharper neighboring design. Ordinary wear tends to weaken exposed detail more broadly, while later removal may leave rubbing or tool marks.
Change the light beneath the wreath to look for the faint O described in the published examination. The combined match is missing LIBERTY, weak IM tops, and the surviving small-O outline on one coin.
What It’s Worth
$150–$2,000 is an estimate for clearly identified examples with the strong missing-detail pattern. The upper allowance assumes original surfaces and enough sharp surrounding design to distinguish the feature from wear.
No auction result is supplied for Macero’s coin. Its faint mintmark still identifies New Orleans when choosing a whole-coin comparison.
4. 1840 Dime A Raised Line Crosses Reverse Letters: Die Cracks Error
The medium-O example has a crack through E in STATES. Another small-O coin has a different route through UNITED toward the left wreath.
Silver filled narrow openings in a cracked die and emerged as raised ridges. These are two separate patterns, not one continuous route to combine.
How to Identify
Match the mintmark’s size and position before tracing the line. Keep the correct O and the corresponding lettering together in the same comparison.
Under side lighting, follow the raised center of the route. Scratches may have bright pushed-up edges but still cut into the surface along the middle.
What It’s Worth
$100–$1,200 is an estimated range for worn examples with recognizable reverse cracks. The entire dime’s year, mint, condition, and original surfaces are included.
No recorded sale sets a price for either pictured specimen. A thin line does not add the full range to the price of an otherwise ordinary coin.
5. 1840 Dime The Border Spreads while the Design Stays Complete: Broadstrike Error
Kevin Zeitler acquired the reported medium-O example in 2000. It is unusually wide but retains the tiny border marks around both faces.
A collar normally restrains the blank’s width during striking. Without that restraint, silver can expand outward while still receiving the complete design.
How to Identify
Keep the whole outline visible and account for the border marks on both faces. A complete picture within spread metal differs from design lost beyond the edge in an off-center strike.
Measure several widths and inspect the edge for natural expansion rather than compression or scraping. The recorded description supplies no exact diameter or displacement percentage to copy.
What It’s Worth
$500–$3,000 is an estimated range for an authenticated 1840-O broadstrike. Clear expansion and well-preserved design help the comparison.
There is no reported purchase price for Zeitler’s coin. A 1916-S Barber broadstrike in MS65 sold for $1,150 in February 2009, providing later-series context for the same general collar failure.
Conclusion
The portrait type and mintmark guide every comparison in this group. Raised whiskers, earlier star points, blocked lettering, and reverse cracks each need their own visible match.
Do not discard a faint O or merge the small-O and medium-O patterns. For the wide coin, check that the original design remains complete before using a broadstrike comparison.
