1833 Capped Bust Dime - Brunk W-438 H. Wettstein Last 3 High
Strike Type
Coin Details
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — estimates reflect typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
Description
This 1833 Capped Bust Dime bears a merchant counterstamp attributed to H. Wettstein, cataloged as Brunk W-438. Counterstamps were applied to circulating coins by merchants, silversmiths, and tradesmen as a form of portable advertising — the business card of early America. The H. Wettstein stamp identifies a business operating in Wettstein, one of many merchants who used coin counterstamping to advertise their trade. The host coin is a 1833 dime from the Capped Bust Dimes 1809-1837 series. The host coin's original mintage was 485,000, though counterstamped examples represent only a tiny fraction of survivors. Struck in 89.2% silver, 10.8% copper, weighing 2.67 grams, 18.5 mm in diameter. Cataloged as PCGS #922432. Counterstamped coins documented in Gregory G. Brunk's "American and Canadian Countermarked Coins" sit at the intersection of numismatics and Americana — each piece is a primary-source historical document of early American commerce. The counterstamp adds a unique layer of provenance that distinguishes this coin from all other examples of its type.
External References
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Other Strike Types in This Series
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