1977 (D) Roosevelt Dime Capped Die

Description

A capped die error on this 1977 (D) Roosevelt dime. A capped die forms when a previously struck coin fails to eject from the press and adheres to the upper (hammer) die. The next blank fed into the press is struck against the stuck coin instead of the die, producing a coin with one normal side (from the lower anvil die) and one incuse, mirror-image impression (from the stuck coin). On the obverse of this specimen, the Roosevelt portrait and lettering appear normally with a characteristic raised lip around the rim — the beginning of the cap formation where metal is being pushed outward. On the reverse, a faint incuse ghost of Roosevelt's portrait is visible in mirror image, confirming the obverse die was capped. This is an early-stage cap: the incuse impression still shows identifiable design elements before repeated strikes would spread and obliterate them into a smooth, featureless bowl. The raised rim surrounding the obverse is the defining visual feature that distinguishes a capped die from other strike errors — it forms because the stuck coin's edge acts as a miniature collar, containing the metal flow at the perimeter.