U.S. Mint coin reference
The second Draped Bust dime type replaces the small eagle with a Great Seal-inspired heraldic eagle.
Obverse: Liberty faces right with flowing hair tied by a ribbon, drapery at the neckline, LIBERTY above, the date below, and 13 stars around the portrait.
Reverse: A heraldic eagle bears a shield on its breast and a banner reading E PLURIBUS UNUM. Clouds and stars appear above; arrows and an olive branch are held below. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds the design, with no denomination shown.
In 1798 the dime's reverse changed from the short-lived Small Eagle design to a larger heraldic eagle based on the Great Seal of the United States. The Draped Bust obverse continued, linking this second type visually to the 1796-1797 coinage.
The Heraldic Eagle type was struck with dates from 1798 through 1807. Its reverse combines the shield, banner, clouds, stars, arrows, and olive branch. The coin still carries no explicit denomination.
Collectors encounter multiple date and die varieties, including overdates, numeral-size differences, reverse star-count differences, and berry-count varieties. Authentication, surface originality, and the strength of the date and central devices are important when evaluating examples.
The Heraldic Eagle Draped Bust dime replaced the earlier Small Eagle reverse in 1798. Robert Scot retained the Draped Bust portrait of Liberty but paired it with a larger eagle based on the Great Seal of the United States. Production remained modest and was not continuous, with no regular dimes struck in some years. The final coins of the type were dated 1807, after which the denomination was redesigned as the Capped Bust dime in 1809.