Prior to the minting of the first U.S. nickel in 1866, the five cent coin denomination was represented in the early years of the United States by a small silver coin called the Half Dime. The first regular strike half dimes were dated 1794, featuring a Flowing Hair Liberty (shown directly below) on the obverse and a puny eagle on the reverse. Within a couple of years, the Draped Bust design was introduced for all U.S. silver coins. This style lasted until 1805 , when production of the five-cent denomination was paused. In 1829, Half Dime minting resumed with the Capped Bust type, which lasted until 1837. The Capped Bust type was the last of what is known by United States coin collectors as early half dimes.
