The Disme Dime
The coinage Act of 1792, passed on April 2, 1792, authorized the mintage of a "disme", which was one-tenth the silver weight and value of a dollar. The composition of the disme was set at 89.24% silver and 10.76% copper. In 1792, a limited number of dimses were minted but never circulated. Some of these were struck in copper, indicating that the 1792 dismes were in fact pattern coins. The first dimes minted for circulation did not appear until 1796, due to the lack of demand for the coin and production problems at the U.S. Mint.
