One of John McCloskey’s most famous discoveries was the 1829 Capped Bust, Curl Base 2 dime, which was published in his coauthored book, United States Dimes 1796–1837, which remains the primary reference for the series.

Beyond that, he published more than 200 articles, often focusing on areas that had not been previously studied including the use of reed counts on a coin’s edge to authenticate Carson City and New Orleans Mint coins.

The 1829 Capped Bust, Curl Base 2 dime is easy to spot without magnification since it is clearly distinguished from the Flat Base 2 typically seen on 1829 Capped Bust dimes. McCloskey called the coin “prohibitively rare, even in lower grades.”

In its January Florida United Numismatists auction, Heritage offered the JR-10 discovery coin, which features a clear Curl Base 2 in the date.

Heritage writes in its catalog description, “JR-10 is rare in all grades, and most examples are well worn.”

Graded Fine 12 by Numismatic Guaranty Co., it is also listed as FS-301 in the Cherrypickers’ Guide to Rare U.S. Die Varieties, and sold for $11,100.

Another graded NGC Very Good 8 sold for $7,800.

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