Dime · 1916–1945

Mercury (Winged Liberty) Dime

Liberty faces left wearing a winged cap, with LIBERTY around the rim and the date at lower right. A fasces (bundle of rods with an axe) wrapped by an olive branch, with ONE DIME below.

Designer

Adolph A. Weinman

Diameter

17.91 mm

Edge

Reeded

Mint mark

Reverse (back), at the bottom left, to the right of the E in ONE

Composition

1916–1945: 90% silver, 10% copper · 2.5 g Silver

Did you know? The coin never actually shows Mercury — it is Liberty in a winged cap symbolizing freedom of thought, but the public nickname stuck within weeks of its 1916 release.

Beginner tip: Check the two horizontal bands across the middle of the fasces on the back; if they are fully split and rounded, the coin has "Full Bands" and can be worth many times a normal example.

Key dates to look for

1916-D Mercury Dime

$800+ even heavily worn

The famous key date — Denver struck only 264,000 before switching to quarters; beware of added or altered mint marks

1921 Mercury Dime

$60+ in Good condition

Low-mintage year during a recession; only 1.2 million struck

1921-D Mercury Dime

$80+ in Good condition

Denver's version of the tough 1921 date, just over 1 million struck

1926-S Mercury Dime

$12+ in Good condition

Semi-key with 1.5 million minted, expensive in higher grades

Valuable varieties & errors

1942/1 Overdate

rare

$450 – $15,000+

A Philadelphia die was pressed once with a 1941-dated hub and again with a 1942 hub, leaving both dates stacked on top of each other. It is one of the most famous overdates in US coinage.

How to check: Look at the last digit of the date with a loupe. You will see a clear 1 underneath and poking out from the 2 — the two digits visibly overlap rather than looking like a smudge. The 4 also shows a slightly odd, doubled look.

1942/1-D Overdate

rare

$400 – $12,000+

The same two-hub mixup happened at Denver, creating a second 1942/1 overdate. The underlying 1 is fainter than on the Philadelphia coin but still clearly there.

How to check: Check the 2 in the date under magnification for remnants of a 1 inside its lower curve and at its base. Confirm the D mint mark on the reverse, right of the E in ONE. It is subtler than the Philadelphia overdate, so compare against certified photos.

1945-S Micro S

scarce

$8 – $150+ (more with Full Bands)

Some 1945-S dimes were struck with a tiny S punch believed to have been intended for Philippines coinage struck at San Francisco. The result is a distinctly undersized mint mark.

How to check: Compare the S mint mark to a normal 1945-S: the Micro S is clearly smaller, more compact, and slightly blob-like. It sits in the usual spot on the reverse to the right of the E in ONE. This one is affordable, so it is a great first variety to cherrypick.

Error types found on this series

Doubled Die (Obverse)

The front design shows a second, shifted image because the die itself was made doubled.

Repunched Mint Mark (RPM)

The mint mark was punched into the die more than once, slightly off position, leaving a doubled letter.

Die Clash

The dies slammed together with no coin between them, imprinting each side's design faintly onto the other.

Die Crack

A crack in the die fills with metal during the strike, leaving a thin raised line on the coin.

Off-Center Strike

The blank wasn't centered when struck, so part of the design is missing and part of the coin is blank.

Lamination Error

A thin layer of the coin's metal peels, flakes, or cracks off because the alloy was poorly mixed.

Machine Doubling

The die bounced or chattered at the moment of striking, smearing a flat shelf-like second edge onto the design.

Real photos where available (credits); others are illustrations.

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