Mercury Dimes

The Mercury Dime is more formally known as the Winged Liberty Head Dime. The coin takes its common name for its mistaken resemblance to the Roman Messenger God Mercury. The coin was minted from 1916-1945 at the Denver, Philadelphia, and San Francisco mints. The mint mark is located on the reverse of the coin to the right of the "E" of "ONE."

The designer of the coin was Adolph A. Weinman. Many consider his design to be one the most beautiful US coin designs of all time.

The series contains some interesting highlights and an ultra rare key date coin that make Mercury Head Dimes a pleasure to collect.

Key Date 1916-D Mercury Dime

The key date of the series is the 1916-D Mercury Dime. This coin has by far the lowest mintage of the series at only 264,000 coins. The primary reason for the extremely low mintage was that in 1916, the Denver mint predominantly minted coins for the prior Barber Dime series. This limited mintage makes the coin so rare that even low grade examples sell for hundreds of dollars. Semi Key Date Coins include the 1921 Mercury Dime and 1921-D Mercury Dime.

1942/1 Mercury Dime Variety

The most notable variety of the series is known as the 1942/1 Mercury Dime also known as the "2 over 1 variety." This was an over date coin where the year 1942 was stamped over a 1941 die. The "1" is very clearly visible underneath the over stamped "2" making this coin a favorite of collectors. Examples exist for both the Denver and Philadelphia mints.

Full Split Bands Mercury Dimes

Full Split Bands Mercury Dimes refer to coins with full horizontal bands tying together the fasces on the reverse of the coin. The bands will only be fully visible on coins exhibiting strong strikes. Grading services use "FB" to designate coins with Full Bands. These coins sell at a premium to coins without Full Bands.

Completing Your Mercury Dime Collection

The Mercury Dime series is both interesting and beautiful. Are you looking to acquire a high grade type coin for the series? Or looking for the final few dates to complete a collection you have been assembling for years? Visit some of the pages below to find a selection of Certified Mercury Dimes for sale. Coins below are certified by either PCGS or NGC.