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Dime a Dozen? Not Anymore: Mercury Dime Values Hold Steady
The U.S. Mint introduced the Mercury dime in 1916 and minted more than 32 million that year. The stylish coin’s popularity kept it in production for nearly thirty years. Coins from its era, 1916–1945, can range in value from a few dollars to the mid-six figures. The Mercury dime is one of the few U.S. coins still promising profit in pocket change.
Mercury dimes are 90 percent pure silver. Over the past three years, silver prices have fluctuated between $30 to $35 per ounce and $14 to $16 per ounce, which certainly helped the coin’s value. However, unlike U.S. gold coins, trading prices of these dimes are not driven by silver speculators but by numismatists seeking collectibles.
The highest values for Mercury dimes are uncirculated examples with Full Band (FB) details on the depiction of a quiver and arrows (or fasces) on the coin’s reverse. A coin receives a Full Band designation if the lines within the design are distinct and clearly visible. Full Band Mercury dimes have a significant price premium because of the detail-rich press strike. Check out WorthPoint’s Dictionary entry on specific Mercury dime symbols for more information.
Since 2020, WorthPoint’s database has recorded over 330,000 entries involving Mercury dimes. Sales range from individual graded examples to sacks of 10,000 circulated coins offered in a single lot, one of which topped $26,120 in April 2023.
MARKET MOVERS
Key Date: Prime examples of Mercury dimes include a dazzling Gem Mint State 1916-D (Denver) specimen, graded MS65 with Full Bands, which brought $65,950 on eBay in August 2023. This key date specimen is more desirable than most because of a shift in priorities at the Denver Mint. Pushed to produce silver quarters, the effort to produce Mercury dimes was put on hold. Eventually, just 264,000 dimes were pressed, and circulation remained primarily in the Upper Midwest, making it difficult for collectors on the East and West coasts to add the special mint mark to their collections.
1945 Full Bands: Grading company PCGS estimates that only 400 specimens of this date are known to have Full Bands. The above specimen, sold through eBay in May 2023, is recorded as a high-dollar sale in the WorthPoint Price Guide at $15,950.
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