Mercury Dimes 1916-1945 Coin

Despite its tiny amount, the "Mercury" dime may very well be the most exquisite coin ever created by the United States Mint. It is extremely remarkable that a coin this small could have such an elaborate and aesthetically lovely target.

One thing its objective does not describe, however, is Mercury, the courier of the gods in Roman mythology. The study on its facade is actually that of Liberty irksome a winged cap symbolizing abandon of thought. Thus, the coin more correctly is known as the Winged Head Liberty dime. Nevertheless the misnomer "Mercury" was applied to it early on and, after the existence of communal custom, has stuck.

Whatever it's called, this dime represented an embrace change of tempo when it made its first appearance in 1916. Indeed, it implied more than excellent of thought: it also was an image of America's new character, exuberance reflected in the novelty and vitality of the new U.S. penny as a total in the early 1900s. The coin it replaced, the starchy Barber dime, was rooted in the 19th century, a time when American life was more rigid and prim. In an artistic sense this new coin was a breath of cool air, even however its inspiration went all the way back to the primeval Greeks and Romans.

Clearly, the Mint and Treasury supposed it time for a change. Under an 1890 law, they couldn't restore a coin motif more frequently than every 25 existence. The Barber dime, lodge and half money, first produced in 1892, reached the part-century smear in 1916, and the Mint wasted no time in replacing all three. Actually, his misinterpretation of the 1890 law led Mint Director Robert W. Woolley to judge that he must reinstate the presented designs when they reached 25 being of production.

The Mint began laying the groundwork in the last days of 1915, when it set the rostrum for an unusual competition to gain new designs for the coins. Director Woolley invited three imminent sculptors-Hermon A. MacNeil, Albin Polasek and Adolph A. Weinman, all New York City-to make designs for the three silver coins, evidently to awarding a different coin to each artiste.

Whatever the Mint's intention may have been, Weinman broken up receiving two of the three coins-the dime and half cash-with MacNeil getting the lodge dough and Polasek being shut out. Nevertheless few would quibble with the selections, for all three of the new coins-the Mercury dime, the Standing Liberty house money and the Walking Liberty half dough-inevitably happen on most collectors' lists of the finest U.S. coins ever made.

The German-natural Weinman had come to the United States in 1880 at the age of 10 and had willful under the infamous Augustus Saint-Gaudens. By 1915 he had gained a reputation as one of the populace's leading babyish sculptors. Weinman solidified this permanent with his artwork for the dime.

Its generally thought that the Winged Liberty portrait is based on a bust that Weinman did in 1913 of Elsie Kachel Stevens, wife of well-known versifier Wallace Stevens. She and her husband were tenants at the time in a New York City residence house owned by the sculptor. The transpose of the coin depicts the fasces, an ancient figure of persuade, with a crusade-ax atop it to epitomize preparedness and a lime separate beside it to denote the covet for harmony. With World War I powerful in Europe, these were emotional themes in 1916.

Release of the very first Mercury dimes was delayed pending recent in the year, as the dies were not yet swift. Coins of the old Barber point were hurriedly coined to gather the demand. The Denver Minted made only 264,000 examples of the new dimes, and 1916-D has been the great key of the chain ever since-the only coin with a mintage below one million. The mintmark appears on the inverse, below and left of the fasces. Other scarce coins enter 1921, 1921-D and the 1942/1 overdates from both Philadelphia and Denver. Brilliant proofs were made from 1936 through 1942, and there exists at slightest one 1916 dull resilient.

Collectors with a weakness for perfection entreat Mercury dimes with "filled split bands," completely obvious ranks in the bands around the fasces. For most dates these order significantly elevated premiums than coins lacking such describe. Lack of filled bands doesn't mean a coin mint-position; often, it plainly denotes a weak punch. The bands do wait as a checkpoint for corrosion, however, since they're so high and exposed. Other spots to confirm are Liberty's coat and the area in front of her ear.

For most of the string, production at the fork mints in Denver and San Francisco was minus than ten million pieces a year. Outputs were advanced at the focal mint in Philadelphia but exceeded 100 million only five epoch. Large facts of Mercury dimes subsist in grades up to Mint State-65, and they're quickly untaken even in MS-66 and 67, at least for the later dates. This, joint with their beauty, makes them very promotable. Facing 77 time-and-mint combinations, not counting the overdates, many collectors pleased themselves with just a distinct lettering coin. Others assemble "sharply sets" from 1934 through 1945 or 1941 through `45.

The Mercury dime served Americans well during one of this land's most violent eras. Born on the eve of our nation's note into World War I, it remained a central part of America's money place right through the end of World War II, bowing out in 1945. Along the way, it took pivot theater during the Great Depression as the claim coin in the down-and-outers' anthem, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" The desire of Mint Director Nellie Tayloe Ross to switch the Mercury dime with portraying Benjamin Franklin in 1938 was delayed awaiting after the war, Franklin eventually finding a home on the half buck ten being later.

In 1946, following the casualty of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a new devise with a portrait of the former President was issued. It was proper that this denomination was chosen to perpetuate his recall, as during his lifetime he was a significant influence in the March of Dimes battle against polio.

Even in its finishing years, this was a coin with authentic buying right. Armed with a Mercury dime, youngsters in the1940s had their choice of a 52-page comic book, a double-dip ice cream funnel, two Hershey bars or two bottles of Coca-Cola. Remaining in circulation right awaiting the end of silver coinage, Mercury dimes were a known glimpse as behind as the 1960s.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Diameter: 17.9 millimeters Weight: 2.50 grams Composition: .900 silver.100 copper Edge: Reeded Net Weight: .07234 degree unmixed silver

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Breen, Walter, Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins, F.C.I. Press/Doubleday, New York, 1988. Lange, David W. The Complete Guide to Mercury Dimes, DLRC Press, Virginia Beach, VA, 1993. Taxay, Don, The U.S. Mint and Coinage, Arco Publishing Co., New York, 1966. Vermeule, Cornelius, Numismatic Art in America, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1971. Yeoman, R.S., A Guide Book of United States Coins, 47th Edition. Western Publishing Co., Racine, WI, 1993.

Coin Information Provided Courtesy NGC.

Barber Dimes 1892-1916 Coin

As early as 1879, municipal dissatisfaction with the Seated Liberty proposal was heard in Washington and Philadelphia. It was felt by many that the realm's coin designs were back-tariff, but few could have predicted how mundane a change could actually be. New mint engravers submitted designs throughout the early 1880s, but the only outcome was the production of a new nickel in 1883 intended by Chief Engraver Charles Barber. In 1891, when there was much discussion of a communal competition for new designs for the dime, district money and half cash, Barber reported to Mint Director James Kimball that there was no one in the country who was clever of helping him in preparing primary designs.

This same egoism was also found in one of the principal sculptors of the day, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who confided to the Mint Director that there were only four men in the world competent to do such a redesigning: three were in France, and he was the fourth. Kimball insisted that very than unfilled abroad to find the best fabricate talent available, it would be viable to find able designers in America. To that end a panel of ten of the leading artists and sculptors of the day was commissioned to guess which would be the best designs for the new currency. Rather than make any decisions about a topic competition, the panel instead discarded the language of the competition as future by Mint officials on the basis that the preparation time for plaster models was too dumpy and the monetary compensation too trifling.

The Mint Director discarded the panel's suggestions and threw the competition open to the shared. The outcome of a shared competition were likewise discouraging. Of the more than 300 drawings submitted, only two were accorded a good remark by a four-associate panel appointed by Kimball (it should be imminent that one of the panel members was Charles Barber).

Kimball's successor to the mint directorship was Edward O. Leech. The latter was well awake of the evils Director Kimball had encountered annoying to get new coin designs. Leech avoided what he termed the "wretched letdown" of committees and public discussion all together by modestly directing the chief engraver to draw new designs which, of course, is what Barber hunted all along.

What Barber did was to temper the large journey worn on the Morgan dollar by adding a Liberty cap and cropping Liberty's wool shorter in back. He then sited his initial B on the truncation of the shaft. The converse uses almost the same wreath used on the Seated Liberty dime of 1860-91.

What Barber did accomplish with his new dime, while, was to draft and place into production a coin that would endure the salient requirements of complex, high-alacrity coin presses. As a Mint employee he was acutely sentient of the penury for coins to be planned so they would assault up with one drive from the coin plead. His mistrust to outsiders was, no doubt, due in part to distrust, but in all fairness he did understand the testing specifications necessary to achieve millions of coins for commercial purposes.

The first Barber dimes were struck on January 2, 1892. Over half a billion pieces were struck during the next twenty-five time. Some issues have mintages as small as 500,000 (such as 1895-O, 1901-S and 1913-S), while others were struck in quantities as large as 22 million (1907-P). At one time or another four mints struck these coins, and the mintmark of Denver (D), San Francisco (S) and New Orleans (O) can be found on the junior transpose below the loop in the bow (there being no mintmark for coins struck in Philadelphia).

Barber dimes are, for the most part, a completeable set of coins with no significant court or mintmark rarities, excluding for the legendary 1894-S. The low relief sketched confident that most coins would be sharply struck, excluding for a few issues from New Orleans (known for weak strikes over the decades). This necessary of any great effect rarities in the Barber chain stands in downright compare to the next sequence, Adolph Weinman's "Mercury" blueprint, where squishy stunning facts make that chain such a challenge.

There is one great shortage in the Barber dime string, one of the rarest coins in all U.S. numismatics-the 1894-S dime. Allegedly, 24 pieces were struck on orders from San Francisco Mint Superintendent J. Daggett. Only ten specimens can be accounted for today, which presents one of the great numismatic mysteries of the earlier hundred days: Where are the other fourteen 1894-S dimes that were reportedly struck? All the known 1894-S dimes proofs, and all were struck from the same set of dies. Much has been written on this fascinating shortage over the time, and there are many interesting stories and theories about these coins. Undoubtedly the best known untruth is that Superintendent Daggett gave three of the coins to his daughter Hallie and told her to keep them pending she was as old as he was, when they would be worth a lot of money. On her way home from the mint, she useless one of the dimes on a dish of ice cream. Today that coin is known as the "Ice Cream Specimen." The other two she kept and lastly sold in the 1950s.

Grading Barber dimes are a relatively unadorned handle. On high grade coins, signs of circulation will first seem on Liberty's cheek and in the fields. For a coin to be uncirculated, all the mint patina must be outfitted and steady over both sides.

Proofs were struck in each year excluding 1916, and the only overhang find in this series is the 1893/2 overdate. The 1894-S dime is the only number to have been counterfeited in any appreciable records. Dangerous forgeries have been made by shifting the mintmark on an 1894-O or adding one to a Philadelphia coin. Others were made in the mid-1970s in The Philippines.

The series is regularly cool by beginners in Good to Very Good grades, while more advanced collectors choose mint territory and testimony examples. Recently, however, collectors have showed a renewed profit in this and the other Barber series in XF and AU grades. Several issues of these intermediate grade coins are extremely challenging to locate. Curiously, some issues are more demanding to locate in snag-unbound XF or AU than in mint condition due to the signpost of original BU rolls.

Barber dimes are also very common with typeface collectors, especially in high grades. Because the series spans both the 19th and 20th centuries, anyone attempting to absolute a typeface set from the century will need an example.

While the Barber dime may require the artistic earn that designs before, and after displayed, this class, with its distinctive 19th century motif, has remained a favorite with collectors over the decades.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Diameter: 17.9 millimeters Weight: 2.50 grams Composition: .900 silver.100 copper Edge: Reeded Net Weight: 0.0723 ounce wholesome silver

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Breen, Walter, Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins, F.C.I. Press/Doubleday, New York, 1988. Lawrence, David, The Complete Guide to Barber Dimes, DLRC Press,Virginia Beach, VA, 1991. Taxay, Don, The U.S. Mint and Coinage, Arco Publishing, New York, 1966.

Coin Information Provided Courtesy NGC.

Roosevelt Dimes 1946 - present

Who really intended the Roosevelt Dime? Was it the U. S. Mint's Chief Engraver, John Ray Sinnock, whose initials figure on the coins first minted in 1946, or was it sculptor Selma Burke, whose bas-relief submitted as a gift to the President five days previous bears eerie resemblance to the portrayal actually worn? This irksome inquiry has been raised repeatedly during novel time, and it ashes a subject of ponder among numismatic scholars.

What is known for certain is that the American open in 1945 was clamoring for some cenotaph to their fallen chief, whose surface had come just as he was about to enjoy a musical victory after existence of struggle and disquiet. As World War II was looming its end in April of that year, Franklin Delano Roosevelt breathed his last, and the gratis world mourned. The people's only four-tenure president died at 63, aged afar his days by twin burdens of the maximum lucrative depression in the people's narration and the most devastating war of all time.

Within the Treasury Department, procedure were fast laid for the introduction of a new coin to prize Roosevelt. Since the deferred president had been afflicted with polio, or infantile paralysis as it was then generally known, it seemed only relaxed to place his depiction on the dime. This humbled coin was symbolic of the struggle to end polio through the "March of Dimes" fundraising operation, an envisage begun during Roosevelt's first term.

In a trip with its 40-year tradition of enlisting remote artists in the plan of new coins, the Mint assigned this brief to Chief Engraver Sinnock. His initial models were submitted to the national Commission of Fine Arts by Acting Mint Director Leland Howard on October 12, 1945. The Commission unwanted them on very exclusive argument and recommended an invitational competition for the outline of the new dime, naming five accomplished sculptors as candidates. Given the allowable time casing (the coins had to be keen for arise when the 1946 March of Dimes campaign kicked off on the belatedly president's birthday, January 30), this suggestion was abruptly rejected by Mint Director Nellie Tayloe Ross.

Instead, Sinnock went back to his workshop to make the beloved improvements. His small rule of Roosevelt with the now forward replaced large mottos, larger study with a miniscule IN GOD WE TRUST. As it fit the vacant opening, LIBERTY remained in large lettering but was moved to the left from its former opinion promptly above the portrayal. The year, and Sinnock's initials JS, were utterly small and appeared below the truncation of Roosevelt's stem. The repeal featured an upright torch, symbolizing openness, flanked by twigs of jade and oak, respectively denoting quiet and victory. The motto E PLURIBUS UNUM was ineptly spaced between these elements in a release line. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and ONE DIME were accepted in arcs around the fringe, separated from each other by ornamental dots. At the eleventh hour, these revised models were approved on January 8, 1946 by the Commission of Fine Arts and Treasury Secretary Fred Vinson. Accompanying this announcement was an order from Director Ross to begin the production of hubs and dies immediately and to begin penny as presently as workable.

As they would decades later with the claims raised by Selma Burke, John Sinnock's initials JS on the dime provided controversy from the outset. Americans, newly awakened to the situation-war hazard posed by the Soviet Union, were opening to invent Communists behind every tree. A persistent tale expanded that the initials JS were those of Soviet organizer Joseph Stalin. As absurd as this may seem today, enough The possibility alarmed americans of Communist change that the Mint was affected to originate an invoice identifying the coin's architect and refuting the claims of "Reds" being harbored within its respected bulwark.

Coined by the millions every year from 1946 forward, the Roosevelt Dime chain has no unusual dates, and the only challenge in completing collection mendacity in locating scarce varieties or form rarities. Several teenager hub changes have occurred, the first appearing in 1946 when it was realized that parts of the obverse design were indistinct, plus the controversial initials JS. Other modifications are noted during 1964 and 1981. Since then, new hubs have been introduced frequently. This is to compensate for the costume which fallout from the frequent die sinkings vital to meet modern strain for additional change. These new hubs develop almost annually, but the changes are so feeble as to go unnoticed excepting by specialists.

Roosevelt dimes have been coined at three mints: Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. From 1946 through 1964, the mintmark place was just to the left of the source of the torch. From 1968 onward, mintmarks appear above the year. Those struck in Philadelphia carried no mintmark pending a letter P was introduced creation in 1980. Roosevelt dimes coined at the mints in Denver and San Francisco have forever been identified by words D and S, respectively, except during the time 1965-67 when these mintmarks were gone. All three mints made dimes for circulation through 1955; in March of that year, San Francisco ceased the minting of coins, and for the next ten years its mint was worn exclusively as an attempt staff. The other two mints nonstop lonely pending 1965, when the West Coast facility was reactivated in a power to overcome a nationwide coin famine. Silver dimes square 1964 and carrying no mintmark were struck in San Francisco during the last months of 1965.

Although there are no singular dates in the Roosevelt dime chain and it is certainly fulfilled in mint confusion, some issues contain notable premiums, particularly in grades MS-65 and higher. These embrace all the 1948 and 1949 dimes, 1950-S and 1951-S. Despite their, much inferior to average mintages, the three issues square 1955 were commonly hoarded and pass only modest premiums. The only customary-gush coin appeal more than its silver gold help in circulated grades is 1949-S. Points to trial for costume on the Roosevelt dime include the highpoints of FDR's fleece and cheek and the flame and horizontal bands of the torch.

Proofs were coined at the Philadelphia Mint launch in 1950, and this date through 1955 are all worth more than subsequent proofs. Coinage of proofs was hovering with the adoption of copper-nickel clothed dimes in 1965. No proofs were coined with the dates 1965, 1966 and 1967, but "exclusive mint sets" were coined at the San Francisco Mint that have a prooflike class to their surfaces. These are not as gallantly struck as sincere proofs. In addition, less concern was full in their behavior, and they frequently display nicks and abrasion, even when found in their inventive packaging. Proof currency resumed in 1968, this time at the San Francisco Mint. The S-Mint dimes square 1968 to date are factual proofs course the letter S and were made exclusively for retailing to collectors. Since 1992, these have been coined in both the conventional clothed composition and at the old silver everyday. The Philadelphia and Denver Mint persist to yield copper-nickel clad dimes for common circulation.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Diameter: 17.9 millimeters Weight: 2.50 grams (silver) Composition: .900 silver.100 copper Net Weight: .07234 scrap wholesome silver Weight: 2.27 grams (CuNi-clad) Composition: .750 copper.250 nickel bonded to unmixed copper Edge: Reeded

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Breen, Walter, Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins, F.C.I. Press/Doubleday, New York, 1988. Tomaska, Rick Jerry, Cameo and Brilliant Proof Coinage of the 1950 to 1970 Era, R & I Publications, Encinitas, CA, 1991. Taxay, Don, The U.S. Mint and Coinage, Arco Publishing Co., New York, 1966. Yeoman, R.S., A Guide Book of United States Coins, 48th Edition. Western Publishing Co., Racine, WI, 1994.

Coin Information Provided Courtesy NGC.

Rare Coin Valuation And Price Guides

Coin Price Guides are useful among collectors. In briefing, coins are tiny floppy shaped metal pieces of currency. Coins come in numerous categories that are valued their face charge, currency coins come with an amount written on them and the written amount is the worth of the coin.

Rare and Historical coins are those that were made centuries before us, these pink coins are very significant in ruling out historical information about our ancestors. Historical coins can fetch a very high penalty in the advertise; the pricing of the coin is also based on the significance, feature, situation, uniqueness and beauty of the coin.

Gold coins or Silver Coins are typically bought as an investment; the outlay of these coins mostly depends on the sell assess. Due to fluctuations in the wealth there are no set cost guides then the rate of Gold and silver coins also fluctuates.

Coin Pricing is based on certain criteria's- * The coin must be made of a helpful metal; and the pricing of this coin will be close to the advertise cost of the metal.

* Coin should be of standardized stress and purity.

* The marking on the coin has to be open and manifest only by an authorized ability.

* Pricing of the coin also depends on the time printed on the coin, as well as its historical significance.

From time to time coin collectors come across coins that are very tiring to consider a outlay, for crate a coin aerial may own a very sole coin that cannot be priced due to its imprecise marking or worsened situation, on such occasions the pricing of the coin is based on the request of the coin or how many coin collectors are interested in the portion.

Sometimes a very rare coin will not be as well priced, as a coin that is relatively ample in scenery and this is only because the more familiar coin is in elevated want by the coin collectors. For example there are only 30,000 dimes of the 17th century, where as there are near 4,000,000 20th century dimes, yet the 20th century dimes are sold at a elevated assess than the 17th century dimes, and this is only because the 20th century dimes are more admired among coin collectors.

Generally coin prices keep unstable, the common ruling in the coin price pilot is the rarer the coin the advanced the coin quantity, still there are some exceptions as in this case; a 1913 marked Liberty skull Nickel was sold for $1,000,000 as there are only 5 pieces of such coins, where as 1000 year old Chinese coins were sold for not more than $100-$200 as there were a number of these coins existing.

Coin grade also influences the coin price point, coin grade depends on the form, the better the prepare the higher the grade will be and the higher price the coin will fetch. However you should have in opinion that the monetary survey of a coin is not everything, even if one coin does not have a high sell value it does not loose its significance as it can still be very much a part of your collection.

If you are interested in pricing, you can get Coin Price Guides that come in stamp (soft envelop and hardcover) and they are also vacant online in digital plan.

Mint Marks Are Important in Coin Collecting

Knowing what mint script are and where to locate them is very important to coin collectors. Sometimes this small feature on a coin can mean the difference in help of thousands of dollars.

S Mint Mark
What is a Mint Mark?

It is a small spot or letter stamped into a coin as it is being made to name at which mint it was shaped. Uniting States coins have mail, but some other countries have other letters that they use for identifying purposes.

In the United States this identifying feature is almost always on the ground of the coin. The meadow is the background subject of a coin not worn for a devise or inscription.

The company of this spot can (and often does) change the evaluate of a coin considerably. This is because it can upset the scarcity of the coin. For example, in the task of 1894 dimes, having the 'S' stain adds tens of thousands of dollars to the quantity of the coin as only 24 were minted.

You can read more about the use of identifying script on coins here.

Locating Mint Marks

Most identifying script were on the rearrange sides of United States coin awaiting 1968, when the Mint Director changed the site to the facade (front) part of the coins. Some exceptions compose the 1838-O Capped Bust half cash and the 1916-D and 1916-S Walking Liberty half cash.

To see a roll of US coins and a description of where to locate their mint marks click here.

Remember, if you can't find an identifying spot on a coin, the coin may have been minted at Philadelphia and there will not be any.

Why are These Marks Important?

Collectors determine a coin's charge by examining its date, mintmark and prepare. The most important of these three is the clause. However, since the coin may have been bent in large quantities in one mint and much smaller quantities in another, the mint that struck the coin can be extremely important at determining its value. For example, the 1914 and 1914-D Lincoln cents. More that 75 million coins were fashioned at Philadelphia but only 1.193 million at the Denver Mint "D."

Also, recollect the 1894 dimes mentioned ahead. Since only 24 were minted with the 'S' mark, these dimes mean considerably more than many other dimes.