Mercury Dime

About This Series

Adolph Weinman designed the "Mercury" dime - though the figure actually depicts Liberty wearing a winged cap, not the Roman god Mercury. It ran from 1916 to 1945. The 1916-D, struck at Denver in very low numbers, is the key date and one of the most widely counterfeited coins in US numismatics. The 1921 and 1921-D are also tough. Collectors grade these on "Full Split Bands" (FSB) on the reverse fasces, and well-struck FSB examples command steep premiums over flatly struck coins. The 1942/41 and 1942/41-D overdates are popular rarities found in circulation-quality coins.