5 Circulated Mercury Dimes That Aren’t Rarities But Worth Looking For

The Mercury Dime series ran from 1916 through 1945 and saw production during two world wars and the Great Depression. The coin remains beloved by many collectors today for its patriotic designs by Adolph A. Weinman.

The coin reveals a winged Liberty head portrait on the obverse that many believe resembles the Roman god Mercury, hence the coin’s unofficial but widely embraced nickname. The reverse motif depicts fasces with an axe symbolizing strength and olive branch indicative of peace. Many collectors pursue the Mercury Dime as both a type coin and a series to be collected by date and mintmark. Many issues in the Mercury Dime series are approachable even by collectors of more modest means, while other pieces are rarities of challenging order.

In the past, we’ve covered a rundown of six classic Mercury Dime key dates and rarities. Yet there are some Mercury Dimes that may masquerade as “common” dates but in actuality are remarkably tough, even in middle circulated grades – as prices for these coins suggest. What five circulated Mercury Dimes should you be keeping an eye on? Here’s the list:

• 1916-S – Characteristically weak strikes make the 1916-S Mercury Dime a difficult coin for those seeking examples in Mint State grades. Meanwhile, the coin – with a mintage of 10,450,000 – has become scarce as melts and losses through circulation have taken a toll on surviving populations. Examples in VF20 take more than $20 and those in XF40 reach beyond $30.
• 1917-D – Denver strikes from the 1910s are relatively scarce for many coins in the United States catalog, and the 1917-D Mercury Dime goes to prove just that. It has a mintage of 9,402,000, which by no means suggests it is a rare coin. However, the 1917-D is tough in mid-circulated grades, where VF20 examples go for $30 and XF40 specimens fetch $70 – no small change for “Merc” collectors accustomed to spending less than $10 for generic mid-range circulated pieces.
• 1919-D – Branch mints from the early years of the series are creating a theme with this list, and the 1919-D only goes one step further in carrying that out. The 1919-D Mercury Dime saw a mintage of 9,939,000 and is a toughie in VF20, where it sells for $35 and $75 in XF40.
• 1925-D – This relatively unassuming mid-1920s branch-mint dime is actually one tough cookie. It saw an output of 5,117,000 and has only become scarcer in the intervening century since its production. The coin sells for around $60 in VF20 and $150 in XF40, putting its absolute value in range with the lower-grade price points for bona fide semi-key dates like the 1921 and 1921-D.
• 1931-S – As the economy spiraled southward during the height of the Great Depression, coin mintages plummeted while the need for new coinage in commerce fell. This caused the 1931-S Mercury Dime to see an anemic output of just 1,800,000 coins. Values for mid-range circulated examples range from about $15 for a VF20 example to $30 for a specimen grading XF40.

What can one glean from this list? That Mercury Dimes offer challenges in places where the many collectors may not immediately think to look. Like any series, the Mercury Dime has its nooks and crannies, and in those pockets we see coins that add their own flair of challenge and intrigue for collectors who want something more than “just” key dates and big varieties to chase after.