Mercury dime value: key dates, overdates and Full Split Bands

Every Mercury dime is 90% silver, so even a worn common date is worth its silver content. The real prizes are the 1916-D, the 1921 and 1921-D, the 1942/1 overdates, and Mint State coins whose fasces bands are fully split.

By the Coin Scanner team · Updated 2026-10-13

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Why it is called the Mercury dime

Adolph A. Weinman, who also designed the Walking Liberty half dollar, created this dime in 1916, a year in which the dime, quarter and half dollar all received new designs. The obverse shows Liberty in a winged cap; the U.S. Mint explains that the wings stand for freedom of thought, but the public saw the Roman god Mercury and the nickname stuck. The reverse carries a fasces, a bundle of rods around an axe, beside an olive branch, which the Mint describes as symbols of military readiness and the wish for peace. Weinman's monogram, AW, sits to the right of Liberty's neck.

The dime was struck until 1945, when the Roosevelt design replaced it after the president's death. PCGS counts more than 2.5 billion Mercury dimes in all, so the type as a whole is not rare. Collectors tend to split the series into early dates (1916-1931), which hold most of the scarce coins, and late dates (1934-1945), which are common.

Key dates and overdates with mintages

Mintages are as listed by PCGS CoinFacts. The overdates were struck from dies that had a 1 under the 2, so no separate mintage exists.

1916-D

Denver struck only 264,000 dimes in 1916. PCGS's David Hall cites Walter Breen's account that dime production there was halted so staff could concentrate on quarters. Hall describes the coin as rare in every grade and adds an important warning: it is one of the most counterfeited U.S. coins, typically by attaching a D to a genuine 1916 Philadelphia dime, and PCGS sees fakes every week. Hall estimated that most Mint State survivors have fully struck crossbands.

1921 and 1921-D

Both dates were struck in a weak economy. PCGS notes that a short, sharp postwar downturn cut demand for small change while the Mint focused on silver dollars under the Pittman Act. Philadelphia produced 1,230,000 dimes and Denver 1,080,000. A PCGS essay argues the 1921-D is actually scarcer than the more famous 1916-D, because few were set aside at the time; most survivors are heavily worn.

The 1942/1 and 1942/1-D overdates

On these, the 2 at the end of the date was struck over a 1, so part of the 1 shows through. PCGS's Ron Guth notes the Philadelphia overdate is fairly available in circulated grades but one of the rarest Mercury dimes in Mint State, and he warns about altered dates: compare any candidate closely with certified examples. PCGS lists the auction record for the 1942/1 at $90,000 for an MS67+ sold by Heritage in January 2023.

Full Split Bands explained

The fasces on the reverse is bound by horizontal bands. On many uncirculated coins the two central bands are not fully separated. When those bands are completely separated by a visible groove, the coin qualifies for a Full Bands designation, often called Full Split Bands (FSB). PCGS notes that such coins often sell for substantially more than the same grade without split bands. The designation only matters for Mint State coins, since wear flattens the bands on circulated dimes.

How to check your Mercury dime

1. Read the date on the obverse; Weinman's AW monogram sits close by, to the right of Liberty's neck.
2. Find the mint mark on the reverse, low on the left of the fasces.
3. Check key dates closely. On a 1916-D, inspect the D with magnification for seams or a mismatched shape; on a 1942, look for a 1 under the 2.
4. Look at the bands on uncirculated coins to see whether the central pair is fully split.
5. Watch for cleaning. Bright, hairlined surfaces from polishing reduce value noticeably.

Coin Scanner can identify the date and mint mark from photos of both sides and give an estimated value range, which is a quick way to separate common late dates from coins worth a closer look.

Melt value and what drives value

A Mercury dime contains 2.50 g × 0.90 = 2.25 g of silver. Using the NIST factor of 31.1034768 grams per troy ounce, that is about 0.0723 troy ounce. Multiply by the current spot price for a melt figure, which is roughly the floor for a worn common date. Above that, value depends on the date and mint mark, grade, strike (Full Bands), eye appeal and whether the coin is certified. Auction records quoted here are for exceptional coins, and every estimate is just that. For a key date or overdate, professional authentication and grading is the safest next step.

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