1921 Mercury Dime

Specifications

Denomination: 10c
Series: Mercury dime (1916-1945)
Designer: Adolph A. Weinman
Years of issue: 1921
Composition: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Weight: 2.5 g
Diameter: 17.9 mm
Edge: Reeded
KM: KM#140
Mintage: 1230000
Key mintages: 1,230,000 (GreatCollections; PCGS CoinFacts). One of the three lowest mintages of the series. Hint figure 1,230,000 verified.

Melt value: $4.66silver $64.40/ozt · prices as of Sep 16, 2026

Wikimedia Commons, Brandon Bigheart; coin image public domain (U.S. government work)

1,230,000 struck — a key date after the 1916-D; neither 1921 issue was saved in quantity.

History

The 1921 Mercury dime shows Adolph A. Weinman’s Winged Liberty head facing left in a Phrygian cap, with LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and the date; the reverse carries a fasces bound with an olive branch, E PLURIBUS UNUM, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and ONE DIME (Wikipedia; accessed 2026-09-16)
Struck at Philadelphia in a year when a sharp postwar recession cut dime output; only Philadelphia and Denver struck dimes in 1921, and none were made at San Francisco (PCGS CoinFacts; GreatCollections; accessed 2026-09-16)
With 1,230,000 struck — one of the three lowest figures of the series — the 1921 is a key date after the celebrated 1916-D (GreatCollections; accessed 2026-09-16)
Neither the 1921 nor the 1921-D was saved in quantity, so the scarcity is real rather than notional; most Mint State survivors show Full Bands definition (GreatCollections; Heritage Auctions; accessed 2026-09-16)
The issue is known for peripheral striking softness, a trait visible even on the plate coin in Lange’s Complete Guide to Mercury Dimes (Heritage Auctions; accessed 2026-09-16)

Circulation-strike mintage 1,230,000 — one of the three lowest in the series (GreatCollections; accessed 2026-09-16)
Key date after the 1916-D; scarce in every grade and rare in Mint State (GreatCollections; accessed 2026-09-16)
PCGS estimates about 2,000 survivors in all grades (PCGS CoinFacts; accessed 2026-09-16)
Key dates invite alteration, so verify the date digits under magnification and compare against certified examples before buying raw (Numismatic News; accessed 2026-09-16)

Certified populations: PCGS survival estimate: ~2,000 all grades (PCGS CoinFacts)

Verify the date digits under magnification and compare against certified examples — key dates invite altered dates (Numismatic News; accessed 2026-09-16)
Full Bands definition is the value driver: most Mint State survivors show Full Bands, and fully split bands command major premiums (GreatCollections; Heritage Auctions; accessed 2026-09-16)
Expect peripheral striking softness on genuine coins — visible even on the plate coin in Lange’s guide — so don’t mistake it for wear (Heritage Auctions; accessed 2026-09-16)