Mercury Dime Series Guide: Key Dates & What’s It Worth?

The Mercury dime (1916–1945) is one of America’s most beautiful coins — and its key date, the 1916-D, sells for over $1,000 even worn nearly smooth. This guide covers the keys, the famous overdates, and why Full Bands matter.

Series history

Designed by Adolph A. Weinman, the “Mercury” dime shows Liberty in a winged Phrygian cap — long mistaken for the Roman god Mercury; the wings symbolize liberty of thought, and the reverse fasces with olive branch stands for strength and peace (APMEX).
Struck 1916–1945 in 90% silver (0.0723 oz actual silver weight), replacing the Barber dime and yielding to the Roosevelt dime in 1946 (APMEX).
Late-date issues were struck in the hundreds of millions, so 1940s dimes remain affordable even in Mint State — the premiums live in the early dates and Full Bands examples (Numisview checklist).
The series spans two world wars and the Depression; mintages range from the millions to the hundreds of millions, with a few famous exceptions (Numisview checklist).
Every Mercury dime is 90% silver, so even common dates carry a silver floor well above face value (CoinWeek).

Key dates

1916-D Mercury Dime — the series key: just 264,000 struck, the lowest mintage in the series; sells for over $1,000 even with most details worn off, and an MS67 Full Bands brought $204,000 at Stack’s Bowers in March 2020 (APMEX; CoinWeek).
1921 Mercury Dime — 1,230,000 struck in the post-WWI recession; the second scarcest regular issue (Numisview checklist; Gainesville Coins).
1921-D Mercury Dime — 1,080,000 struck; a Denver semi-key that runs into the thousands in Mint State with Full Bands (Numisview checklist; PCGS Price Guide).
1942/1 Mercury Dime — the famous overdate, struck from a 1941-dated die re-punched for 1942; both the Philadelphia and Denver (1942/1-D) versions are eagerly sought (APMEX).
1945-S Micro S — a small-mintmark variety that adds a cherry-pick to the final year of the series (Gainesville Coins).

What drives the premium

Full Bands (FB): fully separated horizontal bands on the reverse fasces — FB designation can multiply value several times over on better dates (PCGS Price Guide; CoinWeek).
Key-date mintage: the 1916-D’s 264,000 mintage makes it the undisputed king; the 1921 pair follows (APMEX).
Grade: common dates are worth a few dollars over melt in circulation, but Mint State Full Bands examples of pre-1930s dates bring significant premiums (CoinWeek).
Overdate strength: on the 1942/1, a bold underdigit commands more than a weak one (APMEX).
Counterfeit risk: the 1916-D is heavily counterfeited — added mint marks are common — so buy certified (CAC, NGC, or PCGS) and never raw at key-date prices (CoinWeek).

Specifications

Composition: 90% silver, 10% copper (APMEX)
Weight: 2.5 g (CoinWeek)
Diameter: 17.9 mm (CoinWeek)
Designer: Adolph A. Weinman (APMEX)
Years: 1916–1945 (APMEX)
Mint marks: none (Philadelphia), D (Denver), S (San Francisco) — on the reverse, left of the fasces (BullionSharks)

Collector notes

Many collectors build “short sets” of 1934–1945 or 1941–1945, which are affordable in Mint State, then chase the early keys separately (History Tools).
Check the mint-mark position on any raw 1916-D: it should sit left of the fasces, level with the E in ONE — soft rims and filled-D shapes are red flags (BullionSharks).
Proofs were struck 1936–1942 in tiny quantities (a few thousand per year) and are a separate specialty (Numisview checklist).
For authentication, a genuine 90% silver dime weighs 2.5 g; a well-worn silver coin loses about 3–4%, so anything under ~2.4 g deserves suspicion (CoinWeek).
When cherrypicking, check the reverse bands first: Full Bands examples of even common dates bring multiples of non-FB price (PCGS Price Guide).