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Mercury Dimes
Home » Coin Collecting » Popular Coins » Mercury DimesIn one of the great ironies of United States Mint history, the mercury dime neither contains mercury nor portrays Mercury, the messenger of the gods in Roman mythology. Despite its inaccurate name, it is one of the most popular American coins among coin collectors.
In reality, the depiction on the mercury dime is the figure of liberty, wearing a winged cap, which symbolizes freedom of thought. Liberty’s similarity to the mythological Mercury spawned the popular name, “Mercury Dime.” The reverse of the dime contains an axe surrounded by rods (a “fasces,” the Roman symbol of power) and an olive branch.
The mercury dime was minted from 1916 until 1945 and is one of the most beautiful coins in United States history. Following the death of President Franklin Roosevelt in 1945, the mercury dime was replaced with the current design featuring Roosevelt.
Mercury dimes are popular and often easily obtainable, but there are some rare and valuable models. Some 1942 dimes, for example, contain a visible “1” under the “2,” and virtually all 1921 dimes are rare and valuable. These models could be worth several hundred dollars, but non-error mercury dimes that were minted after 1934 are rarely worth more than five dollars. Earlier dimes could be worth anywhere from eight to eighty dollars or more, depending on the minting year and location.
Related Popular Coins Articles
- Introduction to Popular Coins
- Buffalo Nickel
- Wheat Pennies
- State Quarters
- Kennedy Half-Dollars
- Eisenhower Dollars
- Mercury Dimes
- Morgan Dollars
- Proof Sets