To begin with, mercury dimes are misnamed.
The portrait on the front of this coin was mistaken for (and bears resemblance to) the Greek god Mercury.
But the portrait is in fact of Liberty -- the same figure that has graced U.S. coins since their introduction.
More about mercury dime coins and what they're worth...
Little-Known Facts About Mercury Dimes
Mercury in Greek mythology was known as the "quick messenger" and was equipped with wings to better execute his duties.
The confusion comes in when the designer of the coin, Adolf Weinman, added wings to Liberty's headdress.The wings were added to symbolize "liberty of thought". However in the end, due to misconception, the coin was improperly named the mercury dime.
The mercury head dime was minted from 1916 through 1945 when it was replaced by the Roosevelt dime.
All mercury dimes are 90% silver, therefore they are at least worth their silver bullion price... which is more than 10 cents.
For mercury dimes -- and most other 90% silver coins -- you can expect a dealer to pay you 9 times face value for them (silver being 15.00/oz). So every mercury dime is worth at least 90 cents or more. This is of course with the exception of the rarer mercury dimes which are listed here:
Mercury Dime Values
1942 D 2/1 - $675.00-$950.00 : 2 is stamped over a pre-existing 1
1942 2/1 - $625.00-$900.00 : Same as above without the D mintmark
1931 D - $8.00-$20.00 : Lower mintage
1926 S - $12.00-$60.00 : Lower mintage
1925 D - $4.00-$40.00 : Lower mintage
1921 D - $75.00-$400.00 : Low mintage
1921 - $60.00-$300.00 : Low mintage
1919 D - $4.00-$24.00 : Lower mintage
1917 D - $4.50-$45.00 : Lower mintage
1916 S - $4.00-$20.00 : Lower mintage
1916 D - $900.00-$9,200.00 : Extremely low mintage
The large margin in price ranges all depends on the grade of your coin.
The mint mark on the mercury head dime is very small and can be found on the reverse side of the coin on the bottom left -- right after the E in the word ONE and just left of the branch.
The prices listed above for the more rare mercury dimes are from the Red Book. You probably will not receive this amount of money for them from a dealer, because a dealer won't always give you exactly what the coin is worth. If they did, they would never make any money and be out of business.
For the most common mercury dimes, you can expect to get about a buck apiece for them, no matter what condition they're in. Silver is silver, whether it's pretty or not.
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BRansom,
Yes, take them to a coin dealer! He or she should offer you at least the bullion value of those coins. If you have 100 of them, with silver worth around $9.50 per ounce right now, you should expect at least somewhere between $90-100, but perhaps more if some of the coins are not too worn. In general, the less wear a coin has, the more it is usually worth.
While cleaning up my grandmothers belongs following her death I found a jar of Mercury Dimes dates ranging from 1923 - 1945. About 100 in total. Any advise in terms of what avenue I shuold take to get rid of them ($$$)?
I have a 1942 D mercury dime that looks like the date has been double stamped. It doesnt look like the 2 over 1 though, any thoughts?
i have a 1907 dime with a women on the front and a V with wheat around it on the back. it is in cardboard so i assume it is at least a little bit worthwhile looking into, any idea on its value? thank you
i got 1943SILVER DIME WITH D ON THE BACK AND W A ON THE FRONT AND THE G IN GOD LOOK LIKE A C AND GOT A 1943 SILVER WHEAT PENNY AND 1907 SILVER DIME ARE THEY WORTH ANYTHING
Lynne, something tells me you may have a silver bullion coin. In that case, your coin shold be worth approximately whatever the current silver spot price is. Therefore, if the current spot price of silver, per ounce, is $18, and your coin contains one ounce of silver, your coin will be worth at least $18. However, the actual figure a dealer may offer you will vary based on the total weight of silver in your coin as well as your coin's condition.
I have a 1927 dime with a wheat penny on back also has a spot on the wing I check the dime for any rough edges it is very smooth it is in perfect condition. can it be worth anythng?
Thank you
Prprinc511@aol.com