Full Spilt Bands? Yes Or No?

It's hard to tell from that scan, and it's closer, but I think it still falls short.

I agree with Mac's point though - there are other places to look for a full strike other than the bands. It's very common to have missing or weak details in the legends around the edge (the E in ONE for instance is a trouble spot on many dates, for example, and the last digit of the date), and other low-relief details often get almost polished right off the die, such as the motto on the obverse.

Here's a comparison of two well-struck FSB dimes:


The one on the left is a 1916, the one on the right a 1944-D. There are detached, floating olive stems to the right of the fasces. This actually appears on all Mercury dimes after 1925, apparently due to damage to the master hub. But sometimes it occurs on earlier dates due to die polishing or wear.

So, keep an eye out for these sorts of details too, even though they don't get a special label.

FD to me, means Full Details, BOTH sides.

I have seen quite a few FSB's, where the detail of the obverse has let to coin down. From the war years, so many have survived in nice condition that for the coin to be a standout, the quality of strike of BOTH sides must be considered.

Of course, the amount of wear and the quality of strike both contribute to the question of "FSB".

no, no, on the first two.

They don't have to be rounded necessarily to get the FB designation. And apparently they're more forgiving on years that tend to be poorly struck. On the third one it's hard to tell at this resolution. I'd lean toward yes, but a closer look might show some bridging.

Interesting to see split opinions (no pun intended) on this third coin. Nice to know that I'm not alone in finding determining FSB difficult, especially with this third coin that appears to be well stuck and most likely FSB, but has coin nicks on it. Seems to me that a FSB Mercury shouldn't be penalised for post mint damage.

I appreciate the feedback.

Les

So, what I'm hearing is there basically three variables here... a Merc could be fully well struck but not FSB, or have FSB but not well struck, or if you are really lucky, a coin that has FSB AND is fully well struck.

Then there is a fourth, much more common variety among Mercury dimes, a coin that is not well struck and has no FSB (many filled in or flattened bands, not even close to FSB). And it's a shame (or scam) when most ebay sellers state that their Mercury dimes have FSB when in fact, they are not. Unless you're well educated on what a true FSB looks like, costly mistakes can and are being made.

Education is the key.

Les

The main thing to keep in mind is exactly what FSB stands for. Full split bands. FULL, there has to be clear borders between each band. Those first two quite clearly have spots where the bands merge. The third one seems to have distinct borders between all bands. The pic isn't clear enough for me to say that with confidence though.

FSB doesn't always mean a great strike, but a poor strike is less likely to have FSB. The bands are a high point on the coin. When the die strikes the planchet, the metal has to flow the furthest to hit high points. If the metal gets up in the die and does so far enough that the bands are fully defined, the odds are much more likely that other details will be good as they are lower points and the metal didnt have to flow the same distance to fill those parts of the die.

Regardless, one definately needs to examine the coin regardless of designation. Especially if you are going to pay a higher premium for that designation.