Uncirculated Mercury Dimes

Now that you mention it I don't think I've ever seen an OBW either. Did these originally ship to banks in bags? I'm just thinking from a price perspective BU rolls of Mercury dimes are expensive compared to other coins. For example a $5 roll of uncirculated Mercury dimes is $300 or so (common dates). $5 in uncirculated Peace dollars would be like $150 (so half of Mercury dimes). I take that as not many Mercury dimes were saved when they came out.

Collecting modern uncirculated rolls obtained new each year from banks was very popular in 1960. I don't think it was such a popular pastime in 1945 when rolls of mercuries could be had for face value. I think it was the 1950 D nickels and the 1955 double die cents that got regular folks thinking they might strike it rich with no downside by buying uncirculated rolls. By the 1970s "roll sets" were popular. Obtaining wheat back cents in uncirculated rolls cost a premium over face proving right the idea of obtaining value in uncirculated rolls to rival interest in bank deposits in comparison, after about 15 years. I still have a roll of 1954S dimes from back then and saw unc singles of walkers and Mercury dimes but not many rolls.

Back when Mercury dimes were the Dime to be used in change, they did just that, get used. Even finding one real uncirculated Merc is rare. Back in the 20's, 30's and 40's people just didn't think of collecting coins. Most people used coins as money. An entire roll of Mercury dimes would be really odd.

And that was back when $135 was A LOT of money

I think WWII played a part in there being more uncirculated rolls saved. As war production ramped-up the economy required more coins were needed; at the same time, people had more money but fewer things to spend it on due to rationing. Whether it was dealers, the public or both their saving rolls make the war years affordable in uncirculated grades.

-MV

Carl , with all do respect; If I have 50 CH.BU Lincolns or 40 CH.BU
Jefferson's , how can you say that someday in the distant future they will not be worth hoarding ?

easily. A) they're clad and for all intents and purposes, the metal is not "precious".

B) they're produced to the tunes of tens of millions and number of people hoarding them for some hope of future value is astronomical and there will be just too many in a coin market to give them any significant value.

Take a 1946 Jefferson nickel, 130,000,000 survivors and 118,000 graded at MS66 or better. Total produced in 1946 - 161,116,000. US Population in 1946 - 141,000,000. It's an acquirable coin today at $30 in a slab at MS65/6. There were not nearly as many hoarders of coinage 71 years ago.

Now, a 2016 Jefferson had a production run of 508,000,000 for both mints which represents a production increase of 310%. The population has just more than doubled to 352,000,000 people. In 71 years, how many "Survivors" in all grades will there be, what will the population be, how many "collectors" will there be? My nest guess is that a 2016 Jefferson nickel in am MS66 slab in even 30 years is a $10 coin which will cost at least twice that to even get in the slab.

In the end, worthless? No "worthless" by definition would be zero value. But "worth" holding, slabbing, selling as an UNC roll? There's a small markup involved that's decades and decades away and the end percentage gain versus investing in other areas of Numismatics or other collectibles and even other commodity markets, is not worth the price of admission IMO.