Mercury Monday: 1916-D Mercury Dime PCGS MS-67 Full Bands CAC

Both sides of this coin are alive with mint frost that shimmers beneath rich orange-gold, olive, and blue-gray toning. Every feature is fully struck, and the all-important central bands are razor-sharp. The surfaces are smooth enough to suggest an even higher grade.



Four different reverse dies are known for the 1916-D dime coinage, and all four are illustrated in David Lange's The Complete Guide to Mercury dimes. The upper left serif of the repunched mintmark is minutely notched, and matches Die 2 illustrated in Lange's reference.

Among regular issue U.S. 20th century coins, the 1916-D has a remarkably low mintage of only 264,000 pieces. Only a few other key date issues have similar or lower mintages, and all are rarities in high demand. The 1916-D Mercury dimes were all released in November 1916, with production halted so that a sudden request for quarters could be filled. The Treasury Department submitted an order late in the year for 4 million quarter dollars. The quarters struck at Denver were, of course, the older Barber-design coins, and that is the only denomination the Mint produced for the balance of the year.
Demand for the 1916-D Mercury dimes is partly due to the low mintage, and partly due to their status as first-year-of-issue type coins. Many type collectors seek only first-year coins, while others choose only key dates for their collections.

Check out certified 1916 D Mercuries on ebay.

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