Mercury dimes always in demand
Nothing seems to hurt the popularity of the Mercury dime. Even when dimes are not particularly active, the Mercury dime retains its popularity. This is in part because it makes for a fascinating collection but also because it features a design everyone seems to like.If we are looking for a hero other than Adolph Weinman behind the creation of the Mercury dime, it’s probably Teddy Roosevelt. His effort at reinvigorating U.S. coinage designs gave the momentum to the changes that came after he left office. That said, there is no doubt that the big story in 1916 was Weinman, who submitted the winning designs for the dime and half dollar.
Mint Director F.J.H. von Engelken described the dime’s design as follows:
“The obverse shows a head of Liberty with winged cap. The head is firm and simple in form; the profile forceful. The reverse shows a design of the bundle of rods, with battle-ax, known as ‘Fasces,’ and symbolical of unity, wherein lies the Nation’s strength. Surrounding the fasces is a full-foliaged branch of olive, symbolical of peace.”
What Von Engelken had to say is interesting in that it clears up one matter in that the new dime did not depict Mercury at all but Liberty with a winged cap. However, today it is still known most commonly as a Mercury dime.
Mintage of the new dime began with the release of 22,180,000 1916-dated coins from Philadelphia, 10,450,000 from San Francisco and a slight 264,000 from Denver. Explaining why the 1916-D ended up with a low mintage has bothered many for years. It suggests that in the area around Denver there was no commercial need for more dimes.
However, in his book, American Coin Treasures and Hoards, Q. David Bowers includes a story from Wayne Miller regarding a hoard of 135 “marginal to gem brilliant uncirculated” 1916-S Mercury dimes purchased from a Chinese family in Helena, Mont. The family had been in the area since 1916. And even though Denver was much closer than San Francisco, the 1916 dimes they received were from San Francisco. This suggests that either the 1916-D was made late in the year or that it did not have very good distribution.
