YOU’LL want to be on the lookout for a couple of key details on your dimes as one has for more than $11,000 online.
Before the Roosevelt dime, which is the 10-cent denomination that Americans are most familiar with today, the Mercury design was regularly produced.
This was the case from 1916 to 1945.
The design on the obverse features an image of Liberty looking to the left with her hair covered by a winged cap.
But one example has recently sold on eBay for a total of $11,400 after 69 bids.
Here’s what is so special about it.
In many coin series’, “key dates” exist, which are deemed the rarest coins based on a specific year or mint mark.
For the Mercury dime series, you’ll want to look out for a coin with a 1916 and a D (Denver) letter mark.
This is because the reported mintage is only 264,000.
But that isn’t the only reason why an example of a Mercury dime on eBay sold for $11,400.
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It also has a Full Split Band strike, according to the seller.
These were given exclusively to Mercury dimes and are considered extremely scarce.
For it to fit the mold of a Full Split Band strike, the middle bands with the buddle of the sticks on the reverse must show full separation.
But other dates could be quite valuable with that detail too, according to Professional Coin Grading Services.
“In fact, a 1918-D Mercury dime graded PCGS MS66 will usually bring a bit over $1,000 in the market,” it said.
“The same coin graded by PCGS MS66 but with the Full Band designation will bring in excess of $100,000 in the market!”
For context, coins are given numbers grades 1-70, with the highest being flawless.
While the grade wasn’t clear for the $11,400 Mercury dime example that sold, the seller claimed that it was uncirculated.
That would mean the grade would be between 60 and 70.
OTHER VALUABLE DIMES
Meanwhile, Roosevelt dimes could be worth a ton of money too.
For example, your Roosevelt dime with a 1982 date could be worth hundreds of dollars.
This is if there is a mintmark missing.
Another one with a blank detail could be worth more than $7,000.
It was a dime minted onto a penny planchet.
A Roosevelt dime with cud error recently sold for a total of $119.26 on eBay after 15 bids.
And a 2002 error dime recently sold for $200.
To see if your spare change is worth anything, you can check eBay by searching the full name, selecting the “sold” listing, and then toggling the search to “highest value”.
