The Complete Guide to Mercury Dimes

198 Pages·1993·11.4 MB·English

by  David W. Lange

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO
MERCURY
DIMES
David W. Lange

The Complete Guide to
MERCURY
DIMES
by
David W. Lange
Virginia Beach, Virginia
This hook is dedicated with love to Walter & ^Joyce.,
for whom numismatics is still something of a mystery...
.. .and to the memory of Ron /v/Viller,
whose gentle spirit survives
wherever collectors speak fondly of-old coins.
Look for these and other titles from DLRC Press:
The Complete Guide to Buffalo Nickels by David W. Lange
The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Half Dimes by A1 Blythe
The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Dimes by Brian Greer
The Complete Guide to Barber Dimes by David Lawrence
The Complete Guide to Barber Quarters by David Lawrence
The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Half Dollars
by Wiley & Bugert
The Complete Guide to Barber Halves by David Lawrence
The Complete Guide to Walking Liberty Half Dollars by Bruce Fox
Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of United States
Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars
(The “VAM” Book) by Van Allen & Mallis
Copyright© 1993 by DLRC Press
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized,
by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a
reviewer who wishes to quote brief excerpts in connection with a review in a
magazine or newspaper.
ISBN 1'880731-19-3 (hardbound) • ISBN 1-880731-17-7 (softcover)
DLRC Press
P. O. Box 64844
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23467
[phone]
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The principal photography for this book was performed by Tom Mulvaney. His work includes
the obverse and reverse photos of each date/mint combination, the error gallery, the grading guide and
numerous close-up photos. Additional photographs were taken by Bob Everett, Bill Fivaz, J. T. Stanton,
Alan Herbert, Arnold Margolis, Cathy Dumont, Douglas A. Mudd and David W. Lange.
The layout and typesetting were performed by John Feigenbaum.
A special thanks goes to the following professionals who shared their insight in reviewing the
author’s manuscript for errors and omissions, as well as providing other useful comments: Bill Fivaz,
Norman Talbert and Phelps Dean Witter.
Among those who lent items from their collections or inventories for inclusion in this book
were Gary Acquistapace, Ken Barr, Peter K. Beane, Pete Bishal, Eugene Bruder, Michael L. Chambers,
Jim Checkovich, Mark W. Clark, Douglas C. Daniels, Bill Fivaz, Peter F. Hamilton, Kenneth R. Hill,
Ralph Huntzinger, Jonathan K. Kern, John McIntosh, Tom Miller, David &. Ginger Pike, Vic Rollo,
Gerald Singer, J. T. Stanton, Sam Thurman, Fred Weinberg and David Woloch.
Others who provided supplemental information and reference materials or who shared their
unique knowledge of this series include John F. Bergman, Auctions by Bowers & Merena, Gerald L.
Kochel, J. P. Martin, Ron Miller (deceased), Darrel Neidigh, Andrew W. Pollock III, Joel Rettew, Sr.,
Thomas J. Rosario and Robert A. Weinman.
Thanks go also to the following institutions which furnished historical photographs and/or
information: Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History, Washington, DC;
American Numismatic Association Library and Authentication Bureau, Colorado Springs, CO.
The following organizations permitted information to be reprinted from their publications:
Western Publishing Co. - A Guidebook of United States Coins by R. S. Yeoman, 3rd, 17th, 32nd and 47th
editions; Numismatic Guaranty Corp. - NGC Census; Professional Coin Grading Service - PCGS
Population Report; CDN, Inc. - The Coin Dealer Newsletter and Monthly Summary; Amos Press - Coin
World and The Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine; American Numismatic Association - The Numismatist.
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FOREWORD by Bill Fivaz
The world situation was worrisome at best in 1916, and things were changing rapidly in
Europe. Changes were occurring in this country as well, and many people look upon 1916 as
one of the most significant years in numismatics.
Gone were the three virtually identical Liberty bust designs by Charles E. Barber on the
dime, quarter and half dollar, replaced by the beautiful neo-classic representations of this figure
by Adolph Weinman on the dime and half, and by Hermon MacNeil on the quarter. All three
were tied together by the fact that, for the first time, their designs were not similar for each
denomination; all three stood on their own as true and lasting works of art.
Weinman’s Winged Liberty Head design for the smallest of these denominations is
covered in detail by David Lange in this book, and I urge all readers to take a few minutes to
read the pages leading up to the date analysis. These pages present a well-researched look at
Weinman and his model, Elsie Kachel Stevens, and give one an excellent overview of the
politics at that time in so far as getting new coin designs approved is concerned. Public
acceptance of the coin is also well documented, and sections on Pattern Strikings, Mint Errors in
the series, Proof Coinage and Grading will be of significant interest to the reader.
David’s Date-By-Date Analysis is superbly done, covering all the essentials necessary for
the collector, and the enlarged photos of each date taken by Tom Mulvaney are an excellent
reference tool. Mintage figures, known varieties (most of which are illustrated), rarity factors
and values from 1949 to the present for most grades offer a meaningful “track record” for each
issue.
Readers will find the author’s “Comments” section at the end of each listing of
enormous wealth. Here he analyzes the strike characteristics, discusses full-band availability,
and offers insights into other factors that may impact the coinage for that particular year and
mint.
David has obviously done his homework, and the manner in which his information is
presented is logical, accurate and easy to follow. This excellent book, on one of this nation’s
most popular coin series, certainly deserves a special place in one’s numismatic library.
INTRODUCTION
There are numerous reasons why people become coin collectors. Many inherit their interest
from a parent or some other relative; a few are introduced to the hobby by a friend or co-worker.
Children are natural collectors, and coins may be among the countless items hoarded briefly and then
passed on as interests change. In recent decades, ever greater numbers of collectors have come from
within the ranks of the investors, persons who were surprised to discover that there is more to money
than simply making money.
Whatever one’s age or background, there must be something about the hobby of numismatics
that enables a person to stick with it through a lifetime. This something is very likely to be a particular
coin which speaks to the imagination as an object of beauty and human interest. It may be a silver
stater of Ancient Greece; it may be a bronze sestertius of the Roman Empire; it may be a gold sovereign
of Victorian England. For the typical American collector, this coin is quite often the Winged Liberty
Dime. We know it better as the “Mercury” Dime.
Coined by the millions from 1916 through 1945, Mercury Dimes remain a familiar image in the
hobby, although long vanished from everyday circulation. An entire generation has passed since these
beautiful little silver pieces were known to every American, and it is only we collectors who now derive
benefit from their charm. These coins, the work of Adolph A. Weinman, were hailed on their debut in
1916, a rare accomplishment among United States coin designs. Being generally suspicious of change,
particularly that initiated by the federal government, Americans nevertheless took the youthful Miss
Liberty to their hearts and shed no tears over the passing of her matronly predecessor.
The image of a youthful female adorned with wings, symbolizing “liberty of thought”, was new to
United States coinage. There were, however, historical predecents in the Ancient World. In the
coinage of Bithynia, King Prusias II is portrayed with a winged diadem, while silver denarii of the
Roman Republic frequently included the familiar portrait of a winged Roma.
Bronze coin of Bithynia, Winged head of Roma on a silver Aluminum two francs coin of
depicting King Prusias II with a denarius issued by C. Terentius French Equatorial Africa,
winged diadem, 183-149 B.C. Lucanus, circa 147 B.C. portraying Marianne with
(Courtesy of Stephen M. Huston) winged head. Dated 1948,
designed by Louis Bazor
[¥
$ FLOP
The Mercury Dime appears on a
playing card of the 1920s Miss Liberty was recruited
dOlA f$i) pCroomdupcaendy boyf tWhea tCero iVna Clleayrd, MS to appeathr eo n1 9th39is Mpianr cfrho omf
and Memphis, TN Dimes campaign
The use of a winged-head figure may have varied in meaning from one culture to another, but
such imagery was compelling, and it recurs even in more modern coinage of the Old World. Typical of
many coins minted by France for its African colonies is the two francs piece of French Equatorial Africa
dated 1948. The youthful Marianne, symbol of the French Republic and the ideological equivalent of
our goddess Liberty, is depicted in a manner nearly identical to the American dime. She wears the
flowing hair, the pileus (liberty cap) and the petite wings seen on Weinman’s dime of 1916. There was a
certain justice in France’s copying of this artist’s design, as many have commented that Adolph
Weinman’s half dollar (also created in 1916) was largely a reworking of the French silver coins then in
circulation.
As charming as the winged portrait of Miss Liberty may have been, the coin’s reverse, although
skillfully rendered, became a source of some consternation. In 1916, the fasces was nothing more than
an ancient symbol of authority dating from the glory of Rome. It was thus entirely acceptable on an
American coin. Three years later, however, the followers of Benito Mussolini seized upon this image as
their symbol for a new order in Italy. By 1922, they had achieved their goal, and the fasces would thence
forward be associated with tyranny and mob rule. Protests over its continued use on a United States
coin were initially few in number, but they grew as the Nazis too asserted their power in Germany.
In retrospect, it seems that America’s entry into World War II would have required that the
fasces be removed immediately from our ten cent piece, as the war was basically a struggle against
international fascism. Instead, the United States Mint was so overwhelmed with the rapid increase in
demand for fresh coinage that it couldn’t possibly undertake any design changes for the duration of the
war. By 1945, when coinage of the Mercury Dime was finally brought to a conclusion, the crusade
against fascism had already been won. Ultimately, it was not fault with the coin’s imagery which caused
it to be terminated, but rather the desire to honor a fallen leader. President of the United States
Franklin D. Roosevelt had died during the final months of the war. As he was so closely associated with
the March of Dimes campaign to end polio, this denomination was selected to host his portrait
beginning in 1946.
Thus, the Mercury Dime was replaced at the three U. S. mints by the Roosevelt Dime. With
hundreds of millions having been coined during World War II alone, the Mercury Dime remained a
familiar item for another twenty years. It was not until the complete disappearance from circulation of
all silver coins during the late 1960s that Weinman’s beautiful young lady faded entirely from public
consciousness.
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