1916 D Mercury ???

Turtleman

Full Member
Feb 8, 2007
156
3
NW PA
Detector(s) used
Ace 250 and Minelab Explorer II
Everyone,
I'm in graduate school and each time I leave the house with the detector my wife and I have a running joke that if I find a 1916-D Mercury we can finish grad school debt free.
Well, today I went to the oldest park in the city (which I have nicknamed "Pocket Spill Park" because almost all the clad found there is found in pocket spills...probably courtesy of the homeless people who nap there) which dates to the early 1910's. I studied for 50 minutes each hour, then took a 10 minute break to detect. I got about an hour of detecting in, mostly in the grass but also a little on the tot lot.
I was searching in the grass when my Ace 250 signaled a find that bounced back and forth from penny to quarter (the mineralized soil here has a heyday with my Ace on a regular basis). My experience is that signals like this often mean the signal is some junk that mimics the shape of a coin or else it is a dissolving zinc penny. However, I recently found a silver cross in that park that did the same thing so out of curiousity I dug it, hoping for a .925 ring. About five inches down I found what is pictured below...perhaps my 1916-D but I'll never know because the mint mark is worn off. Like I said at the top...it won't pay for grad school but it sure made me smile. It was attached to a piece of fishing line but the line tore as I removed the Mercury from the soil. I threw the line away at the park.
Also found:
1 Sacagewea
7 quarters
12 dimes
5 nickels
41 pennies
Total $: 4.61
I've included the cross I found from before on this post.
Hope it has been a good day for all and if not, hope the picture makes you smile.
Turtleman
 

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Very Cool Dime.

I'd say Definately a D

Can you get us Better pics of it Front & Back ?

"By itself"

Jeff
 

Cross
 

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Jeff of PA,
Sorry, my camera won't take closeups and this is the best my scanner will do. I may be able to get a better camera from one of my neighbors later but right now I need to get ready for work.
Turtleman
P.S. I am a native Pennsylvanian and will be heading back to the old Penn's woods next summer. I look forward to detecting there, although CA has been interesting, too.
 

The reason I ask is the Dark Lincolns are taking away
from the Light Silver.

Let me know when you Get Back here.
If we're in the Same area We'll have to get Together
for a Hunt.



Jeff
 

It sure looks like a D. What a waste of a brilliant date! I guess someone had no idea it would fetch $500 even in its worn condition!
 

We've certainly seen some bizarre s[h[i[t[e here on TNet over time...but that's gotta be one of the weirdest. Was the fishing line attached monofilament or was it more like braided cloth?
 

Hey, Daryl, that is one very interesting mercury dime you have there. Wow, a 1916 too. It's gotta be one of a kind.

Did you see my recent post?? I'm still looking at it daily.

HH,
CAPTN SE
Dan
 

Danimal,
The fishing line was monofilament and it looked like it was about the size for someone to wear it around their neck like a necklace.
Turtleman
 

Dan,
I did see your seated half. That is quite nice as I don't read much about seateds in these parts.
Ironically, this smiling mercury is my oldest "coin" now. I found a 1917 wheat a while back but this beats that by a year. My oldest silver other than this one is a 1923-S mercury with really good detail but with some kind of blackish tarnish on it. If I could just get the tarnish off it would probably grade AU.
I have a park for you when things slow down for me. We'll have to get together.
Turtleman
 

Turtleman said:
Dan,
I did see your seated half. That is quite nice as I don't read much about seateds in these parts.
I have a park for you when things slow down for me. We'll have to get together.
Turtleman

Just say when, my friend. I'm always looking to hunt some new turf.

HH,
CAPTN
Dan
 

Tman, I hope that turns out to be a 16D for you. I have found several 16's but alas no D's. All ways get the blood a pumping. HH

Desertfox
 

That is the previously unknown 1916 d/s variety with the blue eyes, got to be worth a few years tuition, especially in that condition ;)
 

Very unique!

Oddly enough, that's the Merc you'll remember the most. How could you forget it? :D


Congratulations!


Ridley
 

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