1941 Aluminum Mercury Dime

[mmmikey64]

Searching some long forgotton Wheat penny rolls, I found an aluminum Mercury dime; Does any body know the history of such a coin? I am an avid collector and know my coins well. I found a mercury 1941 in aluminum!!!!

 

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[coinsareawesome]

Is there any way you can weigh it and tell us it's weight in grams?

 

[mmmikey64]

Is there any way you can weigh it and tell us it's weight in grams?

Well, I weighed the piece and it weighs 2.5 grtams as all mercury dimes are supposed to but it has no ring when dropped and looks and feels like aluminum. Could this mercury dime be compacted in aluminum? The coin is aluminum and that is a fact but the weight confuses me. All I can say is that it may be compacted and a little more thick thank usual. is there any history of this sort of dime? it is within the WWII experimental years.

 

[kingskid1611]

Could it be a trial fake to see if they would get caught at making them? Very Interesting

 

[masterjedi]

Looks like real silver to me. I was in the business for 20 years of buying and selling coins...its just been harshly cleaned... nice find...

 

[david680]

Well, it looks like a standard silver dime, and the weight would seem to confirm that. Stranger things have happened, so who knows. However, I would say that being a 1941 it falls a bit to early for the WWII experimental coins. I would also point out that silver does not seem to have been a metal that the US was worried about for the war effort (i.e. War Nics). I think the only way you would probably ever confirm it is to have it tested for silver, or take it to a expert who might know something more to look for. Checked my Breen's, and find no reference to strikes in alternate metals.

 

[NHBandit]

It's impossible for that dime to weigh the same as a Silver dime if it's made of Aluminum. No exceptions. It also looks exactly like every other Silver dime. Compacting it to make it weigh the same ? LoL... No. What on earth makes you so convinced that it's Aluminum ? I've been collecting coins for 45 years and started back when finding Mercury dimes in pocket change was still fairly common.

 

[galenrog]

If aluminum, it would have to be over twice as thick to have the same weight, given the same diameter. If a fake, it is NOT aluminum. I tend to agree with those saying the dime is silver.

 

[gordonquixote]

Harry...did he say an aluminum dime that weighs the same as silver?

 

[l.cutler]

I agree, a normal silver dime, what indication is there that it is aluminum?

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Is there any record of a US mint ever having produced an Aluminum dime in the 1940's?

 

[coinsareawesome]

Like they all have said, there is no way on this earth that silver a specific size can weigh the same as aluminum that same size! It's just not natural! There was a similar thread to yours where an "aluminum" coin turned out to be a mercury dime.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

SOLVED no mystery here

 

[tokameel]

Hey mmmikey64, Welcome to T-Net! Keep coming up with questions or any good finds.

 

[trdking]

A trial die strike would have been done in Bronze or copper Most definitely not in Aluminum. USA issues and trial strikes have never been in Aluminum IMO

 

[coinman123]

I think that they needed aluminum for the WWII planes so why would they waste it on some dimes?

 

[mmmikey64]

Update: My scale is not calibrated correctly; This mercury is an off metal strike but I dont know what metal it could be, Most likely aluminum or a percentage of aluminum with other trace metals.

 

[Scrappy]

Looks like a Merc cleaned with a Brillo pad. At 2.5 grams (or even near that) the heaviest aluminums don't get near silver in density

 

[mmmikey64]

The only thing is that itdoes not ring at all when dropped. All mercurys ring when dropped right? The look and the feel says its aluminum but I just dont know for sure.

 

[mmmikey64]

Could it be possible to be antimony?? One thing is for certain, this is not a silver mercury!