Old Coin

[lilpitch37]

I found a 1935 mercury dime and am wondering if it is of any value. I know that there are 3 different versions of the dime, a 1935-s, 1935-d, and just a 1935. i think i may only have the plain 1935, is that worth anything?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A History of Mining on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska - Grab it through Amazon!

[ZumbroKid]

This time of year, it is a good find!

 

[JerV3]

Couple dollars depending on condition. Melt about 90 cents. It's a common coin to find but hey keep looking you might find a rare year. ?

HH Jer

 

[Klaatu]

Your '35 Merc is worth maybe $1 to a dealer if it is a plain (P) or an S, maybe $1.40 if it is a D. Still a very nice find. Congrats.

 

[SmokeEater]

The best way to figure the value of U.S. 90% silver coinage is to use the following formula. Find the silver SPOT PRICE for the day. It can be found at KITCO.com Today's silver price is $9 an ounce. For silver dimes, quarters, and halves multiply $9 x .72= $6.48 per dollar of coins, (10 dimes, 4 quarters, 2 halves) So, you coin has 64.8 cents worth of silver in it. A quarter would be worth $1.62, and a half dollar, $3.24.
For DOLLAR coins, like morgans and Peace dollars, use .78 in your formula.
For 40% silver Kennedy halves(1965-1970), use .1479 in your formula.
This is for the value of the silver only! Rare coins are worth alot more. When you sell to a coin dealer/precious metals buyer, the amount paid will be less than this "MELT" price. They have to make a profit if they resell the silver coins, or pay shipping and assay fees if they send coins to a refiner. Still, finding ANY silver is great. Nice find. HH SmokeEater

 

[Klaatu]

Excellent post, SmokeEater. Nice to have those formulas. I am pinning them to my wall.

Just to reiterate, the formulas give you the MELT VALUE of a coin. This would apply if the coin has no numismatic value e.g., severely damaged or worn coins or very common coins. A Mercury dime such as you found has numismatic value above its silver content. I would buy Mercury dimes all day long at their melt value.

I bought the following two quarters for their melt value ($1.50 each at the time). The Seated quarter was purposely abused while the Barber quarter appears to have been dropped in the street and run over by a lot of traffic. These two coins will go in my coin garden.