RARE 1916D MERCURY DIME

Hi Old_coin2

I have always felt that cleaning coins is no big deal and should not reduce their value. I on the other hand do not set the rules in Numismatics, and pro coin collectors and graders seem to think that cleaning coins messes them up by putting scratches on them. Even cleaning with soft bristle toothbrushes will put fine scratches on coins that stand out easily under a microscope. Best to leave rare or valuable coins alone or just soak them over time to clean them. Rubbing them between your fingers will also induce scratches, so keep that in mind. 8)
 

we have a 1916 dime but it isnt a mercury it looks like a roman guy on it and the back is diferent as well. it has ONE DIME inside a wreath and under the wreath is the letter s. Anyone have any ideas about this one? It is in excellent shape. No nicks and shows very little wear.

we also have a 1916 mercury but it has alot of wear around the edges and we cant tell if it had a d or not
 

David. The first Dime you speak of is known as a Barber Dime (Nice coin). They were minted from 1892 to 1916, making yours one of the last year minted 8) The Mercury dimes started in 1916 also, and ceased in 1945. If yours would grade at EF-40 it would be worth about $20 And if graded at AU-50 would be worth about $60 according to current pricings?
?

As for the wear on the 1916 Mercury. If it's so bad that you cant tell if the "D" was there then it will never be known if you had the rare one?
 

the only time that you should clean a coin is if it is already in bad shape. if it is in mint or near mint condition it is best not to touch it. an if it has color to it (called patina) which can be red purple orange. the most sought after patina color that I know of is called rainbow patina. you should have a coin store check them out before cleaning any that you find. in some cases it can greatly reduce the value
 

You can clean any coins you want. If I found some that weren't rare, but were dirty, I'd clean them because they are never going to see the inside of a slab anyway and it might actually increase their value for the paper 2 x 2 collector. 8)
 

How can you tell if it's a 1916D or not? Where is the "D" located?
 

YOu'll see on photo of back of coin, look closely to the lower left side at the bottom to see the "D"
 

So how would you even go about telling what it is with out cleaning it? i.e. if its covered in dirt?
 

histoplasmosis said:
So how would you even go about telling what it is with out cleaning it?? i.e. if its covered in dirt?
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? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?I agree 100% Histo,................ also,? my belief, if it's been in the ground, that is enough reason for a dealer to cut the value, cleaning it, isn't going to de-value it any fruther. even so, if you put a 1916-D merc on E-bay, it's going to fetch a nice price. ANY WAGERS ?
 

True_Metal said:
Hi? Old_coin2

I have always felt that cleaning coins is no big deal and should not reduce their value. I on the other hand do not set the rules in Numismatics, and pro coin collectors and graders seem to think that cleaning coins messes them up by putting scratches on them. Even cleaning with soft bristle toothbrushes will put fine scratches on coins that stand out easily under a microscope. Best to leave rare or valuable coins alone or just soak them over time to clean them. Rubbing them between your fingers will also induce scratches, so keep that in mind. 8)
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I can tell you a few things I've learned about cleaning, but let me state for the record that after all the years hunting,
I've seen very few silver coins that come out of the ground that actually need to be cleaned, silver in the ground does
not tarnish, normally and the dirt washes right off, so why do you want to clean a silver coin ?
I can tell you why most do, and that's because they are new to this hobby and everyone always asks "did you clean your coins"
leading new people to believe they have to clean everything. On a rare occassion, silver will come out of the ground
"stained" in some places by ?tanic acid? from leaves or other organic material in really acitic ground, soap and water (this is ok)
does not remove this... so mine still have these stains....
but as far as devalueing a coin, well collecters prefer the most perfect speciman they can get. cleaning with more than soap
and water, as in using chemicals, literaly takes some of the metal off the coin and can be seen under a good loop..
Here is a big example of damage I did, even without cleaning ...
this 1833 bust half dime I dug last weekend looks very good to the naked eye...
but on closer examination, you can see hair like scratches in front of the face. these are very fine scratches but since you
see silver through them, then they were made after recovery...
No I did not clean it, or clip it with a digger..
I believe these were made when I dug the coin and "rubbed the dirt off" while I still could not see what I had.
Now since I've never dug a coin like this, and never expected to dig one, .....
I was very careless about even getting the dirt off of it straight out of the ground.. :'(
 

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264,000 produced. Low denomination. Small and easily lost. It's very plausible the 1916D could pop out the next plug. They're out there waiting to be found! That baby would buy a lifetime supply of batteries. No chance I'd put that in my book. I'd sell it. I'd be just as happy looking at all the other mercs.
 

Hi there, Thats a great find!!! One thing that I was always curious about though, is the fact that the 1914-S Quarter has the EXACT same mintage as the 1916-D Merc, but the value is a considerable amount less. I wonder why that is ??? HH!

Fox
 

The Mercury dimes, ever since they were first minted, have always been thought of as being one of the most artistic American coins minted. As a result, there has always been a demand for these beauties.

The entire Barber series, dimes, quarters, and halves, on the other hand, have always been thought of as being just a copy cat coin. For the obverse, Charles Barber pretty much copied the Morgan dollar, faced it the other direction, and made some changes minor changes. The reverse was pretty much just a copy of the Seated coin series. The coin was never really considered to be all that artistic, therefore the demand was never really high, and part of the reason it really only lasted 24 years, and why the changes to the series where made in mid 1916 as opposed to waiting until 1917.

I do think though, that collectors are starting to realize that there are a great many less then one million minted Barbers out there now and I have noticed in the last year or two a sharp increase in the values of these coins. I do not think most of them will ever have the value of the 1916 D Mercury dime, but they are sure to double and triple in there current values soon.

Anthony
 

Most folks only dream of finding one 1916D dime, but to find two, the odds on that are astronomical. Very Very Nice!!!! ;D
 

:o great coin cleaning does hurt the value as does the nicks, however it still should bring 1500$ or so not a bad find at all
if there is a show near you that PGCS is at bring it in, you may be able to get them to tell you if it would be worth grading without paying after all the guys in the booth do have to leave to eat luch, corner one as for a lot of the other services I would not waste my time or money sending it to them PCGS is the standard ANACS is good too

in good condition it lists at 750 PCGS you have at least an ef which is about 4700, but the clean and the nicks drop it down there are plenty of collectors who would jump at the chance for a coin like that but it is treasure and the rule I live by, and my wife bugs me about, is you don't sell treasure if it can be helped


again what a find hmmmm 1916d or a 5 dollar gold what would I rather find tough choice
 

That is one beautiful coin you've found there!

Maybe,...just maybe,....one day I could be so luck to find one. Odds are, I won't be that lucky!

Great find,...and you found TWO! :o Unbelievable!

Your my hero,...for real! :)

Rod
 

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