Final Year Of The Barber Dime

Mintage: 18,490,000 Philadelphia – 5,820,000 San Francisco

Metal Composition: 90% Silver – 10% Copper

Weight: 2.5 grams

Potential Value: $4 – $240

Diameter: 17.9 mm

Mints: Philadelphia, San Francisco

First Year Of The Mercury Dime

Mintage: 22,180,080 Philadelphia – 264,000 Denver – 10,450,000 San Francisco

Metal Composition: 90% Silver – 10% Copper

Weight: 2.5 grams

Potential Value: $4 – $2,500

Diameter: 17.9 mm

Mints: Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco

1916 marks the end of an era for the Barber dime and the beginning of a new era for the Mercury dime. The biggest reward goes to the MS-65 certified coin minted in Denver. If you are lucky enough to find this rare Mercury dime, you will likely be able to command upwards of $25,000 at auction. This value is only held for the Denver minted Mercury dime due to it’s extremely low production of only 264,000 coins. Compare that to the Philadelphia minted Mercury dollar that will likely only get you $150 for a MS-65 certified coin.

One thing to keep in mind is a certified MS-63 1916 (S) Dime is only $65. The value of that exact same dime with a (D) is $16,000. This leaves a lot of room for people to create fakes from actual uncirculated condition coins. Collectors need to be careful whenever the difference between a cheap coin and an expensive coin is only distinguishable by mintmarks.