Coins & Money

Key Date Coin Analysis: 1916 D Mercury Dime

Key date coins are considered to be the in heart of collecting for twentieth century coins. These key date coins are generally harder to find than other coins of the series, or they have a very specific attribute that stands above other dates within in a coin series. These key date coins also garner the most attention by coin collectors and investors who want exposure to numismatics in their collectibles portfolio.

Collectors Dashboard has been offering some analysis on multiple key date coins. The 1916 D Mercury Dime from the Denver mint comes with its share of scarcity with the lowest mintage of the entire series at just 264,000 coins produced.

The 1916 Denver minted Mercury Dime has also seen rather high prices in even the lower grades. The key date of the series has commanded six-figure sales prices at auction. With a PCGS graded population under 10,000, the 1916 D’s largest sampling among grades is at the lower-end of the spectrum.

According PCGS price value data from April of 1998, a PCGS graded G-4 example was worth $560.00 at that time. The low grade has discernible date and mintmark and no doubt is left concerning any features. According to the Red Book description of a G-4 example, “Lines and bands in fasces are obliterated.”

Zooming forward to December of 2009 and the same 1916 D PCGS graded coin in G-4 condition was valued at $1,250. Here is where the point that no one is guaranteed a profit in collectibles — zooming up to April 1, 2021 the same graded coin was valued at only $750.00.

Where prices have fluctuated the most are the high-end uncirculated examples. In May of 2021, the David Lawrence RC firm realized $6,150 on an XF40 example of the 1916 D Mercury Dime. But in April of 2021, Heritage Auctions sold an example with XF40 details at just $3,120 because it was listed as unspecified damage in the auctions.

The highest graded examples in Mint State will bring the most attention. The PCGS MS67 sold for a record $207,000 back in August of 2010 through Heritage Auctions. Comparatively, as the value of the lower graded examples had peaked, so had the value of the date’s finest opportunities.

A January 2021 Heritage Auctions example in MS65FB PCGS certified sold for $38,400 at that time. “Full Bands” (FB) listings, a reference to the lines on the obverse of the coin, command premiums. The example that sold for $38,400 was valued at $45,000 at the time.

At the lower end of the spectrum, and for those looking to build a collection, lower-end examples of the 1916 D mercury Dime can be purchased for under $1,000 on eBay and many of the lower-end graded samples can be purchased in the range of $700 to $1,300 per coin.