Whitman Expo
1945 Dime MS FB Values
Details
The 1945 Mercury dime is not necessarily a coin most hobbyists and even many dealers might expect to be rare with Full Bands details, yet numismatics has a way of throwing curveballs. This is the case with the Philadelphia 1945 Mercury dime, which is categorically a common coin in virtually all non-FB grades. Yet, very few were struck or saved with the crossbands fully split on the fasces, and this lends to one very rare Mercury dime, at least from the conditional standpoint.
A few hundred examples may exist with the Full Bands details, and only a few grade higher than MS66, putting this coin in a very tight situation with the huge number of registry set collectors building high-end Mercury dime sets. One MS67 FB example sold for $96,000 in a 2018 Heritage Auctions sale.
Obverse: Winged Liberty, or Mercury (the Roman god of commerce), is depicted facing left with LIBERTY spelled around the periphery. IN GOD WE TRUST appears left of the neck and the date is positioned just below the bust around 5 o'clock. The designer's initials "AW" appear to the right of the neck.
Reverse: A large torch is centered vertically adorned with an axe head and olive branches. UNITED STATES OF AMERICAN * ONE DIME * is spelled out around the periphery. Mint mark, if any, appears near the bottom rim left of the torch.
Basic Information
GSID:
4522
Coin Date:
1945
Denomination:
10c / 10 Cents
Designation:
MS
Mint & Coinage Details
Mint Location:
Philadelphia
Mintage:
159,130,000
Coinage Type:
Winged liberty head (Mercury) dime
Coinage Years:
1916-1945
Composition:
90% silver; 10% copper
Physical Characteristics
Fineness:
0.9
Weight:
2.5 gr
Weight:
0.08 oz
Precious Metal Weight:
0.0723 oz
Strike Type:
Business
Diameter:
17.9 mm
Coin Shape:
Round
