The Mercury Dime was first introduced in the early 20^thcentury, and is now extremely popular amongst collectors. Seeing as the 1917 edition was the second to be released by the US Mint, it goes without saying that this is one of the most popular Mercury Dime releases on the market. Unfortunately, because of the coin’s age, you will find that more often than not they are in pretty rough shape.

For collectors, condition of coins this old is everything, so you will find that 1917 Mercury Dimes in excellent condition sell for much, much more than those coins in poor condition. This is true of most coins, but seeing as multiple different types of Dimes were minted every year, it is especially true for the Mercury Dime.

Grading the 1917 Mercury Dime

For collectors, only coins in excellent condition will sell for high prices. This is why when a collector is given the chance to get their hands on a coin like the 1917 Mercury Dime, they will most often pay close attention to the condition it is in. Naturally, because of how useful these coins were when they were produced, most have incurred a good bit of damage.

Normally, the process of judging the condition of a coin is known as grading and is done by a professional company. Understanding that not everyone has the time and money to send their coin away for grading, we have provided specifications below that will give you a better idea of what characteristics apply to coins of a specific grade.

Uncirculated:A 1917 Mercury Dime that has been graded as being Uncirculated is one that never exchanged hands on the open market. Instead, these coins were almost immediately preserved as soon as they were produced. You will find that even under close inspection these coins show absolutely no signs of wear or damage whatsoever.

Extremely Fine:A coin that is graded to be in this condition is one that spent only a very limited amount of time in circulation. Because of the limited nature of this coin’s time on the open exchange market, the damage incurred is extremely light in nature. Only under close inspection will you be able to see the light scratching on the coin’s faces.

Fine:If a Mercury Dime is graded to be Fine, the coin will have had to been circulated for a good bit of time. During this time, the coin will have incurred a good bit of noticeable damage, but not so much damage that the coin’s inscriptions or images have been compromised. All in all, the condition of coins given this grade is average.

Good:A coin that is graded as being Good was heavily circulated and incurred a lot of damage during the process. These coins will be complete with heavy scratching, chipping, and other blemishes. These are the most affordable, but they are not necessarily the most attractive additions to a collection.

Pricing the 1917 Mercury Dime

For coins that are from the early 20^thcentury, the most effective way of determining price is by assessing the coin’s condition. For Mercury Dimes, because there were multiple types of the Dime minted every year, the type also plays a role in determining price. By way of the chart below you can gain a good idea of what you will pay for a Mercury Dime that is graded.