However, normal production resumed in 1934 and continued until the Winged Liberty dime was superseded by the Franklin D. The original faulty coins were recalled and melted down, and only a single example is known still to exist.ĭue to the Great Depression, few coins were struck in 19 – and none at all were minted in 1932 or 1933. This issue was subsequently corrected, and the new version went into production on October 6, 1916, entering into circulation on the 30 th of the same month.

This was found to be due to the rim of the coin being too high, something known as a fin. The first batch of Winged Liberty dimes was minted at the Philadelphia mint, but when test runs were sent out to vending machine and pay phone companies, it was found that they didn’t work. Instead, three sculptors, Adolph Weinman, Hermon MacNeil and Albin Polasek were invited to submit sketches, and those presented by Weinman were selected for the dime. Barber, hence its name.įrom the beginning of the 20 th century, amid a growing desire for more attractive, modern coinage, pressure began to build to replace the Barber dime, which had been unpopular ever since its release.Īccording to the rules of the United States Mint, coins can only be replaced after 25 years, and for the Barber dime, this time limit expired in 1916.Īs a result, in 1915, Barber, who was still in office, was requested to prepare new designs for the dime as well as for the silver half-dollar and the quarter.īarber submitted his designs, but they were rejected by the Commission of Fine Arts. It was designed by the Mint Chief Engraver, Charles E. The dime that came directly before this coin was the Barber dime, which was minted from 1892 to 1916.

For this reason, the coin is more correctly referred to as the Winged Liberty Head dime. However, the image is not intended to represent Mercury but rather is a depiction of the goddess Liberty. The dime that was minted from 1916 to 1945 is commonly known as the Mercury dime due to the image on the obverse side that appears to show the Roman messenger god of the same name. In this post, we’ll go into detail about the history and value of this coin – so to find out more, just keep on reading! 1940 Dime Value Chart Most of these coins are not of particularly high value, although they are still extremely popular among collectors. The 1940 version was produced with no mintmark as well as with S and D mintmarks.

The Mercury dime, more properly known as the Winged Liberty Head dime, was produced from 1916 to 1945 and is considered one of the most beautiful of all US coins.

Value of 1942 mercury dime