Coin values · 90% silver · 1916–1945
Mercury dime value: silver melt value today and key dates
The Mercury dime (officially the Winged Liberty Head dime, 1916–1945) is 90% silver with 0.0723 troy oz per coin. Most dates in circulated condition are worth their melt value; the 1916-D and the 1942/1 overdates are worth far more. At the Nov 3, 2026 close ($49.78/oz silver), one coin’s 0.0723 oz of silver was worth $3.60.
Mercury dime specifications
| Years struck | 1916–1945 |
|---|---|
| Designer | Adolph A. Weinman |
| Mints | Philadelphia (no mintmark), Denver (D), San Francisco (S) |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 2.50 g |
| Diameter | 17.9 mm, reeded edge |
| Silver content (ASW) | 0.0723 troy oz |
| Face value | 10 cents |
| Melt value | $3.60 at the Nov 3, 2026 close ($49.78/oz silver); live value above |
Weights, fineness and mintages come from the primary records listed under Sources; melt is computed from the gold or silver content.
Mercury dime melt calculator
Melt = pure metal content × recent spot (silver $49.78/oz). This is the bullion floor; collectible coins can be worth far more. Federal rules restrict melting only 1¢ and 5¢ coins (31 CFR Part 82; 1942–1945 silver war nickels are exempt). This estimates intrinsic value.
What a Mercury dime’s silver has been worth since 1968
A Mercury dime held about $0.14 of silver in 1968, peaked near $7.46 in 2026, and its metal is worth $3.60 today. That is melt only; a scarce date or high grade can carry a collector premium on top.
Mercury dime melt value by decade
Melt of one coin at each decade’s December close. The peak month was Jan 2026 at $7.46; the low was Oct 1971 at $0.09. Melt has been above the $0.10 face value in 703 of 707 months since 1968, and is now about 36 times face.
| Close | Silver price | Melt per coin |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 1970 | $1.63 | $0.12 |
| Dec 1980 | $15.50 | $1.12 |
| Dec 1990 | $4.19 | $0.30 |
| Dec 2000 | $4.58 | $0.33 |
| Dec 2010 | $30.63 | $2.21 |
| Dec 2020 | $26.49 | $1.91 |
| Nov 3, 2026 | $49.78 | $3.60 |
Prices: LBMA benchmark history, then Bullion Trading LLC 5 pm ET spot closes (monthly observations).
About the Mercury dime
The nickname is a mistake that stuck: the portrait is Liberty in a winged cap, standing for freedom of thought, not the Roman god Mercury. The reverse shows a fasces (a bundle of rods with an axe) beside an olive branch.
Collectors look at the horizontal bands across the fasces. When the central bands are fully separated, grading services add “Full Bands” (FB or FSB), which can multiply the value of a high-grade coin.
Mintmark: on the reverse, left of the fasces near its base. Weinman also designed the Walking Liberty half the same year.
Key dates and mintages
- 1916-D: 264,000 struck, the key date and one of the most faked US coins.
- 1921: 1,230,000 struck; 1921-D: 1,080,000.
- 1942/1 and 1942/1-D: overdates where a 1 shows under the 2.
When is a Mercury dime worth more than melt?
Common 1930s and 1940s dates trade as 90% silver. The keys above and Full Bands coins sell to collectors for much more; we do not publish collector prices.