Semi-Numismatic

1923 Mercury Dime Good/VF

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In 1923, the United States Mint produced a ten cent coin that remains one of the most visually distinctive pieces of American currency. Known widely as the Mercury Dime, this coin is struck in 90 percent silver and contains 0.0715 troy ounces of precious metal. The Philadelphia Mint produced these coins without a mint mark, leaving the space below the reverse design clean. The obverse of the coin features a young depiction of Liberty wearing a winged Phrygian cap, a design element created by Adolph Weinman. This distinctive headgear often led observers to mistake the figure for the Roman messenger god, Mercury, giving the series its popular nickname. Surrounding this central figure is the classic national motto, IN GOD WE TRUST, along with the date 1923. On the reverse, the coin displays a fasces, a bundle of rods bound around an ax, which is closely intertwined with an olive branch. This combination of symbols represents both strength and a desire for peace. The reverse inscriptions include UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, the traditional motto E PLURIBUS UNUM, and the denomination expressed as ONE DIME.