Semi-Numismatic

1930-S Mercury Dime Fine

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The 1930 ten-cent piece from the San Francisco Mint represents a classic era of American coinage. Struck in 90 percent silver with a precious metal content of 0.0715 troy ounces, this piece has survived in Fine condition, showing the honest wear of a coin that actively circulated during a turbulent period in global history. Designed by Adolph Weinman, the obverse presents a youthful personification of Liberty wearing a winged Phrygian cap. This distinctive headwear led the public to mistake the figure for the Roman messenger god, giving the series its popular nickname, the Mercury Dime. Legible inscriptions on this side include the word LIBERTY arching over the portrait, the national motto IN GOD WE TRUST, and the 1930 date. The reverse side displays a fasces, an ancient symbol of authority consisting of a bundle of rods bound around an axe, closely intertwined with an olive branch. This juxtaposition represents a readiness for defense alongside a deep desire for peace. The inscriptions surrounding the central design read UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and ONE DIME, with the Latin phrase E PLURIBUS UNUM positioned to the right. The small S mint mark below the olive branch identifies this coin as a product of the San Francisco facility.