At the end of February, JM Bullion took a moment to recognize the iconic coin designs from the United States Mint that are celebrating 100 years since introduction in 2016, and now the United States Mint is ready to release commemorative coins to push the celebration into overdrive. The US Mint announced in November 2015 that it was likely to release a series of gold coins commemorating some of the nation’s greatest coin designs of all time.
Now, the US Mint is set to release the first of those 100th anniversary gold coins. On April 21st, the mint opened sales for the commemorative 2016 Mercury Dime Centennial Gold Coin. Given the immense demand for gold in the 21st century and the popularity of the mint’s American Gold Buffalo 24-karat gold coin, the mint has opted to release this coin and the two subsequent designs in .9999 pure gold. Learn more about the designs and the celebration below.
2016 Mercury Dime Centennial Gold Coin
The first coin released in the series commemorates the Mercury Dime. Design features of this coin were created by iconic American artists Adolph A. Weinman. A student of the legendary Augustus Saint-Gaudens, whose Liberty depiction in 1907 began the renaissance period of the early 20th century at the US Mint, Weinman’s Mercury Dime design wasn’t even his most famous of the period.
Each of the coins planned for the Centennial Gold Series will feature a weight in keeping with its original face value. The 2016 Mercury Dime Centennial Gold Coin features 1/10 troy oz of .9999 pure (24-karat) gold. Mercury Dime commemorative gold coins bear a face value of $.10 (USD) backed by the federal government, feature reeded edge designs, and include the “W” mint mark of the West Point Mint. For the 2016 Mercury Dime Centennial Gold Coin, the United States Mint has set a strict mintage limit of just 125,000 coins in total, with a household order limit of 10.
On the obverse face of the coin you’ll find Weinman’s iconic Winged Liberty design. His depiction of Liberty in left-profile relief on the original Mercury Dime was so-called as the Mercury Dime, rather than its official Winged Liberty designation, because of the design. Weinman captured Liberty wearing the winged Phrygian cap. As such, many confused his image of Liberty with that of the Roman god Mercury, messenger of the gods.
The engravings on the new 2016 Mercury Dime Centennial Gold Coin include all the original inscriptions from the Mercury Dime. “Liberty” is engraved around the top half above her head, with “In God We Trust” in the lower-left field, a “W” mint mark in the lower-right field, and the year of issue “2016” included as well.
On the reverse of the beautiful commemorative gold coin you’ll find Weinman’s original creation from the Mercury Dime as well. On this face, he chose imagery that reflected America’s stance in the global community at the time. The nation was struggling to remain neutral as World War I raged in Europe. Weinman selected a Roman fasces as the centerpiece for his design, which symbolizes unity and strength. That fasces was wrapped in an olive branch. The combined imagery depicted a nation with military strength and readiness that simultaneously desired peace.
As with the obverse face, the reverse of the 2016 Mercury Dime Gold Centennial Coin features the original engravings from Weinman’s 1916 design. Above the top of the design field you’ll find “United States of America,” while the face value of “One Dime” is engraved below. In the midst of the design field is the engraving “E Pluribus Unum,” as well as the coin’s metal content, purity, and weight as “AU 24K 1/10 oz.” There is also another “W” mint mark on this face.
Designs Yet to Come in 2016
While the United States Mint has already opened sales on the 2016 Mercury Dime Gold Centennial Coin, there are two more designs yet to come in the 2016 100th anniversary of iconic designs. Later in the year (dates not yet available), the US Mint will also release a ¼ oz 24-karat gold coin in honor of the Standing Liberty quarter, and a ½ oz 24-karat gold coin in honor of Weinman’s other iconic design, the Walking Liberty half dollar.
As with the Mercury Dime, these coins have weights representative of their original face values and specifications. The Standing Liberty quarter commemorative coin will have a face value of $.25 (USD), and the Walking Liberty half dollar commemorative coin will have a $.50 (USD) face value.
The Standing Liberty quarter is not as well-known as the Walking Liberty Half Dollar. Standing Liberty was a design from Hermon Atkins MacNeil. His commission was the same as Weinman in the early 20th century; help lead the renaissance in US coin design. MacNeil came up with a truly unique depiction of Liberty.
On the obverse of the original Standing Liberty quarter, there is a full-length depiction of Liberty holding a shield as she stands guard between the gap in two walls. It was mean to signify her status of being on guard against any attacks. The reverse featured the image of a bald eagle in flight.
Weinman’s Walking Liberty Half Dollar design is extremely popular, both for its original depiction and its current use on the nation’s American Silver Eagle bullion coin. His depiction of Liberty walking toward the setting sun on one side, and of the bald eagle perched atop a mountain cliff is one of the most memorable American coin designs of all time. For many, it is second only to Saint-Gaudens’ Liberty.
Packaging for 2016 Centennial Gold Coins
The United States Mint has developed special presentation packaging for each of the 2016 Mercury Dime Centennial Gold Coins, and the two latter designs, that make it easy for collectors to display their favorite designs. Each coin comes from the US Mint encapsulated in a custom-designed hardwood presentation case. The black-matte hardwood protects your coin, which was hand packaged by the US Mint. You’ll also receive a Certificate of Authenticity with your purchase.
NGC Special Labels for the 2016 Centennial Gold Coins
The excitement surrounding the release of the 2016 Centennial Gold Coins from the United States Mint is infectious, and includes the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. The NGC has crafted unique 100th Anniversary labels to accompany any graded coins the NGC receives in the series. The labels will identify the coin in question, the purity, metal content, weight, and grade of the products, as well as a small replica of the coin’s design feature. For example, the Mercury Dime has a depiction of the left-profile of Winged Liberty on the label.
Additionally, coins received within the first 30 days of the US Mint’s release date will feature the same label with the coveted Early Release or First Release designations from the NGC.
Stay Tuned for more from JM Bullion
Keep your eyes on the JM Bullion blog in the weeks to come as we introduce the release of the Standing Liberty and Walking Liberty designs for the 2016 Centennial Gold Coin program!
