1918 Mercury Dime

Of all the coins produced by the US Mint, few are more popular than the Mercury Dime. Produced during the earlier parts of the 20^th century, the Mercury Dime is a truly magnificent piece of coinage. Today, the coin is popular amongst collectors and is only seeming to grow in popularity. The 1918 Mercury Dime was one of the first ever produced, so it carries even more value in the eyes of collectors.

Of course, as is true of most coins as old as the Mercury Dime, the condition of the coin in question means everything to collectors. This is why you will see collectors paying top-dollar for those Dimes in excellent condition. In addition, multiple different types of Mercury Dimes were produced every year, so that also plays a role in determining how much you will pay for one of these coins.

Grading the 1918 Mercury Dime

If you have ever talked with collectors, you are more than likely aware of the fact that they put a lot of weight into the condition of an old coin like the 1918 Mercury Dime. Because these coins are quite old, their condition is not necessarily always the greatest. Knowing this, collectors will closely inspect every coin they receive, looking for even the smallest imperfections.

By way of the specifications below, you can gain a good idea of what a graded Mercury Dime might look like.

Uncirculated: An Uncirculated Mercury Dime is one that never saw any time on the open exchange market. These coins appear pristine and, even after close inspection, really are in excellent shape. You will find that the coin will appear as though it was just minted not too long ago.

Extremely Fine: A coin that is given this grade will appear pristine, but will play host to a bit of light damage. Though the damage may be light, it is enough to devalue the coin somewhat. Still, even after a close look over you will find that the most severe damage is nothing more than some light scratching.

Fine: If your coin is graded to be Fine it definitely saw time in circulation, but the amount of damage incurred during that time was nothing overly significant. You will see plenty of scratching and maybe even some chipping, but the coin’s images and inscriptions will be almost wholly intact.

Good: This grade is reserved for those Mercury Dimes that are in extremely rough shape. Having been heavily circulated throughout the years, these coins have been damaged considerably. With inscriptions and images beginning to fade, the appeal of this coin is nothing like that of an Uncirculated edition. Still, because this is the 1918 Mercury Dime, it is still attractive to collectors simply because it is one of the first Mercury Dimes produced.

Pricing the 1918 Mercury Dime

Giving the Mercury Dime a price is something that involves the consideration of two factors—condition and type of coin. Naturally, because the coin is so old, its condition will be the most accurate way to determine price. If the coin has been extremely well-preserved, you can bet that it will sell for more than a coin that is heavily damaged. Secondly, because multiple types of the Mercury Dime were produced annually, this also plays into determining a price.

Mercury Dimes

DATE	GOOD	FINE	EXTREMELY FINE	UNCIRCULATED
1918 Mercury Dime	$3	$6	$25	$40
1918 Mercury Dime (D)	$3	$6	$24	$50
1918 Mercury Dime (S)	$3	$5	$18	$40
Source: Red Book