When the 2016 Mercury Dime Gold Centennial Coins went on sale from the US Mint in April 2016, the coins were on sale for about 40 minutes to collectors and the mint had to take them down from its website. Demand for the popular coin design was so intense that the US Mint stated it need to “reconcile orders and cancellations before the coins could return.”
According to recent sales data from the US Mint, which has since released the 2016 Standing Liberty Quarter Gold Centennial and 2016 Walking Liberty Half Dollar Gold Centennial Coin, the US Mint had sold 116,096 of the allotted 125,000 coins it was going to produce for the centennial celebration. That represents 92.9% of the possible mintage the US Mint had planned for the coins.
Good news for investors and collectors, the US Mint is re-releasing the 2016 Mercury Dime Gold Centennial Coin for sale this morning, December 15, 2016. The US Mint has an extremely limited supply of just 8,900 coins remaining for sale.
Brief Background on the Mercury Dime Gold Centennial Coin
Beginning in April 2016, and continuing throughout the year, the United States Mint released a series of 24-karat gold coins to commemorate the 1916 introduction of the Winged Liberty/Mercury Dime, Standing Liberty Quarter, and the Walking Liberty Half Dollar.
These coins helped change the image of American coin design forever, and remained stalwarts in circulation as US currency throughout the Great Depression and World War II. Today, the US Mint honors each design with a brilliant new release that recreates the original splendor of each of the three designs.
During the first two decades of the 20th century, the United States Mint embarked on a mission to revamp and redesign all of its circulation currency. The drive started in 1905 under the guidance of President Theodore Roosevelt, who personally elicited the help of famed Irish-American artist and engraver Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
Eventually, the drive to revamp coin design would come to each of the nation’s circulation coins at the time, including the commonly used half-dollar, quarter, and dime available in the day. In the case of most of the US’ circulation coins of the day, US Mint Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber was the man responsible for the designs in circulation. However, Barber’s designs originated in 1892 or 1895 (depending on the coin), and were viewed as outdated.
As fortune would have it, the half dollar, quarter, and dime were all redesigned and sent out into circulation in the same year, 1916. Adolph A. Weinman was the man behind the Winged Liberty/Mercury Dime and the Walking Liberty Half Dollar, while Atkins MacNeil created the Standing Liberty Quarter.
2016 American Gold Mercury Dime Coin
The first coin released came out in April 2016, and honored Adolph A. Weinman’s Mercury Dime. The original Mercury Dime was officially known as the Winged Liberty Dime. The coin earned its nickname as the Mercury Dime because Weinman’s depiction of Liberty wearing a Phrygian cap was confused by many with the image of the Roman messenger god, Mercury.
Weinman’s original design featured a left-profile portrait of Liberty wearing the Phrygian cap on the obverse side of the coin. The word “Liberty” was engraved above her head, with “In God We Trust” and the year of issue featured below.
On the reverse he chose to pair a Roman fasces with an olive branch for the primary design. The fasces is a symbol of unity and strength, while the olive branch is well-known as a symbol of peace. The combined symbolism represented America’s military power and readiness to defend itself, but its desire to exist in a world of peace. Engravings on this face included “United States of America,” “E Pluribus Unum,” and “One Dime.”
The original Mercury Dime was in circulation from 1916 to 1945. It was replaced as the design of the dime quickly following the death in office of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The dime was chosen by the federal government, Secretary of the Treasury, and US Mint because of President Roosevelt’s prominent March of Dimes program.
For the 2016 American Gold Mercury Dime Coin, both of Weinman’s original Mercury Dime designs were refined and recreated. Additions were minimal, and included Weinman’s “AW” initials on the obverse face, and the coin’s content, purity, and weight on the obverse as “AU 24K 1/10 oz.”
Ordering Instructions
The United States Mint will make the 2016 Mercury Dime Gold Centennial Coin available for purchase again December 15th with a limit of one coin per household. The Standing Liberty Quarter and Walking Liberty Half Dollar remain on sale from the mint with no household limits at the moment.
If you miss out on your chance to snatch up one of these coins, JM Bullion has you covered. The 2016 Mercury Dime Gold Centennial Coin remains in stock and ready for purchase online through our catalog, so there’s still time to get your hands on one of America’s greatest coin designs with the added benefit of 24-karat gold content! Good luck and happy shopping!
