LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 Jan. FUN Signature Coin Auction #454  / 

2766

1916-D 10C MS65 Full Bands PCGS

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:22,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1916-D 10C MS65 Full Bands PCGS
<B>1916-D 10C MS65 Full Bands PCGS.</B></I> November 1916 saw the Denver Mint's only delivery of Mercury dimes for the year, and the 264,000 pieces released then comprised what would become the costliest and most famous issue for the series. On the 24th of that month, at a joint meeting of the Mint Director and his superintendents, the Denver Mint was ordered to strike a large quantity of quarters to fill a Treasury Department request for the denomination, according to Lange's <I>The Complete Guide to Mercury Dimes</B></I> (2005). Denver then struck quarters to the exclusion of all other denominations, including the dime, for the rest of the year. The 1916-D dime became one of two famous key dates associated with the 1916 change from the Barber silver designs, the other being the 1916 Standing Liberty quarter.<BR> Despite its small mintage, an appreciable fraction of the population survives in better grades. Lange sums up the causes and effects: "As the first year of issue, more of these coins were saved in Mint State than would have been the case with an existing design. Thus, the 1916-D Mercury Dime was spared from the otherwise certain fate of being uncollectably rare in this condition." Lest numismatists think of the 1916-D as anything but the elusive key it is in Mint State, Lange further notes that " ... the relatively small number of true coin collectors in the Midwest at that time kept the population of Mint State survivors low."<BR> Full Bands pieces form a tiny minority of all survivors, and though they appear occasionally on the market, the offering of a Gem representative with Full Bands is an uncommon opportunity. This sharply struck MS65 representative displays wonderful, slightly satiny luster and excellent definition on the central devices. A small dot of slate patina appears at the bands of the fasces, while the remainder of the coin shows delicate silver-blue toning. This coin offers excellent preservation for the grade with remarkable eye appeal and is one of the most desirable examples to enter the numismatic marketplace in recent memory. The series enthusiast should give this Gem careful consideration. Population: 32 in 65 Full Bands, 24 finer (12/07).<BR><BR><B>Coin Engraver:</B> Adolph A. Weinman<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coins & Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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