2081

1916-D 10C MS66 Full Bands PCGS. This is one of the fi 1916-D[10C] MS66 Full Bands PCGS.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:47,500.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1916-D 10C MS66 Full Bands PCGS. This is one of the fi 1916-D[10C] MS66 Full Bands PCGS.
<B>1916-D<10C> MS66 Full Bands PCGS.</B></I> This is one of the finest examples of this key date known, and a very desirable specimen. The surfaces are exceptional for a 1916-D Mercury dime, with virtually no handling marks or nicks present. Bathed in mint luster, the color is white with a couple of minute flecks of peripheral gold on both sides. The strike is absolutely sharp, with fully rounded bands at the center of the reverse and no signs of weakness are found even with the scrutiny of a 10X loupe. For identification purposes we note a very faint line in the field close to the rim near the L of LIBERTY between the LI of that word. Near Liberty's forehead a couple of shadowy leaves can be seen from clashing with the reverse die. On the reverse, we note very minor clashing above the motto in the field.<BR> Mintage for the year stalled out after 264,000 pieces were coined by the Denver Mint, and one wonders if this tiny mintage was an afterthought or some sort of bureaucratic snafu which halted coinage. The Denver had been fairly consistent in their production of dimes since their opening in 1906. Barber dime production had been skipped during 1913 and 1915 by the Denver mint. Perhaps the branch mints were eager to strike the new coinage designs and would find any excuse to use the dies to create the exciting new coinage. In 1916, the Denver Mint struck over one million of the new Walking Liberty halves, nearly as many as the Philadelphia and San Francisco mints combined. With the change of the three minor silver coin designs all in 1916, the Philadelphia Mint's die hubbing and engraving department must have been very busy. The new Walking Liberty half dollar, Standing Liberty quarter and Mercury dime were each designed by a mint outsider, and thus the designs had to be transferred from models to hubs and dies for coinage. This monumental task must have had everyone in the mint quite busy. Apparently, the Denver mint was ordered to start coining the new (1917-D) Standing Liberty quarters in November 1916, which brought to an end the production of the 1916-D dimes. Today the 1916-D Mercury dime remains the key date to the series, despite being saved in rather large numbers as the first of their kind, the demand for this issue remains fervent. It is the only date with a mintage below one million pieces. Thankfully for collectors, those dimes that do survive tend to be well struck and have beautiful satiny luster. In terms of rarity, a Gem MS65 specimen is prize few can hope to obtain. In the next grade level of MS66 with Full Bands as offered here, a handful are all that exist. A monumental coin for a specialist to anchor their collection by, and a coin which will be very hard to improve upon. Population: 16 in 66, 6 finer (10/05).<BR><I>From the Glen Pennington Collection of Mercury Dimes.</B></I><BR><I>From The Brooke and Paige Collection.</B></I>