Top 70+ Most Valuable Mercury Dimes Worth Money (Chart By Year)

The Mercury dime series (1916-1945) produced billions of coins across three U.S. Mints. Most circulated into oblivion. A small fraction survived in mint condition. An even tinier fraction emerged with perfect strikes—and those command prices that defy logic for a ten-cent piece.

The determining factor is “Full Bands” (FB): complete, unbroken separation of the three horizontal bands on the reverse fasces. This technical detail, routinely compromised by die wear and production pressures, transforms valuation entirely.

Full Bands specimens sell for 200% to 1,000% premiums over non-FB examples at the same grade. At elite preservation levels, populations drop to single digits—or zero—across entire date runs. Production numbers become irrelevant when survival rates approach statistical impossibility.

Looking for rare Dimes from other years?

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The Most Valuable Mercury Dimes Worth Money

1. 1938-S FB Mercury Dime

Record Price: $364,250 (PCGS MS68+ FB, Legend Rare Coin Auctions 2019)

The 1938-S Mercury dime represents a remarkable numismatic achievement, having sold for an astonishing $364,250 at Legend’s Regency 33 auction in Las Vegas on June 27, 2019. This price far exceeded the auction house’s initial estimate of $10,000-$12,500, establishing it as one of the most valuable dimes ever sold at auction.

The extraordinary value stems from the coin’s unprecedented condition quality rather than date scarcity. Graded Mint State 68+ Full Bands by PCGS and carrying a green Certified Acceptance Corporation (CAC) sticker, the coin represents the finest-certified example of the issue.

The “FB” (Full Bands) designation indicates complete separation of the horizontal bands across the fasces on the reverse—a critical attribute that collectors prize in Mercury dimes. Many specimens suffer from weak strikes that blur these important details, making Full Bands examples significantly scarcer.

Beyond technical perfection, it features spectacular rainbow toning with vibrant colors including red, orange, gold, magenta, olive, emerald, and icy silver-blue hues, complemented by strong mint brilliance and pristine surfaces free from contact marks or imperfections.

This sale demonstrates how exceptional condition combined with outstanding eye appeal can dramatically eclipse date rarity in determining a coin’s ultimate value, even for otherwise common issues.

Check 1938 Mercury Dime History, Variety Price Chart & Errors List

 

2. 1931-S FB Mercury Dime

Record Price: $270,250 (PCGS MS67+ FB, Legend Rare Coin Auctions 2019)

The 1931-S Mercury dime’s exceptional strike quality represents the pinnacle of minting precision during America’s most economically turbulent era. Achieving Full Bands status requires complete and distinct visibility of the central band along with the two outer bands. This condition is highly coveted among collectors, serving as a hallmark of a well-struck and intricately detailed coin. Full Bands (FB) Mercury Dimes can sell for 2x–10x the price of weakly struck examples!

With only 1.8 million pieces struck, the issue was already scarce by design, but the economic crisis ensured that virtually no examples survived in pristine condition as families desperately needed every coin for daily survival. The coin’s MS67+FB certification by PCGS establishes it as the absolute condition census leader – no other example has achieved this lofty preservation state.

This is especially true with early branch mint strikes, making this San Francisco specimen extraordinarily unusual. The market recognized this unparalleled status decisively: while typical MS-67 examples are valued around $1,093, this population-topping example commanded $270,250 at auction.

For Registry Set competitors, this dime represents the ultimate prize – a condition rarity that defines the absolute standard for the date. The combination of Depression-era scarcity, technical striking excellence evidenced by the Full Bands designation, and singular preservation status creates a numismatic monument that may never be duplicated.

 

3. 1916-D FB Mercury Dime

Record Price: $207,000 (PCGS MS67 FB, Heritage Auctions 2010)

The 1916-D Mercury dime stands as one of the most celebrated key dates of 20th century numismatics. Walter Breen documented that Denver Mint production was halted to focus on quarter production, resulting in a mintage of just 264,000 pieces—less than 1.2% of Philadelphia’s output and only 2.5% of San Francisco’s production that year. This created the series’ ultimate scarcity.

The $207,000 MS67 Full Bands specimen with CAC approval exemplifies extraordinary market demand rooted in genuine rarity rather than mere condition scarcity. Even heavily worn examples consistently command over $1,000, demonstrating that collectors prize this date across all grade levels—a hallmark of true key date status.

The coin’s legendary reputation has made it one of America’s most counterfeited issues. PCGS encounters an average of 5 to 10 fakes weekly, typically created by adding a “D” mintmark to genuine Philadelphia coins. Third-party authentication is essential protection for buyers.

For serious collectors, the 1916-D represents one of American numismatics’ defining trophies—a coin whose production circumstances created irreplaceable scarcity and enduring collecting prestige.

Check 1916 Mercury Dime History, Variety Price Chart & Errors List

 

4. 1918-D FB Mercury Dime

Record Price: $182,125 (PCGS MS67 FB, Legend Rare Coin Auctions 2015)

The 1918-D Mercury dime is among the very rarest of all regular-issue Full Bands specimens in the entire series. Despite a substantial mintage of 22,674,800 pieces, this Denver issue exemplifies one of numismatics’ most intriguing paradoxes—where survival rates, rather than original production, determine modern scarcity.

Gem Uncirculated specimens grading MS65 or higher collectively may include fewer than two or three dozen examples in all. Combined estimates suggest approximately 150 individual 1918-D dimes have been certified as MS65 or higher by PCGS and NGC, with only 30 designated as Full Bands.

While millions were produced during World War I’s final year, harsh economic realities and wartime circulation patterns ensured virtually none escaped heavy use.

This MS67 Full Bands specimen represents extraordinary preservation—a convergence of technical excellence and historical survival that collectors can barely imagine finding today. The value disparity is striking: in 2020, an MS65 without Full Bands designation sold for just $432-$960, while MS65 Full Bands examples commanded $9,000 or more.

The $182,125 realization reflects not just the coin’s scarcity, but market recognition that certain treasures exist in quantities so limited that availability matters more than price—the defining characteristic of true condition rarity.

 

5. 1919-D FB Mercury Dime

Record Price: $156,000 (PCGS MS66 FB, Heritage Auctions 2019)

Among Mercury dime specialists, the 1919-D holds near-mythic status—not because it’s scarce at lower grades, but because so few survive in top condition with sharp strikes.

The 1919-D, together with the 1927-D and 1927-S, stands among the only dates in the entire series without a single PCGS-certified MS67 or better example, whether Full Bands or not.

At Heritage’s 2019 FUN auction, an MS66 Full Bands specimen realized $156,000, underscoring its position as a key condition rarity. With only five coins graded MS66 FB and none finer, the 1919-D defines the upper limit of quality for the issue.

Its provenance adds further distinction. The record-setting coin once formed part of the renowned Charles McNutt Collection—one of the finest Mercury dime sets ever assembled—and later appeared in the “MERC MADNESS” Registry Set curated by collector “MADHATTER.” This movement between elite collections reflects the sustained demand among specialists for the few surviving examples of such quality.

The MS66 FB example represents the absolute peak for the date—an intersection of precision and rarity that marks the highest level collectors can obtain.

Check 1919 Mercury Dime History, Variety Price Chart & Errors List

 

6. 1918-S FB Mercury Dime

Record Price: $144,000 (PCGS MS67 FB, Heritage Auctions 2019)

The 1918-S Mercury dime that achieved $144,000 at Heritage’s January 2019 FUN auction represents a statistical improbability—a perfectly struck specimen from an issue notorious for technical deficiencies.

Despite Mintage: 19,300,000 pieces suggesting commonality, the typical strike of the 1918-S Mercury Dime is somewhat soft, making Full Band dimes, especially in Gem grades, rather difficult to locate.

Understanding this rarity requires examining production realities. San Francisco deployed 73 obverse dies and 66 reverse dies to strike 19,300,000 1918-S Mercury Dimes, meaning the typical die produced over 277,000 impressions.

This extraordinary volume necessitated compromises in striking pressure, systematically weakening the central bands detail that defines Full Bands designation. Collectors should scrutinize the fasces bands under magnification—they must show complete, unbroken separation with distinct recessed areas.

The specimen’s journey from Heritage Auctions, February 21, 2002, Lot 5559 – $44,850 through the “The Charles McNutt Collection,” Heritage Auctions, January 10, 2019, Lot 4408 – $144,000 demonstrates 220% appreciation over seventeen years.

Now in the “MERC MADNESS” Registry Set, it exemplifies how condition rarities from common-date issues can outperform absolute rarities when striking quality becomes the determining factor.

 

7. 1919-S FB Mercury Dime

Record Price: $132,000 (PCGS MS66 FB, Heritage Auctions 2024)

Population data underscore the 1919-S Mercury dime’s exceptional standing among collectors pursuing Full Bands examples. The MS66 FB specimen that realized $132,000 at Heritage’s May 2024 CSNS auction ranks among the finest known, drawn from an exceptionally limited certified population.

Fewer than 200 pieces are known across all Mint State grades with Full Bands details, and nearly all fall below MS66—making this level the practical ceiling for the issue.

The true challenge lies not in overall rarity but in chronic striking weakness at the San Francisco Mint. Genuine Full Bands examples require sharply defined, fully separated horizontal bands on the fasces when examined under magnification—a technical standard this facility rarely achieved in 1919.

Most Mint State survivors grade MS62–MS64, with typical non-FB examples valued around $3,500 in MS66 and soaring to roughly $135,000 when designated Full Bands. This dramatic value gap illustrates how technical precision multiplies rarity and desirability.

For advanced Mercury dime collectors, the 1919-S FB represents a strategic target—one of the few attainable condition rarities where technical excellence directly translates into investment strength. The MS66 grade occupies the ideal point between achievability and exclusivity, a level that defines both completion and long-term market confidence.

Check 1919 Mercury Dime History, Variety Price Chart & Errors List

 

8. 1942/1 FB Mercury Dime

Record Price: $120,000 (PCGS MS66 FB, Heritage Auctions 2018)

Late 1941’s wartime production chaos at the Philadelphia Mint inadvertently created numismatic history when two working dies received impressions from both 1941 and 1942 dated hubs—a hubbing anomaly that spawned the 1942/1 overdate Mercury dime.

The 1942/1 Mercury Dime overdate (and doubled die) was discovered in 1943 by collector Arnold Kohn of Kingston, New York. It was widely publicized after an article about it appeared in Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine in March 1943.

Collectors immediately recognized the variety’s visual drama: the underlying “1” from 1941 remains prominently visible beneath the “2,” creating what many consider the series’ most compelling error.

This particular MS66 FB specimen achieved $120,000 at Heritage’s January 2018 FUN auction. PCGS has graded 11 1942/1’s in MS66 FB while NGC has only graded 1, with no finer examples known. CAC’s green sticker confirms this specimen’s quality within its already elite population tier.

What distinguishes the 1942/1 from other Mercury rarities is its dual nature as both overdate and doubled die obverse—doubling appears not just in the date but throughout IN GOD WE TRUST.

For collectors, securing MS66 FB examples offers ownership of Mercury dime collecting’s most visually obvious and historically significant variety, where authentication requires minimal magnification yet rarity ensures sustained market strength.

Check 1942 Mercury Dime History, Variety Price Chart & Errors List

 

9. 1923-S FB Mercury Dime

Record Price: $105,750 (PCGS MS66 FB, Legend Rare Coin Auctions 2018)

The 1923-S Mercury dime is highly prized for its rarity and technical perfection, making it one of the most sought-after pieces for advanced collectors. Weak strikes at the San Francisco Mint mean that genuine Full Bands examples are extremely scarce, and those that exist command premium prices.

The Full Bands designation requires the central horizontal bands on the fasces to be completely separated, with no breaks, bridges, or interruptions. Only coins struck from fresh, well-prepared dies under optimal conditions meet this standard.

Authentic specimens are identified under magnification, ensuring fully split bands, crisp vertical lines, and natural, undisturbed luster across the design. This combination of sharp strike and flawless surfaces is what gives Full Bands examples their exceptional value.

With only seven MS66 FB examples certified and a single MS67 FB that has never appeared on the market, this coin represents the pinnacle of collectibility. The $105,750 realization at the 2018 Legend Rare Coin Auction reflects both its scarcity and its investment potential.

For collectors, the 1923-S FB embodies the intersection of rarity, technical perfection, and long-term value, making it a cornerstone acquisition for elite Mercury dime collections.

 

10. 1945 FB Mercury Dime

Record Price: $96,000 (PCGS MS67+ FB, Heritage Auctions 2018)

Imagine a coin minted by the millions, yet worth nearly 100,000 times its face value. This 1945 Philadelphia Mercury Dime graded MS67+FB represents one of numismatics’ greatest paradoxes.

While Philadelphia struck over 159 million of these dimes in 1945, barely over a hundred display fully struck bands on the reverse fasces—those razor-sharp horizontal lines that separate common coins from legendary rarities.

This particular specimen is the sole finest Full Bands example known to exist, with only five total Superb Gem Full Bands coins between PCGS and NGC combined. It achieved $96,000 at the January 2018 Heritage FUN auction, representing an unprecedented offering for registry set collectors. The contrast is staggering: a regular gem 1945-P sells for roughly $20, but add those full bands and the value skyrockets to five figures.

Currently residing in the prestigious “MERC MADNESS” PCGS Set Registry collection owned by MADHATTER, this MS67+ specimen with CAC approval represents the holy grail for Mercury dime enthusiasts—proof that extraordinary treasures can emerge from the most common circumstances.

Check 1945 Mercury Dime History, Variety Price Chart & Errors List