Grading the Mercury Dime (Winged Liberty Head Dime)

The Mercury dime (1916-1945) is 90% silver and shows a winged Liberty (often mistaken for the god Mercury). The key grading spot is the reverse: the middle bands on the bundle of rods (the fasces). If those center bands are fully separated, the coin can earn a 'Full Bands' (FB) bonus. The famous key date is the 1916-D, which is widely faked.

At a glance

Years	1916-1945
Designer	Adolph A. Weinman (also designer of the Walking Liberty half dollar).
Denomination	Ten cents
Specifications	Weight 2.50 g; diameter 17.9 mm; reeded edge. (Standard figures NOT pulled from a cited page in research, browser-confirm before launch.)

Composition over time

Period	Composition
1916-1945	90% silver, 10% copper

Where wear shows first

Reverse: the central (middle) horizontal bands of the fasces, the highest point; full separation earns the Full Bands (FB) designation
Obverse: Liberty's hair and the high points of the wing and face

Common weak-strike areas

The central bands of the fasces are first to merge on a weak strike; FB coins (fully split central bands) are scarcer and command premiums

Strike designations

Full Bands (FB): awarded by PCGS and NGC when the central pair of horizontal bands on the fasces shows complete separation (a recessed split). NGC also requires the top and bottom band groups to show separation.

Common problems

Worn or weakly struck central bands (the FB distinction); cleaning and hairlines on the mirror-smooth fields

Counterfeit & alteration risks

1916-D key date (264,000 mintage): faked by adding a 'D' to Philadelphia coins and by complete die-struck fakes. Genuine 'D' is boxy/squared with a triangular interior; die-struck fakes show raised tooling marks
1942/1 and 1942/1-D overdates: among the scarcest varieties and heavily faked; genuine pieces show a raised lump between the 4 and 1 at the digit bases

For the advanced grader

FB hinges on complete separation of the central crossbands; weak strikes merge them, so judge strike independently of wear. For the 1916-D, authenticate the squared, triangular-interior 'D' and watch for die-struck fakes with tooling marks; the 1942/1 overdate shows a raised lump between the 4 and 1. Both PCGS and NGC use 'FB' for this series.

Photographic examples

Click any image to enlarge and zoom. Where shown, obverse, reverse, and edge views are of the same coin and year.

Same coin: 1943-D Mercury dime

Sources: Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) · Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) · Coin World

Evidence pages