Last Mercury • First Roosevelt Silver Dimes

The Mercury Silver Dime was struck by the U.S. Mint from 1916 to 1945. The obverse features a portrait of Liberty in a winged cap to represent freedom of thought. However, people thought it showed Mercury, the ancient messenger of the gods who wore wings on his sandals and cap. As a result, the coin became known – mistakenly! – as the Mercury Dime. The reverse shows a Roman fasces (an ax within a group of rods) and an olive branch to symbolize the power of the government to enforce security as well as to pursue peace. This collection includes the last year of issue, 1945.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt died in 1945, and in 1946 the Dime was redesigned to feature his portrait. It was made in 90% silver only from 1946 to 1964, when silver became too valuable to remain in circulation. The coin was designed by John R. Sinnock. One side shows a portrait of Roosevelt; the other side features a flaming torch (a symbol of liberty and freedom). A sprig of laurel on the left (a symbol of civic glory) and a sprig of oak on the right (a symbol of military glory) pay tribute to Roosevelt’s New Deal policies that transformed America in the Great Depression, as well as his leadership in World War II.
The coins included in this collection are original 90% silver coins that has been out of issue for more than 70 years.