Genuine United States Mint: 1916-1945 Silver Mercury Dime  (C0522)

Though the coin is popularly called the Mercury Dime, the image is in fact a representation of Liberty. The wings on Liberty’s traditional cap symbolize freedom of thought. This is the first original and imaginative dsign for the U.S. ten cent piece. New themes for U.S. coins were mandated by President Theodore Roosevelt in the first decade of the 20th Century. With tight curls on her forehead, Liberty presents a very different image from the matron found on earlier coins. The reverse features an ancient Roman fasces, which is a bundle of elm or birch rods with an axe bound up in the middle.

Specifications:
Designer: Adolph A. Weinman
Years Issued: 1916-1945
Where Minted:  Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco
Diameter: 17.9mm; Weight: 2.50grams;
Composition: .900 Fine Silver.100 Copper
Rarest Date: 1916D