If you had to choose one or the other to collect, which would you choose, would you choose the Bust dime or the Mercury dime?
I would go with bust dime too. Problem is, part of this will be dependent on your budget and how long you have collected. Heck, I have two mercury dime sets missing only the 16d I put together mainly from roll searching my junk silver, (yeah I had to buy the 21's, I was never that lucky). Plus, I am just sick of mercuries since I own so many. To a new collector, I could EASILY see them preferring to go after mercuries. One, for price, two for availability, and three, it is the most beautiful dime this country has ever made, (I would say to me its a tie with the draped bust design). So, like a lot of questions, your question tells us more about the PERSON and the way they answered rather than a "right" answer.
I am a relatively new collecter, so I am am going to say mercuries. I too love the design and I am determined to find one while CRH (I haven't yet found one )
Chris, there is no right answer. It all comes down to the person and everyone will use different criteria - as your response demonstrates. PS Pi man, keep up the hunt!
Bust Dime!!! Mercury dimes Most dates from 1929-1945-PD+S are found raw and graded. Full Bands is the harder coin to find in Mercurys Bust Dimes the mintages are a lot lower! In all but a few years. A dime was a lot of money in the early 1799-1838.
Mercury dimes are cool, but as I have said before, I am the biggest sucker for old coins. So Bust Dime it is.
Mercs. Mercury is a psychopomp and psychopomps are cool. Not to mention there's a really cool fasces on the reverse!
Oh man, I have no idea. Both maybe? Currently don't own the first bust dime but it's on my list. Gotta fill that hole in the 7070 sometime soon....
Well, I'm a bit biased because I collect bust dimes... Here is my avatar coin: PCGS VF25 CAC Bought this coin raw and had it graded and cac'd
My clear preference is for the bust dimes, specially those issued before 1829. They speak to me more than does modern coinage like the Liberty dimes. More history, a less methodical, more evocative (romantic?) design in my opinion. Yes, the bust dimes for me.
I recently sold most of my dimes, but I would restart a Merc collection, because the design is superior to the bust (iconography, quality of production, artistic skill, etc.)
Mercs for me. My budget doesn't allow for the bust dimes. Some of it is still my stacker mentality but when I've paid $6-20 for a nice merc it sometimes makes me wonder if I'm crazy for paying so much more than melt. So bust dimes would be way outside of my current comfort zone.
Back to a tie with Mercuries and only because it is still remotely possible to find them in circulation.