I need some help determining the year on this dime: To me, it looks like that last number is curved on top, which leaves the following options: 1920 1922 1926 1928 1929 In my opinion, this is a 1929. I would really appreciate any help with this. If you guys could please, post some details about your votes. Thanks everyone :smile
It looks like 1929 to me! What I would suggest is that you find a picture of a 1929 Merc. Dime and compare them to see if there is any way to determine its date like that.
I say it's a '29. Slight chance that it is a '28, but what little bit of the bottom curve I can determine, tells me that it's not an '8'. All the other options are out as far as I'm concerned. Nice close-up, by the way.
my vote - '29 -- How does one get a close up like that .. if i get my camera within 12' (ok so i exagerated) it comeso ut blurry and the shadow of the camera gets in the way ...
I've got to go with the minority and call it a '28. The top seems to be curving inwards on the right, which would be consistent with a "3" or an "8", but the right side seems to extend too far for a "3" IMHO.
I vote for the 1929. I base my assumption on the similarity of the left upper side in the curve of the unknown number. It looks identical to the left upper side of the nine in the nineteen. Of course it also looks like a zero with a line through it to distingusih it from the letter O as is commonly done when writing.
Thanks for all the help and comments so far, everyone. I think I may have found further evidence to suggest that it is infact a 1929. After looking through various images and comparing, I believe that the 1928 dime has much thinner numbers. The 1929 seems to have much bolder numbers, just like my coin. So far I've seen the same thing in all grades. Look especially at the "2" in all the 1928's, and see how different it is. At any rate, there are pictures of the two favorite choices for everyone to look at. Continued help with this would be greatly appreciated.
Interesting analysis. I think you're right... '29 seems the best choice. And how did you get such outstanding macro photography ?
If you look at the loop (pictures above) on the top of the 8, it is smaller than the loop on the top of the 9. Ater lining up the worn date, both of the top loops are the same size and the second numeral loop lines up exactly with the last numeral loop. It is a 9. 1929!
A couple of people asked and commented about the photography. It's actually not as amazing at it seems. I use a fairly standard digital camera (Cannon PowerShot SD400). The coin is held in a 2x2 flip, and the flip is stood up against an object. I have a front and back light source (ceiling fan and desk lamp) to avoid shadowing. Here is the original photo reduced in size, as my camera takes photos in 2592x1944 resolution: Original photo of date I take that image into Photoshop, crop out the date, and increase the size somewhat. Note that increasing the size of an image is typically not a good idea, and will usually destort it. Only upscale an image using the proper software, such as Paint Shop Pro, Photoshop, etc.
I outlined the 0900 and lined it up with what should be the 0009. And yes, I am bored today... (The image is animated, and may take some time to load. Sorry to anyone using a slower connection.) To those who voted 1928: After reading all these posts, do you still feel that it is an 8? Please explain why if you do.