I have been going through a bunch of coins my grandfather had collected and came across this Mercury dime in the photos. It is missing the decade in the date. The “19” is clear as is the “5” at the end, but the third number of the date appears to be completely missing. It doesn’t look like it’s been filed down, the surface looks pretty uniform. Maybe it is doctored, I don’t know—I do know my grandfather didn’t alter it. I’ve never seen a coin with an incomplete date like this...any ideas? Thanks! By the way, hey, I’m Dave and this is my first time here, though I’ve been into coins for 30+ years
Welcome to CoinTalk Dave.. I have been collecting coins for almost 31 years. I see a ghostly image of a 4. A Struck Through Grease Die can cause that missing number.
Thanks for the welcome and the quick replies! So you guys think this is potentially a 1945 error? I know it it were a clean date, this would be worth maybe $2 or so—what does the error do to its value do you think?
It's as paddy says but do not clean the coin. Leave it as is. The value is whatever the market would bear so you just never know.
Though I’m 30+ years into collecting, I’m relatively new to grading and the like. Do you all think this is a coin which would benefit from being slabbed and graded by PCGS or NGC? Or is that just a gimmicky waste?
Yes, it would not be a good way to spend your money. Although not many of us come across these on any regular basis, it is considered a minor error. Best left raw and keep in your collection. You would spend upwards of $30.00 to slab a coin that has a nominal value.
