1919 Mercury Dime DDO Discovery Piece

Congrats on finding #4!!!! Please post pictures when you can, I'll add it to the census.

If yours is A problem-free XF, it will be the finest known.

1) is mine, the discovery piece, currently in an ANACS VF-20
2) is a cleaned/conserved xf details still at NGC
3) was found a few weeks ago, graded PCGS VG-8 but not attributed, so sent to ANACS
4) this newly reported one

 

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Ok. Here they are as promised. Photo's of my 1919 Doubled Die Mercury Dime. Please take a look and let me know what you think. Mine has a pretty good die break running from Liberty's wings to the rim. Also there is a die break running through the C in AMERICA on the reverse. The reverse appears to be a late die state.


I rotated the reverse to approximate the rotation as compared to the obverse.

 

It's certainly not XF. The dealer had it marked EF but I don't really think it is.

 

The die condition on the obverse looks like it was probably pretty descent before the break. My guess is they replaced both the obverse and reverse dies after the obverse break. That may have limited the production on these. But I am far from an expert and this is only a theory.

 

The other 3 do not show the die break, and were designated early die state by CONECA, so yours could be middle or late, but if anything, makes us happy because this will tend to allow the thought pattern that the DDO wasn't discovered during production and the die pulled early, it may have had a lengthy production run after all.

 

I'm still surprised that after this long only 4 have been found. I am in utter shock that there would be one at the local small show I went to. I will remain on the hunt for these.

 

I would put it a higher vf than mine, but I wouldn't call it XF, but that's just me. Let us know what it grades when you send it in.

 

The coin in hand under magnification seems to match XF-40 in the details using PCGS Photograde. The Dime looks a lot better in hand than the photos.

 

I just need to locate someone who could submit this for me. Who would you suggest submitting to? ANACS because they will attribute it?

 

Nice!

 

Both ANACS and NGC will attribute this right now. PCGS didn't annotate the VG-8 #3 example without paperwork, still trying to figure out what they needed and from whom from the owner.

Yours is close to XF, but may go VF-30/35 too, odd wear on the obv.

 

My thoughts are inline with yours.

 

Here is a detail of the doubling.

 

I'm glad you guys caught the die crack! There must be others out there if it made it to mid or late die state. Anyone have any idea what the ave. die life was for mercs in the teens?

 

I think Strikeout found the production numbers and got an average of somewhere around 71,000 or so.

 

When the story broke, Roger sent me the report:

Roger Burdette was kind enough to forward me the 1920 Annual Report showing die usage for 1919.

For Mercury Dimes:

Philadelphia:
521 Obverse dies were used averaging 71,050 pieces struck per die (37,017,050)
343 Reverse dies were used averaging 107,921 pieces struck per die (37,016,903)

 

Good info! Is there somewhere online where the Annual Reports are?

 

I did a reshoot on this dime. The first shoot was hurried and I did not take the time and care I should have. I guess my excitement took over. So here is a much better looking photograph for you to look at. I think it looks a lot more like the coin does in hand.

 

I had sent my dime off to Dr. James Wiles for examination and photographing for the CONECA files. He then forwarded it on to ANACS for grading and certification with the attribution. I got a call from ANACS today. They have graded it and are shipping it back to me. The final grade came in at EF-40 straight graded. I believe that makes mine the highest grade known as of right now. I'm so happy!!

 

I found one tonight, identical to this one in searching 6 rolls of junk silver dimes. I read about this a few weeks ago and being an error collector this is a giant find for me. Do you know if there has been any price listings on these yet? Although it will never be sold by me I just wondered what it may be worth.....thank you...Alan davis