[h=2]Coin Collecting at the Safir House Mercury Dimes[/h] [HR][/HR] Mercury Dimes, also known as Liberty Head Dimes, is the classic 20th century coin which as come to standout represent much of American coinage. In some regards, it is the vision fulfilled of the overhaul in coinage designs began under the Teddy Roosevelt administration at the turn of the century. The design was created by Alfred A Weinman, the creater of the Walking Liberty Half Dollar. As with the Walking Liberty Half. the Libery Head Dime is a Neo-Classical design and the likeness of the Liberty to the Mythological Apollo is not just coincidental. The resulting hedonist reference was enourmously popular with the public and then adopted by by many comercial institutions, spreading the fame of the design even further. The Mercury Dime mottif was carved and molded into hundreds of banks across the nation. The image also became famous in the "March of Dimes" campaign, championed by President Franklin Roosevelt until his death. Dimes, given their size, make for coins which are very senstive to the slightest imperfection in the strike or damage. A good magnifying glass is necessary to make any credible attempt at grading, or to appreciate these little gems. We have aquired just a few coins to date, and the first one caused immediate controversy. The Mercury Dime reverse has a rather odd reeded and axe design with a lot of subtle details. The reeds are bounded together with rode or bands. Strikes with full bands are highly prized. This very nice little 1936 S dime which was purchased for a about 30 dollar in a local Brooklyn coin shop was marked on the 2X2 in which the coin was sold as being Full Bands, without arches. Upon bringing it home, we photographed it and then put the pictures on the net, asking what others thought of the grade. The question occurs is whether or not the coin is actually full banded, with the focus on the middle two bands on the reed. Further shots were inconclusive, although it seems that the coin was not Full Bands, despite being a very distinct strike. Furthermore, in the light of the photographs, the reverse of the coin shows die polish which drops the grade a little more. Although these polish lines on the fields of the dime are barely vissible with the eye, they stand out with the magnification. Finally, the reeds themselves have been blown up under magnification. These photographs seem to conclude that the coin was not full reeds, although it is very close. Bottom reeds (upside down) Middle Reeds Middle Reeds Top Reeds So as all this happening the taste developed to aquire another dime, one that was more clearly Full Banned. After much searching and consideration, this coin was aquired. Yet another 36 When looking at these photos we forget the scale of these coins. Mercs are very small and here is a good image to give you an idea of the scale. Larger image on the keyboard He is a 42 graded slab MS67 Here is a very decent circulating 1917 Dime which nearly has Split Bands on the reverse. It is an excellent strike. This is a toned Merc 1945 that was slabbed. Not pretty toning but a high grade coin [HR][/HR] Our modest collection generally contains the following coins types. Click to see these examples show below including photography: Circulated US Silver Coins prior to 1964 Ruben Safir's Front Page Coin CollectionGold Coins - Not too many Morgan Silver Dollars Peace Silver Dollars Large Cent Coppers Seated Half Dollars Buffalo Nickels Mercury (Liberrty Head) Dimes Standing Libery Quarter Walking Liberty Half Dollars Barber Half Dollars Barber Quarter Dollars Franklin Half Dollars Flying Eagle Cents Modern American Silver Eagle uncirculated mint coins and proofs Eisenhower Clad and Silver Dollars Sacawagea Golden Dollars Modern Silver and Clad Proof Sets Modern Silver and Clad 2008 Commorative Bald Eagle Series Lincoln Cents and Wheat Backs Jefferson Nickels Roosevelt Dime Washington and Washington State Quarters Kennedy Half Dollars Modern Foreign Coins from Outside The United States
