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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Yankee, post: 585399, member: 18618&quot;]GOOD POINT!</p><p>I thought about this very thing when considering this dime, but did some studying about the year this dime was made and found that not many people collected coins in 1916 and I don&#039;t think many rolls of these dimes in uncirculated condition were put away </p><p>The Washington Post jumped the gun and reported the first examples were released July 1, 1916, as planned. But this was not the case at all. Soon came reports of problem after problem the Mint was having preparing the designs for full-scale production. By the time the Mercury dime went into circulation, it was nearly four months late. The new quarter and half dollar took even longer to arrive.</p><p>However, they were well worth the wait, especially the dime. Critics described it as “quite an improvement over the old issue,” “a silvern beauty,” “far more beautiful than any since the Draped Bust issue.”</p><p>If the dime’s symbolism went unrecognized by the public, no one seemed to care very much. Weinman himself wrote a letter to The Numismatist explaining that the Mercury dime symbolized freedom of thought. To most people, however, the image represented not Liberty but Mercury, the speedy messenger of the gods in mythology. Weinman’s dime will forever be known as the Mercury dime, whether the label is accurate or not.</p><p>The symbolism on the dime’s reverse also broke new ground. There was no eagle, no wreath. Instead a bundle of rods around an ax dominated the reverse. The fasces supposedly symbolized unity and authority. At least that was the case in ancient times.</p><p>But when Woodrow Wilson was in the White House and the United States had not yet gone to war, no one seemed to know what to make of the dime’s reverse. Some people thought it pictured a golf bag and clubs, so they called it the “golf dime” for a while.</p><p>Because production of Mercury dimes began so late in the year, people might have expected the 1916-dated dimes to be rarities. Texas dealer B. Max Mehl, and Treasury officials, sent out word this would not be the case, and that there would be more than enough new dimes to go around.</p><p>The information, however, was not entirely accurate. At the Denver Mint, only 264,000 1916-dated Mercury dimes were struck. THERE WERE FEW COIN COLECTORS IN THE WEST, so the new dimes slipped into circulation and not many uncirculated examples were set aside...... I am no expert with coins (I DO LOVE TO OWN THEM THOUGH) I do believe in researching in dept all purchases I make when spending money! My wife thinks I am obsessive when doing so but I think its a responsible habit!&nbsp; (it took me two months to find a TV to buy)LOL! I do wish to thank all here for their opinions on my dime and I plan to be here on this forum for a long time and learn all I can![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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