Yikes, can you guys spare some advice here? I'm helping a family member liquidate a collection that she inherited a couple of decades ago. Right now I am sorting through a box of mercury dimes. Each is sorted in tubes by year and mint mark, and every year/mint is represented from 1938 - 1945 (yes, the S and the micro-s). There are just over 4,000 dimes altogether. The condition varies but is not great. I've come across a couple with full bands on the obverse, many many have been polished. All are circulated. I can get 12.6 x face (give or take based on today's silver) for their melt value. They just barely go that high on ebay (even before you deduct fees). Blue book lists them at $1.30 apiece. I've checked for 1942/1 overdates, the micro-s are low quality. Is melt value on these really higher than their collectible value currently? (It make me sad to see these things disappear.) This photo is a roll of the 1938 Philadelphias as a sample of the quality of coins. Pretty average, I'm guessing.
I do not think that they really melt them, they just resell them in 1000$ face bags, at least I see a lot of online dealers that sell them that way. Maybe if you took them directly to the refinery or gave them to one of those mints that take old silver and turn them into customized silver rounds they would be gone.
OOOhhh, so they just sell them to someone who wants silver coins as an investment. This makes sense to me. (and makes me feel better-er) thanks
