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Message:: [QUOTE="Lehigh96, post: 455641, member: 15309"]I will give you what I have photographically.  The grading definitions used are from David W. Lange's THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO MERCURY DIMES.  Please keep in mind that grading standards have minor variations depending upon which one you use.  The important part is to be able to apply the grading standard accurately to the coins you are grading. G-4 (GOOD) Obverse:  The curls of Liberty's hair, although flat, are outlined clearly against her cap.  The date is entirely distinguishable, although the final digit may be weak.  The rim is worn to the tops of the letters.Reverse:  The fasces is flat but separated from the rim, which has worn one-third of the way through the legend. <img src="http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o59/ACPitBoss/Mercury%20Dimes/MercuryDime1917RawG4.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> VG8 (VERY GOOD) Obverse:  The rim is complete and entirely separated from the legend.  Some details are evident in Liberty's wing.Reverse:  A few lines are visible in the fasces.  The rim is entirely separated from the legend. <img src="http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o59/ACPitBoss/Mercury%20Dimes/MercuryDime1935RawF12.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> F-12 (FINE) Obverse:  Liberty's curls are partly distinguishable against her face.  Her wing feathers are evident, although heavily worn.  The rim is bold and the date entirely separated from it.Reverse:  The vertical lines are about half visible though a portion of all of them will show.  The horizontal and diagonal bands are only visible at their extremities.  The rim is distinct, though shallow. <img src="http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o59/ACPitBoss/Mercury%20Dimes/MercuryDime1937-SRawF12.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> VF-20 (VERY FINE) Obverse:  Liberty's curls are distinct against her face.  The wing is complete, though moderately worn.Reverse: The vertical lines are entirely visible but shallow.  The horizontal and diagonal bands are complete but flat at their centers.  The rim is bold. <img src="http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o59/ACPitBoss/Mercury%20Dimes/MercuryDime1926RawVF20.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> XF-40 (EXTREMELY FINE) Obverse:  All details are distinct though lightly worn.  Some mint luster may be evident within protected parts of the design such as the legend and the date. Reverse:  The vertical lines are sharp.  All bands are distinct but may be lightly worn at the centers.  The diagonal bands are three dimensional.  Some mint luster may be evident within protected parts of the design such as the legend, the olive branch, and the denomination. <img src="http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o59/ACPitBoss/Mercury%20Dimes/MercuryDime1939RawXF45.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> For the AU Grades I will use the definition from PCGS THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO COIN GRADING AND COUNTERFEIT DETECTION.  Lange does not really distinguish wear characteristics in these grades and relies on the amount of mint luster remaining to determine grade.  PCGS does the same thing, but they also provide some wear indicators.  PCGS describes a coin with less than half of the remaining luster as AU53/50, a coin with more than half of the remaining luster as AU55, and an AU58 must have only slight friction on the high points. AU GRADES AU55/58 Mecury Dimes have slight friction on the cheek, along the top of the hair down the back of the face, the top of the wing, and the hair above where the ear would be.  Reverse wear is found on the top, center, and bottom horizontal and diagonal bands.  In AU-50/53, wear is now noticed on the neck and the above mentioned areas.  The reverse will have blending of the horizontal bands with each other, and the diagonal bands will start to blend with the vertical lines of the fasces.  The fields will now exhibit slight friction, though they are more recessed than on many coins. The following coin photographed is an example of an AU58 coin that has been artificially toned.  Notice the slight wear on Liberty's curls and the fasces on the reverse. <img src="http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o59/ACPitBoss/Mercury%20Dimes/MercuryDime1944RawAU55.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> Mint State Grades I would suggest for mint state grades that you do not rely on a single photograph.  In order to get a feel for the difference between individual mint state grades, you need to view hundreds of coins in each grade.  The best way to accomplish this is by examining photos from Heritage's auction archives.  Start by looking at MS63's.  When you have looked at at least 25 of them, move to the MS64's to see if you can tell the difference.  Over time, the subtle differences in grade will become evident, although I find that grading dimes is very difficult due to the size of the coin.  Below are a couple photos of mint state Mercury Dimes. <img src="http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o59/ACPitBoss/Mercury%20Dimes/MercuryDime1940-DNGCMS66FB503079-2.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /><img src="http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o59/ACPitBoss/Mercury%20Dimes/MercuryDime1945-DPCGSMS66FB.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> Hope this helped! 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