1916-D Mercury Dime Value

Denver made only 264,000, and a real one sells for real money in any grade. One graded Good-4 sold for $690 in 2010. A Fine-12 brought $2,116.18 in 2013, an AU-55 brought $8,225 the same year, and an MS-65 sold for $26,400 in 2020.

Philadelphia made 22,180,080 with no mint mark. A worn one is worth about its silver. Only top coins bring big money. One graded MS-67 with full bands sold for $9,600 in 2020, and an MS-68+ brought $20,400 the same year.

San Francisco made 10,450,000, marked with an S. A worn one is also worth about its silver. One graded MS-67+ with full bands sold for $3,840 in 2025.

Mint errors from 1916 are rare at auction. Two from San Francisco show what they bring. A 1916-S struck off center, graded EF-40, sold for $399.50 in 2017. A 1916-S with debris struck into the front, graded MS-64, brought $288 in 2024.

We found no recorded sale of a 1916-D error. A 1916-D is valuable even without one, so check the mint mark first.

The Mercury dime was new in 1916. Three mints struck it that year, but Denver barely got started. In November 1916, the Denver Mint was told to strike only quarters until a large order was filled. It didn't go back to dimes until well into 1917.

So Denver made 264,000 dimes dated 1916. Philadelphia made about 22 million, and San Francisco made more than 10 million. That gap is the whole story of this coin's value.

The tables above show real sales for all three 1916 dimes. Even a worn Denver coin stands far apart from the other two.

Start with the front. It shows Liberty in a winged cap, and the date 1916 is at the bottom. Then turn the coin over. The back shows a bundle of rods with an axe and an olive branch.

The mint mark is a tiny letter low on the back. Look to the right of the E in ONE, by the base of the olive branch. A magnifying glass and a bright lamp help a lot.

• No letter. The coin is from Philadelphia. It's the common one.
• An S. The coin is from San Francisco. It's also common.
• A D. The coin may be the key date from Denver. Don't clean it, and read the next section before you do anything else.

On a worn dime the letter can be flat and hard to read, and a worn S can look like a D. If you can't tell which letter it is, don't guess. A coin dealer can look at it in a minute.

A common 1916 dime from Philadelphia looks just like the Denver coin, apart from the missing letter. So people add one. Grading experts say altered 1916-D dimes are very common. In most of them, a D has been placed on the back of a real 1916 Philadelphia dime.

Here is what the grading experts look for under a strong glass.

• The shape of the D. A real one is boxy and squared off. It stands tall and looks crisp, with a small triangle of open space inside the letter.
• A D that looks wrong. On fakes the letter is often too thick, too rounded, too soft or too large. Sometimes it sits too far from the branch.
• A seam. An added letter can leave a fine line where it meets the surface of the coin. Dirt and toning can hide that line.
• Marks around the letter. Discoloration or tool marks next to the D are warning signs.

Only four reverse dies were used to strike the real coins, so experts know just what a true D should look like. You can't make that call at the kitchen table, and a photo can't make it either. Our app can name the coin and show an estimated value range, but it can't tell you whether a D is real.

Treat the coin as unproven until an expert has seen it. Experts advise having a key date coin like this checked by a top grading service. They seal a real coin in a labeled plastic holder with its grade. Buyers trust that holder, and most won't pay key date money without it.

• Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and lowers the value, even on a real coin.
• Hold it by the edge and keep it in a soft coin flip or a small envelope.
• Show it to a local coin dealer first. A dealer may spot an added D right away and save you the grading fee.
• Be careful buying one. A loose 1916-D with no grading holder is a risk at any price.

Condition still matters once the coin is confirmed. In March 2020, a 1916-D dime sold for $204,000 at auction. It was graded MS-67 with full bands, which means it never circulated and the bands on the rods were sharply struck. Almost no 1916-D dimes look like that. Most were spent for years and are heavily worn.

Most 1916 Mercury dimes are from Philadelphia or San Francisco. They aren't rare, but they aren't pocket change either. Every Mercury dime is 90% silver, so even a worn one is worth more than ten cents.

A 1916 dime that still has its first shine is worth a closer look, since it's the first year of the design. Compare yours with the table above, then see the other dates on our Mercury dime value page. If grading terms are new to you, our coin value guide explains them in plain words.