We are excited to release the forty second coin in the CollecTons Keepers program, an exclusive series only offered by CollecTons. CollecTons Keeper #42 in the Series features the 2016-W Gold Mercury Dime, Certified in an Exclusive ANACS Special Uncirculated Holder.
What makes this coin a Coin Worth Keeping?
The Mercury dime replaced the "Barber" dime in 1916. As of 1915, the Barber dime had been in production for 25 years. According to the law at the time, a coin's design must remain in production for at least 25 years. Mint officials incorrectly read the law and determined in 1915 that the Barber dime had to be replaced in 1916 because it had been in production for 25 years. The Mint held a design competition with three sculptors. The winner of the competition, Adolph Weinman, designed a dime featuring a young liberty on the obverse. The young liberty resembled the Roman god Mercury and the name "Mercury dime" was "coined". The dime quickly gained popularity even though it had to be modified several times to work properly with vending machines.
The obverse of the dime depicts Liberty with a wreath of tight curls. She is wearing a traditional Liberty cap, also known as a pileus. The reverse features a fasces, an object that accompanied Roman magistrates. The fasces represents war and justice. In contrast, the reverse also features a large olive branch which symbolizes peace and the fasces is bound both horizontally and diagonally by a leather strap.
President Franklin Roosevelt died in April of 1945. It was decided that a coin should be issued with his image. FDR had been closely associated with the "March of Dimes" charity so, despite the popularity of the Mercury dime, it was replaced with the Roosevelt dime in 1946.
In celebration of the centennial of the popular Mercury dime, the Mint reproduced the design. The 2016-W Mercury dime is minted in 24 karat gold with a special satin finish. A limited number of the coins were minted and released on the U.S. Mint website on April 21, 2016. Demand for the coin was so high that the U.S. Mint stopped taking orders within 45 minutes of the coin going on sale.
Coin Specifications
Year: 2016
Mint: West Point
Finish: Special Uncirculated
Mintage: Limit 125,000
Composition: 0.9999 Gold
Weight: 3.110 grams (0.1000 troy ounce)
Diameter: 16.50 mm
Edge: Reeded
What makes the CollecTons Keepers program special? Here at CollecTons, we work hard researching coins that should be part of every collection. Our goal is to utilize our knowledge in the numismatic industry to select coins worthy of being in everyone's collection! Therefore, the CollecTons Keepers program will only feature those Coins Worth Keeping.
Each coin is hand selected and given to ANACS (America's Oldest Grading Service) for grading and authentication. The coins are then sealed in an ANACs certified proprietary slab holder for long-term storage, with our limited edition label marking it a CollecTons Keeper. Collect one or collect the entire series!
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