Mercury dimes in circulation?

Simon1979

The other day I got in my wife's car and looking though her change I found a 1943 D Mercury dime in AU condition! I was puzzled/shocked and asked her where did you get this? Not knowing much about coins, she replied I don't know!

I have found several silver Roosevelt's in circulation but to find a Mercury! What is going on here are people spending their collections?




Sorry to edit I had a little to much wine!

ProofRainbowRoosevelt

Do you have a pic? That's pretty incredible. I've come across a few Roosevelts, but never a Mercury.

somniferum

Realone - "Winged Liberty" is the accepted name of the design, "Mercury Dime" is only a nick name given due to the wings on Liberty (which were meant to represent "freedom of thought" according to AAW) resembling those on Mercury's fleet feet.

As to the OP, I encounter various silver in circulation. Dimes are the most common denomination I find in silver and as you pointed out the Roosie is ubiquitous. That said, I have skimmed several dollars worth of "Mercs" from circulation in just the last five years and even three barber dimes. I attribute these (generally) to petty theft. The scenario in my mind has a young hood ripping off his grand dad or uncle's shoe box coin collection, popping it all out of the 2"x2"s and shoving it over a convenience store counter to be traded at face for cigarettes. That idea isn't completely contrived as I once discovered a pile of broken cardboard outside of a 7eleven and received silver dimes in my change immediately there after. I put two and two together quickly and bought the remainder of the loose change from the till under the auspices of gearing up for my weekly poker night. As I recall there was nearly five dollars face of junk silver in that drawer.

toreador74

I haven't found a Mercury dime in circulation for many years, and the last time it was probably very good or fine condition. I've always thought that most people who don't think much about coins just spend them and don't look at them, especially when they're worn, as the shape is the same as any other dime. That said, an AU Mercury sounds like it was spent by an older person who didn't care and needed to buy something, a younger person who stole or misspent it, or a numismatist trying to make someone's day. My mother, who worked in retail for a number of years, once had a young customer who brought in uncirculated silver certificates to pay for candy, gum and other things. She tried to convince him not to spend them but he insisted. Later on she found out he had taken them from his father without his knowing.

rainbowroosie

Got one here in Miami 2 weeks ago -- 1942 P in XF+

AUandAG

Simon, I think you need to sit your wife down and explain things a little bit better! Perhaps until she
learns to identify SILVER (other than earrings, etc) you need to go through her purse every night!

Good LUCK!

bob

jom

A common occurrence when I used to work retail (pizza parlor) was some kids would steal from their parents collections and spend the coins. Mostly this was a way to get money to play video games. This 25 years ago when video games were all the rage in stores like that. I'd see any number of coins types...mostly silver quarters (Washington) and a few Franklins.

jom

SaorAlba

About 6-7 years ago my wife got a couple of them in change in a school cafeteria. Obviously liberated from some parents collection no doubt.

Coxe

I got an 1876 20 cent piece in change at a grocery store around 1970. It was what today would be AU58 or MS62, hardly wear attendant with nearly a century of circulation. Some teen stole his old man's coins to buy rolling papers probably.