VINTAGE 1940 Mercury Dimes Lot of 6 – 4 Denver, 1 San Francisco + Worn Silver Dime – 90% Silver US Coins

Six well-traveled Mercury dimes from the era when America stood on the threshold of World War II.

This lot includes:

• 4 × 1940-D – Denver Mint
• 1 × 1940-S – San Francisco Mint
• 1 × heavily worn Mercury dime – date and mint mark no longer readable

All six are genuine circulated Mercury dimes, struck in the traditional 90% silver alloy used for American dimes of the period.

The unidentified sixth coin is included exactly as shown. Its date has simply been worn away by circulation. Rather than discard it, I think it belongs with the others. After all, a coin doesn't become less interesting because somebody actually spent it!

The Mercury dime – officially the Winged Liberty Head dime – was designed by sculptor Adolph A. Weinman and minted from 1916 through 1945. Liberty appears on the obverse wearing a winged cap, symbolizing freedom of thought. The reverse features a fasces surrounded by an olive branch, representing strength together with peace.

These particular dimes were struck in 1940, when Franklin D. Roosevelt was president and Europe was already at war. The United States would not enter World War II until the following year.

And unlike coins preserved from the beginning as collectibles, these clearly lived in circulation.

A dime like one of these might have bought a cup of coffee or a newspaper. It might have dropped into the till at a neighborhood drugstore, bought part of a movie ticket, or jingled in someone's pocket while war news came over the radio.

Within a few years, Mercury dimes like these would circulate through an America transformed by ration books, war bonds, factory shifts, troop trains, USO dances and families waiting for letters from overseas.

We can't know where these particular six dimes went or what they bought.

But judging from the wear – especially on our nearly anonymous sixth traveler – they certainly didn't spend their lives tucked away in a safe.

They were money.

And somebody used them.

Condition varies considerably, with honest circulation wear, toning, discoloration, marks and loss of detail consistent with age and use. No numerical grade is represented or implied. Please examine the photographs carefully; the coins pictured are the exact coins you will receive.

Shipping included in the US.