YOUR coin could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on its date.
The value and rarity also increase exponentially if another detail is included.
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It can be incredibly challenging to find a United States coin worth a lot of money, but some are still circulating even today.
Needless to say, it’s worth taking a second look at your spare change for some older dates on pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters.
If you happen to be looking through the dimes and find one with a date of 1916, set it aside and take a closer look.
A specific version of the 1916 dime sold for $152,750 a few years back, per Heritage Auctions.
A crucial difference of the dime should be visible right away, as instead of having 32nd President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the obverse (heads) side of the coin, it will instead depict “Lady Liberty.”
Liberty notably wears a “cap with wings to represent freedom of thought,” per the US Mint.
This specific version of the dime was designed by Adolph A. Weinman, a German-born American sculptor, and is known as the “Mercury” dime because it reminded some of the Roman god of the same name.
The US Mint produced the dime first in 1916 until 1945, when Roosevelt’s version replaced it.
LOCATION IS KEY
To add even more value, see if your 1916 dime has a “D” etching, as it indicates it was made at the Denver Mint.
While the Philadelphia and San Francisco Mints produced over 22 million and 10 million 1916 dimes, respectively, Denver only ever made around 264,000, per the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).
That’s because, according to historians, officials stopped personnel from doing so and put their focus on quarters instead.
Even though these factors alone make it unique to have it, Lady Liberty on the front and the Denver Mint etching aren’t the vital and rare details to look out for that make it worth serious money.
You’ll also want to flip the 1916-D dime over to its reverse side, where there will be a fasces, effectively a bundle of rods with an axe wrapped in three sets of bands, along with an olive branch.
Weinman notably created this design to symbolize peace and strength.
Rare coins
You may be holding something valuable in your wallet. Check out these articles on rare coins to see if you may have a treasure hidden deep in your pockets.
BANDS BONUS
Only the highest quality of the 1916-D dimes will have a visible split in the middle of the three bands, otherwise known as “full bands,” to experts.
If you can verify the full bands, then it’s an incredibly valuable coin, and it’s exactly the type of 1916 dime that sold for over $152,000.
The dime at that price tag was also awarded a MS67 grading.
MS refers to “Mint State,” and the numbered scale goes from one to 70, meaning that an MS67 would be a coin in nearly perfect condition, per the American Numismatic Association.
Several other types of dimes from different years could also be worth some extra cash.
For example, a 1919 version could bring in around $218,500 with a similar detail to the 1916.
A unique detailing on the front of a 1983 dime could also make it worth around $8,225.
