Mercury dime
| United States | |
| Value | 10 cents (0.10 US dollars) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 2.500 g except 2016 gold issue: 3.110 g |
| Diameter | 17.91 mm except 2016 gold issue: 16.50 mm (0.705 in except 2016 gold issue: 0.650 in) |
| Edge | 118 reeds |
| Composition |
|
| Gold | (2016 only) 0.10000 troy oz |
| Silver | 0.07234 troy oz |
| Years of minting | 1916–1945 for commerce, 2016 as a gold commemorative |
| Mint marks | D, S, (2016 only) W. Located on reverse between letter "E" in "ONE" and the base of the olive branch. Philadelphia Mint specimens lack mint mark. |
| Obverse | |
 |
|
| Design | A young Liberty, with winged cap |
| Designer | Adolph Weinman |
| Design date | 1916 |
| Reverse | |
 |
|
| Design | olive branch, fasces |
| Designer | Adolph Weinman |
| Design date | 1916 |
The Mercury dime is a ten-cent coin struck by the United States Mint from 1916 to 1945. Designed by Adolph Weinman and also referred to as the Winged Liberty Head dime, it gained its common name as the obverse depiction of a young Liberty, identifiable by her winged Phrygian cap, was confused with the Roman god Mercury. Weinman is believed to have used Elsie Stevens, the wife of lawyer and poet Wallace Stevens, as a model. The coin's reverse depicts a fasces, symbolizing unity and strength, and an olive branch, signifying peace.
By 1916, the dime, quarter, and half dollar designed by Mint Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber had been struck for 25 years, and could be replaced by the Treasury, of which the Mint is a part, without Congressional authorization. Mint officials were under the misapprehension that the designs had to be changed, and held a competition among three sculptors, in which Barber, who had been in his position for 36 years, also took part. Weinman's designs for the dime and half dollar were selected.
Although the new coin's design was admired for its beauty, the Mint made modifications to it upon learning that vending machine manufacturers were having difficulties making the new dime work in their devices. The coin continued to be minted until 1945, when the Treasury ordered that a new design, featuring recently deceased president Franklin Roosevelt, take its place. The Mercury dime was restruck in gold for its centenary in 2016.
On September 26, 1890, the United States Congress passed an act providing:
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