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January 14, 2022

Rare dime sells for $1,725 after bidding war – do you have the coin in your spare change?

[The Sun]

A RARE dime has sold for more than $1,700 online.

This coin is a part of the Mercury dime series, which was in mintage from 1916 to 1945. 

There were more than 1.2million of these dimes minted
There were more than 1.2million of these dimes minted

The coin that sold in the eBay listing is the 1921 Mercury Dime without a letter mark on the reverse, which means it was minted in Philadelphia.

This dime is one of the rarest in the Mercury series with more than 1.2million pieces minted. 

In fact, only the 1916-D and 1921-D Mercury Dimes have lower mintages, according to Professional Coin Grading Service’s Jamie Hernandez.

In 1921, “there was a coin recession during that time, which kept the demand low for circulating dimes,” he wrote.

Another reason is that “the Mint was primarily focused on producing Silver Dollars this year, therefore, producing them in large numbers”.

Just like with all coins, the value could depend on grade and condition. 

In average condition, the 1921 Philadelphia Mercury dime is worth just $90, but up to $3,780 if in an “uncirculated (MS-65)” grade, according to USA Coin Book

The coin in the eBay listing sold for a total of $1,725 after 50 bids. That would mean the dime is worth more than 1.7million percent its original value.

The seller of the dime was Great Southern Coins. The coin dealer claims the piece was graded in “AU,” which stands for almost uncirculated. 

Currently, there are various 1921 Mercury dimes listed on eBay in the thousands. 

But make sure you’re aware of possible fakes online.

To avoid this, make sure you check the seller’s history and whether or not the coin was certified in the listing.Advertisement

Recently, a 1943 Mercury dime sold for $395 on eBay.

What is your spare change worth?

Keep in mind that your dimes might not be the only coins that could be worth a serious mint.

You’ll want to check your change for rare nickels, half dollars, Lincoln pennies, and others because some of these coins might sell for thousands.

The most valuable coins are usually those with a low mintage or an error, as they’re deemed the most valuable by collectors.

To check out if your coins are worth anything on eBay, search the full name, select the “sold” listing and then toggle the search to “highest value.”

It will give you an idea of the amount of money that the coin is going for.

You can either choose to sell the coin on eBay or through a specialist site such as Coinappraiser or USA Coin Book.

In other rare coin news, a half cent from the late 1700s sold for more than $3,300 online recently.

Plus, we show you how to find rare coins including ones featuring Lincoln.

By Anthony Russo

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