Junk Silver Calculator

1916 Mercury Dime Value

Silver melt value, mintage by mint, and how this year compares with every other year of the Mercury Dime series.

Silver content

Composition 90% silver, 10% copper
Silver content, as struck 0.0723 troy oz
Silver content, worn (trading convention) 0.0715 troy oz 0.715 troy oz per $1 of face value, the figure dealers quote from
Face value $0.10
Silver years 1916 - 1945

1916 mintage by mint

Issue Mint Mintmark Struck for circulation Proofs
1916 Philadelphia No mintmark 22,180,080 -
1916-D Key date Denver D 264,000 -
1916-S San Francisco S 10,450,000 -
Total 32,894,080 -
  • 1916: Philadelphia struck both Barber and Mercury dimes in 1916, and the Bureau of the Mint compilation reports only a combined calendar-year total of 40,670,000. That total is 80 pieces short of the published split of 18,490,000 Barber dimes plus this figure, so this is the one issue in the series the Mint's own tables cannot confirm on their own. The figure itself is reported by CoinWeek as well as by the catalogues.
  • 1916-D: CoinWeek and coincollecting.com both name the 1916-D a key date of the series, and CoinWeek lists it first. This is the lowest business-strike mintage of the Mercury dime, and Denver struck no Barber dimes in 1916, so the Bureau of the Mint compilation confirms the figure directly.
  • 1916-S: San Francisco struck both Barber and Mercury dimes in 1916. This figure plus the 5,820,000 Barber dimes equals the compilation's combined 1916 San Francisco total of 16,270,000 exactly.

Ranked by circulation mintage against all 77 Mercury Dime issues struck 1916 to 1945, lowest first:

  • 1916 (Philadelphia): 42nd lowest of 77
  • 1916-D (Denver): 1st lowest of 77
  • 1916-S (San Francisco): 30th lowest of 77

Calculate a batch of Mercury Dimes

The calculator opens on the Mercury Dime. Enter how many coins you have, or how much face value, to get the total silver weight and melt value at the current spot price.

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Questions about the 1916 Mercury Dime

How much silver is in a 1916 Mercury Dime?
A 1916 Mercury Dime is 90% silver and contains 0.0723 troy ounces of pure silver as struck. Circulated coins have lost a little to wear, so the trade prices them at 0.715 troy oz per $1 of face value, or 0.0715 troy oz for this coin.
What is a 1916 Mercury Dime worth?
Its silver melt value is shown at the top of this page and is recalculated from the live silver spot price each time the page loads. Coins in collector grades can be worth more than melt, which depends on condition and is not covered here.
How many 1916 Mercury Dimes were made?
32,894,080 were struck for circulation across 3 mints. Philadelphia struck 22,180,080 with no mintmark. Denver struck 264,000 with a D mintmark. San Francisco struck 10,450,000 with an S mintmark.
Is the 1916 Mercury Dime a key date?
Yes. The 1916-D is a key date. CoinWeek and coincollecting.com both name the 1916-D a key date of the series, and CoinWeek lists it first. This is the lowest business-strike mintage of the Mercury dime, and Denver struck no Barber dimes in 1916, so the Bureau of the Mint compilation confirms the figure directly.
Is a 1916 dime silver?
Yes. Every Mercury Dime struck from 1916 through 1945 is 90% silver.

Mintage sources