Expert: Dan Moore - 8/31/2009

Question
Hi, I have a small collection of Mercury Dimes, Its difficult
to tell what is rated good, excellent. I want to sell the dimes
but I want to be certain to get the Highest amount for them and
find a reputable dealer -

Can you help me out

thanks

Ken

Answer
Ken,

You need to do 3 things :

1) Properly grade your coins.

2) Use a current price guide to estimate value.

3) Sell them to a dealer at a fair price.


1) Grading standards for Mercury Dimes :

G-4, Legends / design details winged Liberty "Mercury" dime visible but heavily worn; may be faint in spots.   OBV:  shown   Winged Liberty and other design elements well worn; little detail remains. Legend and date may be weak but are visible, with detectable rim.   REV:  Fasces outlined completely but worn nearly flat; rods / bands worn smooth.

VG-8, Design well worn but clear, lacking detail; appears flat.   OBV:  Liberty head is weak; most wing details worn smooth. Complete rim.   REV:  Some vertical fasces lines visible; complete rim.

F-12, Even but extensive wear but entire Mercury dime design is clear, bold.   OBV:  Some hair details show. Wing feathers partially visible, lacking sharpness. Diagonal bands detectable but worn.

VF-20, Moderate even wear on the design, but all major features sharp.   OBV:  ¾ of detail present in wing feathers. Liberty's hair is worn, but some details visible.   REV:  All of the vertical lines in the fasces evident. Wear evident on the two diagonal bands, but most details are visible. All details in the olive branch are clear.

EF-40, Light wear seen on highest points of design.   OBV:  Wear evident on the high points of Liberty's hair and at her neckline and on the wing of her cap.   REV:  Bits of Mint luster may be present. High points on the diagonal bands on the fasces exhibit wear, but rod details clearly defined and partially separated.

AU-50, Traces of wear visible on highest points of the "Mercury dime" (winged Liberty head) design.   OBV:  Trace of wear detectable in front of her ear and on hair above Liberty's forehead.   REV:  ¾ of mint luster present. Trace of wear shows on the horizontal & diagonal bands binding the fasces.

MS-63, Strictly uncirculated coin with no trace of wear on the winged Liberty 10 cent coin (Mercury dime). Horizontal bands on the reverse may be filled or partially separated. Displays attractive Mint luster but may exhibit distracting contact marks in the prime focal areas and a few scattered or small patches of hairline scratches.

MS-65 FB, Strictly Uncirculated coin with no trace of wear. May have a few scattered hairline scratches. May have light and scattered contract marks but no major distracting marks in prime focal areas. Mint luster must be fully original with very pleasing eye appeal. Horizontal bands - particularly the middle band - are fully separated.


2) Once you know the grade for each coin, you can look them up on a current price guide to get an estimated value.  Price guides are available online from http://www.greysheet.com  --  you will need to buy a Monthly Summary for your circulated coins and a Weekly Newsletter for your Uncirculated coins.


3) To find a dealer to sell the coins to, you can either go to the ANA website and look up listed dealers in your area :

http://www.money.org/ana_custom/dealer_search/dealer_search.cfm

or you can take them to a local coin show and see what the different dealers will offer you :

http://www.coinshows.com
http://www.coinworld.com

I hope this helps,

Dan