
The Mercury Dime Misnomer Revealed
Winged Liberty Head Dime or Mercury Dime?
The “Winged Liberty Dime” released in 1916 has been described as one of the most beautifully crafted dimes coined by the U.S. Mint. Created by sculptor Adolph A. Weinman, the introduction prompted nearly universal praise from the coin collecting community and his designs were instantly recognized as brilliant. So why do we know this historic coin today as the Mercury Dime and why is the beautiful Lady liberty often confused with the male Greek God Mercury?
The Phrygian cap is a soft conical cap with the top pulled forward. In early modern Europe it came to signify freedom and the pursuit of liberty and is sometimes called a liberty cap. It is often used in artistic representations to signify freedom and the pursuit of liberty. The addition of the wings were intended to symbolize, by Weiman’s own words, “freedom of thought.” This cap became confused with Mercury’s Pileus cap. The pileus was a brimless, felt cap worn in Ancient Greece and surrounding regions, later also introduced in Ancient Rome. This was the cap mostly depicted with the mythological God Mercury. At a quick glance, it was easy to see the confusion; the public saw the new dime’s resemblance and assumed it was Mercury, so the coin quickly became known popularly as the “Mercury Head” Dime.
Weinman’s dime was issued during the renaissance of U.S. coinage design, which began in 1907 and 1908 with the new gold designs; continued in 1913 with the Indian Head 5-cent coin; reached its zenith in 1916 with stunning new designs for the dime, quarter dollar and half dollar; and ended in 1921 with the introduction of the Peace dollar.
It is truly remarkable that a coin this small could have such an intricate and aesthetically pleasing design. The Mercury Head Dime series is one of the most popular in all of American numismatics. Apart from the 1916-D and 1942 overdates, most dates are obtained with little difficulty. However, several of the dates are extremely rare in high grade. The most desirable issues are those with Full Split Bands on the reverse, which means all of the bands that hold the fasces together on the reverse must be clearly and completely separated. While much attention is focused on the central bands, the bands on the ends of the fasces must be separated, as well.
The Winged Liberty Head dime represented a welcome change of pace when it made its first appearance in 1916. Indeed, it served to symbolize more than freedom of thought: it also was a symbol of America’s new spirit, an exuberance reflected in the freshness and vitality of the new U.S. coinage as a whole in the early 1900s. In an artistic sense, this new coin was a breath of fresh air.
In 2016, America will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of this coin, not only for it’s beauty, but also for the important part it played in numismatic history.
Tags: Adolph A. Weinman, Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?, Coin History, Phrygian cap, Pileus cap, U.S. Coin History, U.S. Coins, United States Mint, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA