[1916-1945] Winged Liberty "Mercury" Dimes

The Mercury Dime, also known as the Winged Liberty Head Dime, is a ten-cent coin struck by the United States Mint from 1916 to 1945. It was designed by Adolph Alexander Weinman and although it was meant to depict a young Liberty, people confused the image with the Roman god Mercury. First issued during World War I, the coin's reverse depicts a fasces, symbolizing unity and strength, and an olive branch, signifying peace. The technical specifications remained the same as that of previous dimes and had a weight of 2.5 grams, had a diameter of 17.9 millimeters and were struck on planchets that were an alloy of 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. Each coin contained .07234 ounces of pure silver. The coins were struck at the Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco Mints.