A symbol of freedom and hardship...

A great era of US coinage was concluded with the stop of production of the Mercury Dime. Since the late 1790s American sculptors and artist have adorned the faces of US coinage with the likeness of Lady Liberty. The 1945 Mercury dime and the 1947 Walking Liberty half dollar were the last pieces of circulating coinage to remind the public of the beauty of freedom.

United States coinage has portrayed Liberty in many stages of life, in many types of head wear and had many different models. The Indian head penny was liberty wearing a feathered headdress. The most beautiful designs of liberty can be argued as the St. Gaudens Double Eagle and the Mercury head dime.

The head of Liberty on the Mercury dime was given wings to symbolize the freedom of thought we have as Americans . It was mistakenly thought to be the mythological Mercury. Like a bad nickname in high school the name stuck and the symbolism was lost.

The span of the mercury dime and walking liberty half saw two allied victories in both World Wars. It was the circulating coinage of the hard times of the depression and dust bowls. The coin has become a symbol of American victory and hardships.

The amazing history and beauty of the coin have made it a collector favorite. It is a great place to start as a collector and set can be assembled with a relatively small investment. The key dates of the set are the 1916-D, the 1921 and the 1921-D. The set can be assembled to your budget and it is important to keep the look even throughout the set. Perfection in Mercury dimes is ?full split bands.? A Date set (one per date) does not require the expensive 1916-D and is a good place to start.

The Mercury head dime is one of the last liberties, but is a set for every level collector. A beginner could assemble a raw set for around $2,500 and an expert could spend $100,000 or more for a full set.

A set of walking liberties can be assembled to fit any level and most budgets. The money coin in the set is the lower mintage 1921D.

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