Junk silver is a great addition to any investment strategy, as it includes not only easily recognizable pieces for use as trade items in a crisis, but it also is affordable to buy and possible to find in everyday transactions.
Some pieces of junk silver are particularly valuable because they also have a numismatic appeal to collectors. When buying an assorted bag of junk silver dimes, take a moment to see if you have any of these extra-special finds.
Examples of coins to watch for are:
- 1894-S Barber Dimes– Only 24 of these dimes were ever made, so you’d be incredibly lucky to find one on accident!
- Barber Dimes- Featuring the head of Liberty staring to the right and wearing a laurel wreath. Rare dates include 1895-O, 1896-O, 1896-S, 1897-O, 1901-S and 1903-S Barber Dimes. Look for the mint mark under the eagle’s tail on the reverse.
- 1916-D Mercury Dime – Minted in Denver, this dime will bear a “D” as the mint mark underneath the olive branch next to the “E” in “ONE.” (Be careful when buying the 1916-D dime, as they are frequently counterfeit.)
- 1921 Mercury Dime – Another rare date. Those bearing a “D” mint mark bear an additional value.
- 1926-S Mercury Dime-These coins constituted less than 4% of all dimes minted that year. Look for a small “S” mint mark at the bottom of the olive branch.
- 1942 “over 1941” Mercury Dime– Because of an accident at the mint, these dimes bear both the numbers 1941 and 1942 on top of one another, with the resulting date looking a little unusual.
Remember, the quality of your junk silver dime will affect the numismatic value. Do your research and consider sending a coin that may be valuable to a professional grading service to have your find verified. It could be worth the larger return for your find!
Do you own any of these key dates? How did you acquire them?
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