If you collect rare coins, you are probably familiar with the Winged Liberty Head Dime, popularly known as the “Mercury” Dime.

The U.S. mint struck this beloved coin from 1916 until 1945. This is one of the most popular and iconic coins that numismatists acquire for sets. Easy availability of most of the years is one reason that even beginning collector will reach the satisfying goal of owning a Mercury Dime set.

Within the Mercury Dime series, there are only a few absolute rarities and there is only one that is hard to find.

The 1916-D is the scarcest major key date and rarity within the Mercury Dime series. Only 264,000 were struck and we have one. You can see it here. A numismatic collector paid a record $207,000 for the 1916-D back in 2010 for a MS67 specimen.

Why did the 1916-D Mercury Dimes have such a low mintage of only 264,000?

Production of this coin was halted after the U.S. Treasury department entered an urgent order late in the year for 4 million quarter dollars.

Collectors seek to add 1916-D Mercury dimes to their collections due, in part, to its low mintage and because of their unique status as first ‘year-of-issue’ type coins. Some type collectors only acquire first-year coins.

Renowned sculptor Adolph A. Weinman designed this highly sought after coin. Even during its years of production, collectors clamored to own these coins for their collections.

Some Americans confused the depiction on the reverse of the coin of a young Liberty with the Roman god Mercury, which is how it’s popular name caught on. The coin’s design received positive reviews within the artistic community. However, some modifications were required as the coin did not perform well in vending machines.

The Mercury dime is struck with 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper and the coin contains just over .072 troy ounces of silver.

Have you embarked on the journey of collecting sets? We’d love to hear about your experiences in a comment below! Many collectors find that their enjoyment of this hobby and investment increases exponentially when you set goals and acquire sets. From a financial perspective, one of the best way to invest in rare coins is to acquire sets. In fact, many collections have been sold as a whole for more than the total value of the individual coins. If you have any questions about the types of sets that could be a good fit for your interests and financial goals, give Blanchard a call today!

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Many numismatists acquire rare coins for their rich history, exquisite beauty and absolute uniqueness. Owning early U.S. American gold and silver coins opens a window to a bygone era in history and invites exploration of the exciting years as our nation developed. Once you begin learning about rare coins, the interest, love and appreciation for this unique asset class grows stronger.

Beyond the pure aesthetics of rare coin ownership, there is proven historical research that reveals just how powerful an allocation to numismatics can be for your long-term portfolio growth.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is upending traditional monetary and fiscal policy, the case for acquiring rare coins right now is at its strongest in a decade. Let’s look first at three elements that investors desire in any asset class: liquidity, safety and yield, and consider how rare coins stack up (no pun intended).

Rare coins are liquid. The definition of a liquid investment is how quickly and easily you can access your cash if you need to sell. Rare coins, especially those highly prized by numismatics like $20 gold Saint-Gaudens are one of the most liquid assets you can find. Not only do these rare coins offer intrinsic value (the gold content of the coin), they offer increased value over bullion due to their rarity. This is one of the most easily recognizable rare coins and offers the ultimate security of liquidity if you ever need to sell fast.

Rare coins are safe. Investments in rare coins are safe when you consider the return of your money. Over the past 20 years U.S. rare coin values have more than quadrupled and the asset class remains in a rising uptrend. Given the intrinsic and rarity value of numismatics, this investment offers you a safe-haven asset that will protect your future purchasing power and assure the return of your money.

Rare coins offer yield. Best of all, rare coins offer the opportunity for dramatic price appreciation. In fact, rare coins of all types returned an average annual 10% yield from 1979-2019. That is an incredible double-digit return over four decades.

Gold Is Money

Why rare coins right now? Gold bullion has outperformed every G-10 currency so far in 2020 and also did so last year. The same trend is unfolding in emerging market currencies, where gold is outpacing all major emerging market fiat currencies in 2019 and 2020.

The coronavirus will leave a significant hangover for the U.S. economy long after the lock-down orders have been lifted. The U.S. government will be saddled with a legacy of higher debt and an overinflated fiat currency. Looking ahead, interest rates in the United States and major G-10 economies will be at zero or negative for a long period ahead. The International Monetary Fund says the global economy is facing the worst recession in 90 years. In this environment of money printing and fiat currency degradation, gold is returning to the forefront as the only true store of value for one’s assets.

Rare coin values tend to outpace gains of the underlying metal (gold, silver) during periods of economic weakness, inflation and bear markets in stocks. Bank of America now forecasts gold to rise to $3,000 an ounce over the next 18-months. Saxo Bank targets gains in gold to $4,000 an ounce. Bank of America also upped its silver forecast projecting gains to $20 an ounce over the next year.

If you’d like to leverage the bull market in metals to the maximum, investments in rare coins offer you an opportunity of a generation right now. Digging deeper, Saint-Gaudens are the rare coins that most often mimic the movements of gold bullion. The $20 Saint-Gaudens series are rare gold coins minted from 1907 to 1933 and were minted with .96750 ounce pure gold.

While Saints do mimic gold price movements, once gold starts a significant run – like it is doing right now, Saints can significantly outperform gold prices. That means with gold in a major bull market, Saint-Gaudens have the potential to increase even more in the years ahead.

The California Gold Rush changed the firmament of American life. Nearly 300,000 people came to the state seeking to stake their claim and pull new found wealth from the ground. However, this adventurous spirit precipitated some serious problems. Many indigenous populations were forced off their lands by opportunistic “forty-niners,” a reference to those flocking to California during the peak of the gold rush in 1849.

In fact, the gold rush was so momentous that its effects extended all the way to Congress where people like James Iver McKay began to notice that the gold supply in the country was increasing markedly. Eventually, he drafted legislation calling for the issuance of the Liberty Head double eagle coin. The piece was originally intended to facilitate the transfer of large sums between parties.

After considerable collaboration the final design settled on an obverse depicting the head of Liberty. She has thirteen stars surrounding her as a representation of the original US states. The reverse side featured a heraldic eagle with a double ribbon reading “E Pluribus Unum.” As the case with nearly any new coin issuance, the piece was initially met with some dissatisfaction. The Journal of Commerce, for example suggested that the coin should include an image of George Washington and that the eagle should be designed “standing out as if it were not ashamed of itself.” Few hold these opinions today as the double eagle design remains popular with collectors.

The 1873 version of the coin was part of the “Type II” issuance which were minted between 1866 and 1876. During this period of upheaval in the stemming from the Civil War Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase responded for calls to imbue the coin with a reference to faith. Therefore, he and others decided to inscribe the coin, and nearly all other coins, with “In God We Trust.” To accomplish this change the designer enlarged the circle of stars on the reverse placing the new text within the stars.

By the end of 1872 another change, this one more practical, was requested. Chief Coiner A. Loudon Snowden indicated that the “3” appearing in the date of the coin could be easily mistaken for an “8.” This change is what led to the two versions we have today, an “Open 3,” and a “Closed 3” design.

On the Closed 3 design the knobs of the “3” are identical in size and shape. In contrast, the Open 3 design features a slightly smaller upper knob. The Open 3 version is estimated to be approximately three times more rare than the Closed 3 variety.

This detail is what gives the 1873-S $20 Open 3 its charm. It is a minor, but noticeable change that has come to represent the nuanced appeal that compels coin enthusiasts to seek out the unusual and obscure. In fact, almost none of the pieces struck at the Carson City Mint in Nevada and the San Francisco Mint include the Open 3 design.

Today, the coin enjoys a unique reputation among collectors who hold the piece in esteem for both its rarity and enduring record of US history.   

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Soon after World War I ended, the US decided to commemorate the peace that followed with a dollar coin. When it came time to design the artwork officials had the idea to host a competition. Artists could submit designs and a winner would be selected and receive the honor of seeing their work on an approved piece of US currency consisting almost entirely of silver. Additionally, the winner would be awarded $1,500 in prize money. The coin was referred to as the Peace dollar.

Italian American sculptor Anthony de Francisci submitted a design which was unanimously selected by the official judges. The win was especially impressive given that de Francisci was the youngest of the artists to enter the competition. He was only 34. His wife Teresa served as the model for Liberty. It was, however, another characteristic of his work that sparked outrage.

To visually represent the theme of peace, de Francisci included imagery of an eagle perched on a broken sword. When the first written descriptions of the artwork were shared with the public many people admonished de Francisci and other officials by citing the work as emblematic of defeat. One editorial, printed in the New York Herald, remarked that “a broken sword carries with it only unpleasant associations.” The author continued, “it is regrettable that the artist should have made such an error in symbolism.”

It is likely that this sentiment was shared by others because not long after the printing of the editorial officials relented and decided to move the broken sword. They did so by hiring another artist to adjust other elements in the design in such a way as to cover the broken sword. To achieve this effect the artist made alterations to the eagle’s talons and the olive branches that were part of the original image. Accentuating these features obscured the parts of the original people believed to be defeatist.

Eventually, the design earned approval and in 1921 the US Mint struck over one million pieces. The coin was eventually released to the public in early January of 1922 with a composition of .900 silver and .100 copper. In time, the mint in Denver and in San Francisco issued additional pieces along with the Philadelphia mint. In 1922 alone, the total combined issuance of these three mints was 84 million pieces. By 1928 the mints ended their issuance of the Peace dollars.

However, in 1934 the US resumed minting the Peace dollar. This resurgence was the result of a newly passed Congressional act which mandated that the mint would purchase bulk quantities of silver which, at the time, could be bought at record low prices. As a result, between 1934 and 1935 the US mint struck approximately seven million additional Peace dollars.

Today this single coin represents so many aspects of American culture. It represents the ambitions of a young Italian American, a celebration of peace, and the ingenuity of the mints that were able to issue such vast quantities.

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