The coin, which was minted in 1916, was the first year of the dime in the Mercury series.
It features an image of Liberty on one side facing the left with fasces on reverse, which has been said to portray strength and unity.
But most importantly, the 1916 dime that recently sold on eBay features a “D” on the reverse, which stands for the mint location Denver.
Specifically, the letter of the mint location will be located to the right of the “ONE” on the reverse.
The 1916-D coin is by far the rarest in the Mercury series.
“If you collected coins in the 1950s or 1960s, you dreamed of finding a 1916-D dime…or a 1909-S VDB or 1914-D Lincoln cent, or 1932-D or 1932-S quarter…in circulation,” Professional Coin Grading Services’ (PCGS) David Hall wrote in a description of the coin.
“The original mintage of 264,000 for the 1916-D is by far the lowest of the Mercury dime series. For comparison, the mintage of 1916 was 22,180,080 and the mintage for the 1916-S was 10,450,000″.
The 1916-D coin sold for a total of $1,829 after collecting 23 bids. That would mean the dime is now worth more than 1.8million percent of its original value.
The value of a coin can also be determined by grade and condition.
For example, the 1916-D coin is worth $1,672 in average condition and more than $31,000 if in an “Uncirculated (MS-65)” grade, according to USA Coin Book.
The seller of the 1916-D coin in the eBay listing claims it was certified by PCGS in a “VG8” grade.
According to PCGS, this grade is described as “most central detail now worn flat. Some inner lettering still visible. Rims remain full”.
Various 1916-D dimes are listed on eBay in the thousands currently.
But before purchasing coins online, make sure you’re aware of potential fakes.
To avoid this, check the seller’s history and whether or not the coin was certified in the listing.
What is your spare change worth?
Know your dimes might not be the only pieces that could be worth a serious mint.
You’ll want to check your change for rare half dollars, Lincoln pennies nickels, and others because some of these coins can sell for thousands as well.
The most valuable coins are usually those with a low mintage or an error, as they’re deemed the most valuable by collectors.
To check out if your coins are worth anything on eBay, search the full name, select the “sold” listing and then toggle the search to “highest value”.
It will give you an idea of the amount of money that the coin is going for
.You can either choose to sell the coin on eBay or through a specialist site such as Coinappraiser or USA Coin Book.
A rare cent sold for $8,750 online.
We’ve explained the Lincoln VDB, 1992, and 1914 pennies and why they are so valuable.
Plus, we show you how to find rare coins including ones featuring Lincoln.
