Rare dime sells for $5,000 online - the exact date you need to look for on the coin to cash in
BEFORE President Franklin Roosevelt's face began gracing the US dime in 1946, Lady Liberty was a mainstay on the coin.
From 1916 through 1945, dimes featured Liberty with a winged Phrygian Cap.
Because the engraving bore a strong resemblance to the Roman god Mercury, the three-decade series became known as Mercury dimes.
Most Mercury dimes haven't gained much value over time, and the average 10-cent piece from the set is worth $5 to $25 today.
According to the Professional Coin Grading Service, the series contains more than 250 pieces, but a complete circulated Mercury set is worth less than $11,000.
One coin, the 1916-D dime, accounts for about half the value of the entire series, and a collector recently made $5,000 selling one on eBay.
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Value of 1916-D dimes
One of the first Mercury coins ever minted, the 1916-D coin is by far the rarest in the series.
“If you collected coins in the 1950s or 1960s, you dreamed of finding a 1916-D dime,” Professional Coin Grading Services' (PCGS) David Hall wrote in a description of the coin.
The D means the coin was minted in Denver, which you can tell by looking for the mintmark on the coin's tails, or reverse side.
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“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."
Although the seller initially listed this coin for 99 cents, the price soared past $1,000 less than three hours after the auction went live.
Ultimately 11 bidders exchanged 55 offers before one numismatist took home the rare piece for $5,000.
Even in poor condition, 1916-D dimes are worth hundreds of dollars, according to PCGS auction records.
In near-uncirculated states, these 10-cent pieces are worth $10,000 to $12,000, while prices for uncirculated versions exceed $20,000.
How to find rare coins
There are many ways you can find rare coins.
The first thing you’ll want to do is check around your home or any places you might store change.
You can also try using a metal detector outdoors, or stopping by your local bank and asking for a roll of coins.
You can easily exchange bills for coins, getting plenty of change to sort through for standouts at no cost.
To check if your coins are worth anything on eBay, search the full name, select the "sold" listing and then toggle the search to "highest value”.
This way, you'll get a sense of what collectors are willing to pay for your coins.
You can either choose to sell the coin on eBay or through a specialist site such as Coinappraiser or USA Coin Book.
And be aware of potential fakes when buying online.
To avoid this, it's worth checking the seller’s history and whether or not the coin was certified in the listing.
For instance, the seller of this $5,000 coin has a 100% positive feedback rating from more than 700 reviews and has been selling since 2008.
Read More on The US Sun
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The Sun revealed the most valuable coins minted since 2020.
We also listed the most valuable quarters circulated in the US.
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