1917 Mercury Dime B1

The first full year of Mercury Dime coinage coincided with a booming wartime economy in which all minor and silver coins were struck in record quantities. Though it didn't enjoy the first-year hoarding of the 1916 issue, the 1917(P) dime is still common across all grades through MS 65. A fair percentage of these have Full Bands (FB), and luster is usually excellent for this date.

There were two different master hubs used to generate obverse dies for 1917 dimes of all three mints. The first was a carryover from 1916's production, and it is recognizable by the high relief Liberty's cap where it projects down toward her neck in a rounded V shape. Also distinctive is the relative lack of separation between the feathers of her wing. On the modified hub introduced fairly early in 1917's coinage, the V of her cap is in noticeably lower relief, and there is a distinct trough between each feather to separate them visually.

Most 1917(P) dimes were coined from dies displaying the new style (Type of 1917), but the older Type of 1916 obverse is not rare. Though publicized some years ago, these subtypes have not attracted much attention from collectors.