By 1931, the Great Depression was leaving its menacing marks in all areas of the American economy and society, and demand for new coinage was tumbling. By 1931 production of most other United States denomination had either temporarily halted or was about to take hiatus after that year. The Mercury dime, for its part, saw a tiny mintage of barely over 3 million pieces, though many survive well in the uncirculated grades because they were saved by collectors. Still, pieces grading MS66 or higher are scarce, with Full Bands pieces realizing substantial premiums.
| coinage-type | Winged liberty head (Mercury) dime |
| desg | MS |
| designer | Adolph A. Weinman |
| diameter | 17.9 |
| edge | Reeded |
| fineness | 0.9 |
| material | 90% silver; 10% copper |
| mintage | 3,150,000 |
| ngc-id | 23J7 |
| obverse-description | Winged Liberty, or Mercury (the Roman god of commerce), is depicted facing left with LIBERTY spelled around the periphery. IN GOD WE TRUST appears left of the neck and the date is positioned just below the bust around 5 o'clock. The designer's initials "AW" appear to the right of the neck. |
| pcgs-link | 4982 |
| pcgs-number | 4982 |
| reverse-description | A large torch is centered vertically adorned with an axe head and olive branches. UNITED STATES OF AMERICAN * ONE DIME * is spelled out around the periphery. Mint mark, if any, appears near the bottom rim left of the torch. |
| weight-grams | 2.5 |
| weight-ounces | 0.07234 |
| year-display | 1916-1945 |