[The following excerpt is published courtesy of DLRC Press and its author, David W. Lange. This information was originally published in 2005 in The Complete Guide to Mercury Dimes]

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MINTAGE: 27,330,000 (Ranking 51/77)

POPULAR VARIETIES: Two styles of ‘S’ mintmark may be found for this issue. T16 dimes seem to all have the very compact ‘S’ used in 1916, while the T17 dimes observed have all featured the small but more open mintmark style used 1917-41.

RARITY: Fairly common in all grades through MS-64, only gem examples can be considered rare. Coins certified with full bands were once in the minority, but slightly relaxed standards by the grading services have resulted in a greater balance.

COMMENTS: Like all dimes of this date, 1917-S exists both as Type of 1916 and Type of 1917. The latter is much scarcer, representing only about one dime in ten. Most 1917-S dimes of either type exhibit some weakness of striking. T17 examples are subject to being weakly struck around their peripheries, less so in their centers. It’s likely that most of the coins certified with full bands are from this later emission.

All things considered, the introduction of new hubs detracted materially from the design’s attractiveness. Although the lower relief may have extended die life, presumably the Mint’s goal at this time, the price paid brings into question the wisdom of such a change.

This issue typically has excellent luster. On 1917-S T16 dimes the effect is one of shimmering, due to the textured fields. Those struck from dies made from the new hubs are usually quite brilliant and may even be semi-prooflike. This mirror surface appears more frequently on ‘S’ Mint dimes of later years, particularly during the late 1930s and early 1940s.

As with the 1917-D dimes, a new mintmark was introduced for this issue. While the old mintmark is very short and squat, the new one is noticeably taller and more open within its curves. This new letter ‘S’ appears on all subsequent dates until it was replaced in 1941 with a much larger mintmark. The sole exception is the 1928-S issue, in which an experimental, Large S was used, as well. Placement of the mintmark seems to have changed along with its style. The mintmark of 1916-17 always appears quite close to the olive branch, while the new mintmark puncheon used 1917-41 typically is well centered between the branch and the border.

The reverse of the illustrated 1917-S T16 dime displays evidence of severe die polishing, probably done in an attempt to remove clash marks. Although no polishing lines are visible, the tremendous loss of low relief detail in the olive branch is plainly seen.

The large mintages of 1917 necessitated that a far greater than usual number of coins be set aside for assaying purposes. The Trial of the Pyx, or Annual Assay, as it’s more commonly known in this country, was a traditional event mandated by Congress. (Until being abolished by President Carter’s administration in 1977, the Assay Commission included distinguished members of the public, among them prominent numismatists.) From each periodic delivery of coins during 1917, a certain number (approximately 5 per 10,000) was set aside and then forwarded to the United States Treasury in Washington, D.C. Thus, the greater the total coinage, the greater was the number of reserved coins.

When the Assay Commission met, early in 1918, it was presented with the following quantities of dimes for testing purposes: Philadelphia Mint, 27,615; Denver Mint, 4,701; San Francisco Mint, 13,665.6 It may be seen that the number of coins reserved was directly proportional to the total coinage produced. Only a small percentage of the reserved coins were actually melted and assayed, as it was assumed that all coins of a given periodic delivery were representative of the whole.