[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]

* * *

MINTAGE: 59,030,000 (Ranking 65/77)

POPULAR VARIETIES: None are reported.

RARITY: 1920(P) dimes are common in all grades through MS-65, and full band examples are not especially scarce. Six pieces have been certified as MS-67 FB but none higher.

COMMENTS: The final digit of the date is often weakly struck, as a consequence of being too close to the coin’s border for proper metal flow. This same phenomenon would appear with the Roosevelt Dime, a generation later. (In recent years the U. S. Mint has addressed this age old problem by moving all design elements away from the coin’s border.)

Aside from this occasional handicap, 1920(P) is readily available in nearly any grade desired. The only limitation is one’s budget.

Price appreciation for this issue in the circulated grades has been very modest over the past 40 years, not even compensating for inflation. Mint State coins, in contrast, have performed well, a fact that is generally true of all USA coin series. The evolving emphasis on obtaining quality specimens, rather than simply filling holes in a coin folder or album, accounts for this disparity in value advancement. The early-mid 1960s was the high watermark for collectors of silver coins from circulation, placing a greater pressure on the price of common, low-grade coins than the current coin market will support. With the exception of the few key dates, it’s doubtful that Mercury Dimes in well worn condition will ever enjoy the strong following they did at that time.