[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: 5,034,000 (Ranking 13/77)

POPULAR VARIETIES: Wexler and Flynn include a very minor doubled-die obverse.38

The author was shown a 1929-D dime which seemed to have a larger than normal mintmark, but the condition of the coin was such that no determination could be made. Weakness of strike at the peripheries can cause distortion in the mintmark of a Mercury Dime, and this may account for the appearance of a large D.

A bold example of mechanical or strike doubling is illustrated (photo). Most alleged doubled-die varieties turn out to be nothing more than simple machine doubling, as shown. This phenomenon is particularly common on the obverse of the Mercury Dime and occurs with virtually every date/mint combination. For additional illustrations, see 1916-S and 1917(P). 

RARITY: Common in the lower circulated grades and the lower mint state grades, VF through AU coins are elusive. Fully struck gems are far more common than for any other branch mint issue of the 1920s. Original rolls may yet exist.

COMMENTS: So-so uncirculated coins are very common. Many display peripheral weakness and filled or shallow mintmarks. These flaws are the likely source of rumored Small D and Large D varieties. Gems are relatively common, as the population reports suggest.

Historically, 1929-D has been a common coin in Mint State. During the late 1930s it was among the very few dates in this series that was almost always to be found within listings of Uncirculated Mercury Dimes for sale. 1929-D was frequently offered by the roll, as well, suggesting that this issue was not released to circulation at the time of coining. Such a scenario is quite possible, since the same phenomenon occurs with the five-cent piece. The Great Depression, though traditionally associated with the 1929 stock market crash, really began with a slowdown of economic activity in the Midwest as early as the mid-1920s. The greater than expected availability of Mint State 1929-D dimes and nickels, coins which are scarce in XF-AU, is consistent with the notion that these dates were withheld from circulation owing to a lack of demand at the time of striking. When released, probably circa 1934-35, they were quickly secured by collectors and dealers before entering circulation in large numbers.

1929-D dimes were among the coins which could be purchased from the Treasury Department at face value, circa 1932. This was the last coinage of dimes at the Denver Mint until 1931.