The Silver & Coin Brief • October 10, 2026
A Mercury dime contains 0.07234 troy ounce of pure silver. The coin is 90% silver and 10% copper. Using the October 9 spot benchmark below, its silver content works out to about $4.40. That is a melt-value calculation, not an appraisal or a guaranteed selling price.
Mercury dime silver content and melt value
The reusable formula is simple: 0.07234 × silver’s price per troy ounce. PCGS gives the same 0.07234-ounce silver weight in its Mercury dime collector guide. Wear can reduce the actual metal remaining, and buyers or dealers may price common coins above or below the calculated melt figure based on condition, demand and transaction costs.
“Mercury” is a nickname. The obverse actually shows Liberty wearing a winged cap, and the series ran from 1916 through 1945. Collector value can be much higher than melt for scarce dates, recognized varieties and stronger condition. The 1916-D, 1921, 1921-D and 1942/41 overdates deserve particular care; authentication matters when a large premium is involved. A bright surface by itself does not establish Mint State condition or a Full Bands designation.
Silver this week: October 2–October 9
| Friday | Spot silver, USD/troy oz |
|---|---|
| October 2, 2026 | $60.4167 |
| October 9, 2026 | $60.8302 |
That is a 0.68% increase, calculated from the unrounded values in Investing.com’s XAG/USD historical closing-price table. Both observations use the same provider and series. These are reported spot closes, not futures settlements; feeds and closing times can differ.
For comparison, The Wall Street Journal reported front-month silver futures at $60.67 on October 9, up 1.2% for the week. Reuters described precious metals rebounding Friday as the dollar softened and Treasury yields moved off midweek highs, while traders continued weighing the prospect of further Federal Reserve rate increases.
Our take: the modest weekly spot gain hides a choppy path. Next week, watch U.S. inflation data, Treasury yields and the dollar. Those can influence silver, but none guarantees the next move.
Collector tip: check the reverse mint mark
On a Mercury dime, look near the bottom of the reverse, just left of the fasces. A “D” is Denver, an “S” is San Francisco, and no mint mark means Philadelphia. Check the date, mint mark and surfaces together before judging value.
Current Mercury dime picks
- 1942 Mercury Dime, Philadelphia — $6.99: circulated, raw and ungraded; no overdate attribution is made.
- 1943-D Mercury Dime — $7.99: a Denver World War II-era example; no numerical grade or Full Bands designation.
- 1945 Mercury Dime P-D-S Set — $25.99: all three mints from the final year of the series.
Browse the Mercury dime collection, or revisit our September 19 collector-photo tip. Each item above was active with one available October 10. Prices and stock can change; shipping and applicable tax are additional.