2022 Medal Jackie Robinson Silver Official US Coin & Medal Set, DCAM
2016-W 25C 100th Anniversary Gold

2016-W 10C 100th Anniversary Gold (Special Strike)

Series: (None)

PCGS SP70

PCGS SP70

View More Images

PCGS SP70

PCGS SP70

PCGS SP70

PCGS SP70

PCGS #:
597222
Designer:
Adolph Alexander Weinman
Edge:
Reeded
Diameter:
16.50 millimeters
Weight:
3.11 grams
Mintage:
124,885
Mint:
West Point
Metal:
99.99% Gold
Auction Record:
$2,000 • NGC Genuine • 11-26-2019 • eBay
Major Varieties
  • 2016-W 10C 100th Anniversary Gold
Die Varieties
Charles Morgan:

The Renaissance of American Silver

The original Mercury Dime entered circulation at the end of October 1916 and remained in production for nearly 30 years. It was part of a broader "Renaissance" in American coinage, joining the Lincoln Cent, the Buffalo Nickel, the Standing Liberty Quarter, the Walking Liberty Half Dollar, the Indian Head Quarter Eagle ($2.50) and Half Eagle ($5), and the Saint-Gaudens Eagle ($10) and Double Eagle ($20).

It truly was an era of U.S. coin design excellence.

Drawing inspiration from late 19th-century French Beaux-Arts, Adolph A. Weinman created what many consider the most beautiful coin in U.S. history. While it actually depicts Liberty in a winged cap, the "Mercury" nickname stuck almost immediately. This design didn't just circulate; it bore witness to the Great Depression and both World Wars. It became an American pop-culture fixture, inextricably linked to the March of Dimes anti-polio efforts and the legendary Charles Atlas advertisements that graced the back pages of magazines for decades. When "Yip" Harburg wrote the Depression-era anthem “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”, the Mercury Dime was the coin he envisioned.

Unlike the Buffalo Nickel or the Walking Liberty Half Dollar, the Mercury Dime did not suffer from chronic striking problems. While specialists today seek out rare examples with Full Split Bands (FB) on the reverse, the coin is remembered primarily as an elegant, practical, and successful work of art that elevated the image of American money.

The Passing of an Era

The Mercury Dime’s term of service came to an abrupt end on April 12, 1945, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Georgia. His death reverberated globally, and a movement to honor him on a circulating coin began almost immediately. The dime was the logical choice, as the denomination was already inextricably linked to Roosevelt’s battle with polio and his founding of the March of Dimes. On May 17, 1945, Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr. announced that the Winged Liberty design would be replaced by the Roosevelt Dime in 1946.

Silver Becomes Gold

Just as Ginger Rogers sang in the Al Dubin and Harry Warren classic "We're In the Money," "The dollar has come back to the fold / with silver you can turn your dreams into gold." For the Merucry Dime, that dream materialized in 2016 when the United States Mint celebrated the centennial of three iconic 1916 designs by releasing them in .9999 fine gold.

The 2016-W gold dime went on sale on April 21, 2016 at a price of $205. Within 45 minutes of its release, the Mint notified customers that the coin was unavailable. However, following order cancellations and returns, a small inventory of 8,889 pieces remained by mid-year. After months of collector anticipation and anxiety regarding price hikes, the Mint re-opened sales on December 15, 2016, with a strict limit of one per household to prevent hoarding. The final mintage reached 124,885- just 115 coins shy of the maximum authorized limit.

A Second Gold Mercury Dime is Coming in 2026

In July 2025, the Mint announced that it would strike a second gold Mercury Dime tribute in 2026 as part of the nationwide Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) celebration. The 2026 issue will feature:

  • The original 1916 date
  • A "W" mintmark (West Point)
  • A special Liberty Bell privy mark commemorating the nation's 250th birthday.

Notable PCGS Signature Labels

PCGS has issued a number of signature labels for the 2016-W 100th Anniversary Gold Mercury Dime. Some are quite rare. The following is a list of signature labels and populations as of December 2025.

* * *