1942/41 Mercury Dime Overdate

Quick Value Summary

Grade	1942/1 (Philadelphia)	1942/1-D (Denver)
Good (G-4)	$278	$275
Fine (F-12)	$350 - $386	$340 - $375
Extremely Fine (EF-40)	$540 - $700	$525 - $675
About Uncirculated (AU-50)	$1,000 - $1,500	$950 - $1,400
Uncirculated (MS-60)	$2,745	$2,600
MS-65	$6,900 - $12,000	$6,000 - $12,000
MS-65 Full Bands	$18,000+	$15,000+
MS-67 FB (finest known, Philly)	~$125,000

Values updated February 2025. Precious metal (silver) melt value of any Mercury dime: approximately $2.50 - $3.00 depending on spot silver price.

What Is the 1942/41 Mercury Dime?

The 1942/41 Mercury dime is one of the most recognized error coins in all of U.S. numismatics. It's an "overdate," meaning the Mint punched a new date (1942) over an existing date (1941) on the same die. The result is a coin where you can still see traces of the original "1" lurking beneath the "2" in the date. Two mints produced this error: Philadelphia and Denver. Both versions are scarce, highly sought after, and valuable in every grade from well-worn to gem uncirculated.

For Mercury dime collectors building a complete set, the 1942/41 is one of the "must-have" pieces alongside the famous 1916-D. But unlike the 1916-D (which is simply a low-mintage coin), the 1942/41 carries the added appeal of a dramatic, visible production error that tells a story about how coins were made during World War II.

The Story Behind the Date

In early 1942, the United States was freshly at war. The Philadelphia and Denver Mints were ramping up coin production to meet wartime demand. Somewhere in that rush, a mint worker at the Philadelphia Mint loaded a 1941-dated die into a press, then overpunched it with a 1942 date. The same thing happened at Denver. The result: a small number of dimes left the mint with a ghostly "1" lurking behind the "2" in the date.

This wasn't caught immediately. The coins entered circulation, mixed in with millions of regular 1942 dimes, and it took sharp-eyed collectors to notice something strange about the date on certain coins. Once the word got out, the hunt was on.

The 1942/41 Mercury dime (sometimes written as 1942/1) exists in two varieties: one from Philadelphia (no mintmark) and one from Denver (D mintmark). Both are scarce, and both are avidly collected. Neither mint kept records of how many overdate dies were used or how many coins they struck, but the surviving population suggests the numbers were modest. PCGS and NGC combined have graded a few thousand examples across both mints and all grades, which makes this a genuinely scarce variety rather than a common die error.

Why Overdates Happen

Before 1990s-era hubbing technology, individual date numerals were hand-punched into working dies. If a die from last year still had plenty of life in it, a mint worker might try to save time and money by punching the new date over the old one. Sometimes the old numerals were completely obliterated. Other times, like with the 1942/41, the previous date remained partially visible.

This practice created some of the most collected errors in all of American numismatics: the 1918/7-S Buffalo nickel, the 1943/2-P Jefferson nickel, and of course the 1942/1 Mercury dime. What makes the Mercury dime overdate special is that it happened at two different mints in the same year, and both varieties are readily identifiable with basic magnification.

How to Identify the 1942/41 Overdate

You don't need expensive equipment to spot this one, but you do need a loupe or magnifying glass of at least 5x power.

What to look for:

1. The "2" in the date. On a genuine 1942/41, you will see the outline of a "1" beneath the "2." The vertical stroke of the "1" extends slightly above and below the "2."

2. The Philadelphia version tends to show the overdate more clearly than the Denver. On the Philly coin, the underlying "1" is bold and obvious even on well-worn examples.

3. The Denver version (look for the "D" mintmark on the reverse, between "ONE" and the olive branch) shows the overdate somewhat more subtly. The "1" beneath the "2" is still visible but may require slightly more magnification on lower-grade coins.

4. Check the "42" specifically. The "19" portion of the date looks normal. All the action is in the last two digits.

What it is NOT:

• A die crack running through the date

• A filled die making the "2" look odd

• Machine doubling (which produces a flat, shelf-like secondary image)

If you have a 1942 Mercury dime and the "2" just looks a little strange, compare it side by side with images from PCGS CoinFacts or NGC's variety pages. The overdate is distinctive once you know what you're looking for.

Value by Condition: A Deeper Look

The 1942/41 overdate commands serious premiums at every grade level. For context, a regular 1942 Mercury dime in circulated condition is worth its silver melt value (around $2.50 to $3.00 as of early 2025). The overdate, in the same circulated condition, starts around $278.

Circulated grades (G-4 through EF-40): Most examples that surface are in the Fine to Very Fine range, having circulated for years before anyone noticed the overdate. Philadelphia coins in Fine condition sell for $350 to $386 (per CoinStudy pricing, updated February 2025). Denver coins trade at similar levels. In Extremely Fine condition, expect $540 to $700 for either mint, depending on the clarity of the overdate and overall eye appeal.

About Uncirculated (AU-50 to AU-58): This is where prices start climbing quickly. AU examples typically sell for $1,000 to $1,500. The coin retains most of its original detail but shows slight wear on the highest points of Liberty's hair and the fasces on the reverse.

Uncirculated (MS-60 and above): A basic Mint State example runs around $2,745 for the Philadelphia issue. But the real money is in the higher Mint State grades. An MS-65 Philadelphia overdate sold for $6,900 (CoinValueLookup, citing recent auction data). With Full Bands designation (meaning the horizontal bands on the reverse fasces are fully separated and sharply struck), prices jump dramatically. USA Coin Book estimates MS+ examples at $18,710 and up for the Philadelphia coin.

The pinnacle: A single coin graded MS-67 Full Bands by PCGS is valued at approximately $125,000. At that level, you're talking about a coin that is virtually perfect with razor-sharp strike details, a condition almost never seen for this variety.

Full Bands (FB) premium: The FB designation matters enormously for Mercury dimes. Collectors will pay 2x to 5x more for a coin with fully split horizontal bands on the fasces. For the 1942/41 overdate, the FB premium is even steeper because sharply struck examples are proportionally rarer.

Errors, Varieties, and Things That Get Confused

The two legitimate varieties:

• 1942/1 (Philadelphia, no mintmark), PCGS #5036

• 1942/1-D (Denver, D mintmark), PCGS #5051 (sometimes listed separately)

Die states: Both varieties exist in multiple die states, with earlier strikes showing the overdate more prominently. Later strikes from the same die show progressive wear that can obscure the underlying "1." Earlier die state examples generally bring a small premium.

Common confusion: Regular 1942 dimes with die deterioration or strike issues sometimes get submitted to grading services as potential overdates. They come back as regular 1942 coins. The overdate is a specific, recognizable pattern, not a vague anomaly.

Counterfeits and alterations: Some unscrupulous sellers have attempted to add a fake "1" to regular 1942 dimes using tooling or etching. These fakes usually look wrong under magnification because the "1" appears scratched into the surface rather than punched beneath it. Always buy from a reputable dealer or insist on a PCGS or NGC certified example.

Authentication and Buying Smart

For a coin in this price range, third-party grading is essential. Here's the practical advice:

1. Always buy certified. A PCGS or NGC slab protects you from counterfeits and provides an objective grade. The cost of grading ($30 to $50 for standard service) is trivial compared to the coin's value.

2. Check the certification number. Both PCGS and NGC maintain online databases where you can verify that a certification number matches the described coin. Fake slabs do exist.

3. Be wary of raw (ungraded) examples. If someone is selling a raw 1942/41 overdate for significantly below market price, that's a red flag. Why wouldn't they have it graded to maximize their return?

4. ANACS and ICG also grade this variety, but PCGS and NGC command the strongest market premiums. A coin in a PCGS holder may sell for 10-15% more than the same coin in an ANACS holder.

Where to Sell

Auction houses: For high-grade examples (MS-63 and above), major auction houses like Heritage Auctions or Stack's Bowers are your best bet. Buyer's premiums are typically 20% (paid by the buyer), and seller's commissions range from 5% to 10% depending on the consignment value. For a $5,000+ coin, this is the route that gets you the most eyeballs and competitive bidding.

Dealers: For circulated examples worth $300 to $1,000, selling to a reputable dealer is the fastest option. Expect to receive 70-80% of retail value. Check with your local coin shop or contact dealers who specialize in Mercury dimes.

eBay: Viable for mid-range coins ($300 to $3,000). eBay charges approximately 13% in combined fees (final value fee plus payment processing). Factor that into your asking price.

Coin shows: Selling at a coin show lets you negotiate directly with multiple dealers. You can often get better prices than selling to a single dealer, especially if several dealers are competing for your coin.

The Mercury Dime Series in Context

The Mercury dime (properly called the Winged Liberty Head dime) was designed by Adolph Weinman and struck from 1916 to 1945. The obverse shows a young Liberty wearing a winged Phrygian cap, which people mistook for the Roman god Mercury, giving the coin its popular name. The reverse features a fasces (a bundle of rods symbolizing unity) wrapped with an olive branch (symbolizing peace).

The series spans both World Wars and the Great Depression. Composition is 90% silver and 10% copper, with each coin containing 0.07234 troy ounces of silver. At current silver prices (around $30 per troy ounce as of early 2025), the melt value of any Mercury dime is approximately $2.17, establishing a firm floor price for common dates.

The 1942/41 overdate occurred near the very end of the series. Mercury dimes would be replaced by the Roosevelt dime in 1946, following President Franklin Roosevelt's death in 1945. So the 1942/41 represents one of the final significant varieties in a series that was already nearing its conclusion.

Related Items