The Philadelphia 1942/1 Mercury dime has Denver-minted counterpart that is of equal popularity. Perhaps fewer than 300 or so are known in the grades of MS60 or higher only a few dozen in the grade of MS65 or better, making it one of the scarcest issues in the Gem grades alongside and perhaps even rarer than pieces such as the 1916-D, 1921, and 1921-D. It is, however, much rarer in uncirculated levels and especially so with Full Bands details.
However, the 1942/1 overdate is essentially a common coin in the circulated grades. This overdate is not only drastic, as the 1942/1 overdate is clearly visible to the naked eye, but it came about around the time of the great boomtime in the numismatic hobby, when many tens of thousands of new collectors began checking their change and building collections. The 1942/1 Mercury dime has, essentially since its inception, been one of the most popular varieties. Struck in Philadelphia and designated as a Business (MS) strike, this coin is made of 90% silver 10% copper from a mintage of 205,410,000 struck. The 1942/1 Ten cents is part of a series of Winged liberty head (Mercury) dime coins struck from 1916-1945.
