1921-P Mercury Dime

Semi-key

A semi-key. Dime production collapsed in 1921 in the post-war recession, and the Mint struck none at all in 1922. Along with the 1921-D it is the scarcest regular issue of the series after the 1916-D.

Mintage

Business strikes: 1,230,000
Mint: Philadelphia (no mintmark)
Mintage rank: 3 of 77

Rank 1 is the lowest business-strike mintage in the series. Mintage is what the Mint produced, not what survives. These circulated as everyday money for decades, and enormous numbers were melted for their silver after 1965, none of it recorded by date. On this series in particular, strike quality separates the difficult coins far more than mintage does.

Reading the figure

It is the smallest of the 27 Philadelphia issues in the series. Of the 2,310,000 struck across all mints in 1921, this issue accounts for 53%. The 1921 split ran Philadelphia 1,230,000 and Denver 1,080,000. The series median is 19,480,000, so fewer than half as many of these were struck as a typical date. Series-wide output fell that year: 2,310,000 against 92,021,000 in 1920. 1921 was the smallest production year of the entire series. In 1921 the coin was struck at Philadelphia and Denver; San Francisco struck none.

Every sentence above is computed from the mintage table on this page, not asserted separately.

Scarcity tier

Semi-key

Assigned from reported mintage alone: under 750,000 is a key date, under 2,500,000 is a semi-key.

This is a reproducible label derived from the mintage column, not a market valuation and not a Coin Curator price opinion. The same thresholds apply to every series on this site. Several dates are far harder or far easier to obtain than their mintage implies; where that is true, it is stated above.

Full Bands is a strike designation, not a grade. The reverse shows a fasces, and the two horizontal bands around its centre are the last detail to strike up. Read the full note on the series page.

What to check before buying

Specific to the 1921-P:

1This is one of the dates where a Full Bands strike is genuinely difficult. Judge the bands from the photographs yourself rather than from the description, and expect most examples not to have them.

And for any certified coin

Verify the certification number on the grading service’s own lookup rather than from a photograph of the label, match the listing images to the certification record including grade and any variety attribution, look for cleaning, compare the mintmark against published photographs of the genuine issue, and read the return policy before buying. The grading guide covers each of these in full.

Coin Curator does not grade, authenticate, or appraise coins, and publishes no price or population data. These are verification steps, not a valuation.

Verify a certification number

Look a 1921-Pcertification number up on the service’s own site. A photograph of a label proves nothing.

PCGS cert lookup NGC cert lookup ANACS cert lookup

Each service publishes its own guarantee with conditions and exclusions. Compare PCGS, NGC and ANACS.

Find a 1921-P for sale

Opens an eBay search for this exact date and mint. Coin Curator does not list inventory, hold stock, or quote prices; verify each listing, seller, and return policy directly.

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Common questions

How many 1921-P Mercury dimes were minted?

The Philadelphia Mint struck 1,230,000 1921-P Mercury dimes for circulation. That is the 3rd lowest business-strike mintage of the 77 date and mintmark combinations in the series.

Is the 1921-P Mercury dime a key date?

Coin Curator labels it a semi-key, assigned from reported mintage alone: under 750,000 struck is a key date and under 2,500,000 is a semi-key. The same thresholds are used for every series on this site, so the tiers are comparable between them. That label describes production, not market value or how hard the coin is to find today. A semi-key. Dime production collapsed in 1921 in the post-war recession, and the Mint struck none at all in 1922. Along with the 1921-D it is the scarcest regular issue of the series after the 1916-D.

What should I check before buying a 1921-P Mercury dime?

Verify the certification number on the grading service's own lookup page, match the listing photographs to the certification record, check for cleaning, and compare the mintmark shape and position against published photographs of the genuine issue. This is one of the dates where a Full Bands strike is genuinely difficult. Judge the bands from the photographs yourself rather than from the description, and expect most examples not to have them.

Guides for this coin

All guides →

Vintage Guide

Mercury Dime Guide: the 1916-D & Full Bands

One of the most beautiful US coins. Most dates are pocket-change cheap, but the 1916-D key and the “Full Bands” strike designation turn this affordable series into a real pursuit.

1 min read Market Context

Junk Silver vs Graded Silver: Which Is the Better Hold?

Pre-1965 US silver coins (junk silver) trade on melt value plus a small premium. Graded examples of the same coins trade on numismatics. Which strategy actually wins long-term?

1 min read Buying Guide

How to Spot a Counterfeit or Doctored Coin

Use weight, dimensions, surfaces, mintmark details, holder inspection, and certification records as screening checks. Learn the warning signs of altered coins and fake slabs.