Our Best Silver Coin To Date

[Luck Be a Lady]

Although we have dug older coins, this is the best one as far as value goes. We walked into a mine today, 2 1/2 hour walk in, detected only a half hour and found this. 1921 D Mercury Dime. Here is a link to PCGS What would you grade it at?

http://www.pcgs.com/prices/PriceGuideDetail.aspx?MS=1&PR=1&SP=1&c=703&title=Mercury+Dime

We are thinking a XF-40

 

[DigginThePast]

Nice merc. Might surprise you if you look at the actual graded stuff how much you miss with your grade.
I would guess F-20+ . Too many scratches to be XF

I don't see the scratches your reffering... could you please point them out...thank you!

Here are a few I can see with the photo of the obverse.
Notice how they just ever so,,, cut through the tarnish.

Old Dog - That is what I was referring to when I mentioned possible porosity. Not 100% sure from the pic.

 

[Old Dog]

Silver doesn't get pourous unless exposed to extreem heat.
Or serious chemicals.

 

[DigginThePast]

Silver doesn't get pourous unless exposed to extreem heat.
Or serious chemicals.

Right, there are several chemicals that the coin could have been exposed to before being lost or some that could have been in the surrounding ground that could cause pitting or cause the surface to appear porous.

Luck Be a Lady - The back of the coin looks better in the added photo. Can we see a different pic(s) of the front?

 

[dfx willy]

nice coin!! i know in grading mercs the split in the bands has a big influence. (you want to see the splits) willy

 

[MaineRelic]

Nice merc. Might surprise you if you look at the actual graded stuff how much you miss with your grade.
I would guess F-20+ . Too many scratches to be XF My coin dealer calls these tiny scratches ground abrasion ! A coin does not sit still in the ground it is constantly moving in the soil this cause;s the microabrasion on a dug silver.

 

[pganjon]

Hello, I agree with Creeper, I would get it professionally graded and encapsulated! With a rare date like that, one grade off could mean a difference of $100.00 or more. Excellent coin Paul

 

[Luck Be a Lady]

Thanks to everyone that replied. Here is a another picture of the front.

Kathy

 

[allen]

congrats on a sweet silver !!!!

 

[ModernMiner]

WOW!! What a great find C & K. Beautiful pictures too.
So after reading all the replies, looking at the PCGS value, and looking at the one on E-bay that was nowhere near the condition of this one yet sold for $480, wouldn't this one fetch a lot more $?
Any Merc dime valued that high certainly deserves a BANNER vote. My votes in and I hope others agree.
Congrats you two,
Doug

 

[Michigan Badger]

Very nice coin. Grading can only be done by an expert looking it over. All we can tell from the photos is you're very close to XF.

Congrats

Badger

 

[Dixiedigger]

SUPER!!!

 

[rogues71]

gratz on the merc, i agree you are looking for definition in the bands "vf20= diagonal bands definitely visible, ef40= only slight wear on diagonal bands, braids and hair before ear clearly visible" as a coin collector i would have this graded due to the $300 gap in grades, in any case nice find gratz

 

[rhedden]

The coin is in great shape, and looks like XF45 details by PCGS standards. They may or may not say it has "environmental damage", due to its burial in the dirt. That is one heck of a nice find though!

 

[DigginThePast]

Thanks for posting the additional pic of the obverse. I still can't tell for certain if I'm seeing pitting/scratching? I think Michigan Badger hit it above. This one needs to be in the hand of an expert.

Great find no matter.

 

[Bubba65]

Very nice dime. Worth the hike for sure.

Bubba65

 

[washingtonian]

Just throwing my 2 cents out there, I would grade it around VF 30, that's in no way a professional opinion, just mine, great coin!

 

[Luck Be a Lady]

I know the murky dime is worth money to lots of money, but to me the value is in the fact that you will not have to spend the rest of your life searching in futile for that particular rare dime to fill the gap in your Whitman murky dime folder that haunts your life worse than any white whale.

 

[hikeinmts]

White Whale? Did someone say White Whale? Did you find one of those way out 12 1/2 hours hiking into the dry hot desert?
Was it close to the bag full of '21 d's? Or the gold coins? White Whale? Did I mention White Whale?
(I think Pleebah's getting to me.....)
OK>>>>> Great find. That looks like great country for a good treasure story.
Are you looking for gold with a smaller sniper coil?
I would send that coin in to be professionally graded......too important a coin to leave to chance.

 

[Luck Be a Lady]

White Whale? Did someone say White Whale? Did you find one of those way out 12 1/2 hours hiking into the dry hot desert?
Was it close to the bag full of '21 d's? Or the gold coins? White Whale? Did I mention White Whale?
(I think Pleebah's getting to me.....)
OK>>>>> Great find. That looks like great country for a good treasure story.
Are you looking for gold with a smaller sniper coil?
I would send that coin in to be professionally graded......too important a coin to leave to chance.

Don't know how much there is around here for placer gold. So we haven't tried a smaller coil.

 

[p2c]

My gut feeling looking at the coin is vf. I am worried though if PCGS will grade it or bodybag it. They reject a lot of coins for perceived problems and irregularities. They may say cleaned or surface damage due to the micro-abrasions, and unlike ANACS, they do not say XF details, surface damage net VF; they just send the coin back ungraded but take your $$$. Good luck. You definitely want a PCGS slab on that coin (instead of ANACS).