1928-S Mercury Dime. FS-501. Large S. MS-67 FB (NGC).Subtle wisps of reddish-russet patina on the obverse enhance otherwise dominant toning in iridescent champagne-pink. This is a fully lustrous and satiny Superb Gem, and a coin that also boasts impressively full strike detail from the rims to the centers.<p>Delivered the year before the Wall Street crash of 1929, the 1928-S saw the early effects of the Great Depression through the withholding of many examples from circulation. This proved beneficial to later generations of collectors for, after only the 1929-S, the 1928-S is the most readily obtainable early date San Francisco Mint Mercury dime in Mint State. It is also one of the better produced issues from its era, although David W. Lange (2005) issues the cautionary warning that, "examples having full bands form a minority of the surviving Uncirculated population." In the very finest grades, as here, such Full Bands examples are undeniable condition rarities that enjoy strong demand from advanced Mercury dime date collectors.<p>The offered coin is also of tremendous appeal to variety specialists as a stellar-quality example of the rare Large S mintmark variety for the issue. Rarer even than David Q. Langes initial estimate of 20% of 1928-S dimes, the Large S seems to account for only about 1 in 100 extant examples. This unusual S mintmark is identifiable by a thick center stroke and tall serifs, appears to have been used in dime coinage during the latter part of 1928, and is unknown on any other coins before or after 1928. The FS-501 and Large S attributions are not noted on the NGC insert.PCGS# 4971. NGC ID: 23HZ.NGC Census: 2; 3 finer (MS-68 FB finest).
