1942/1-D Mercury Dime. FS-101. MS-64 FB (PCGS).Endearing Choice Mint State preservation for this eagerly sought variety from the later Mercury dime series. Satin to softly frosted surfaces are brilliant apart from wisps of light russet patina here and there around the peripheries. The strike is razor sharp from the rims to the centers, and the eye appeal alone is strong enough to support an even higher grade. Like its 1942/1 counterpart, this Denver Mint overdate was struck from an obverse die whose first impression came from a 1941-dated hub, but whose second impression came from one dated 1942. As early as September of 1941 the engraving department in the Philadelphia Mint was preparing dies for 1942-dated dime coinage, the urgency brought about by the large mintages required to feed the United States burgeoning economy of the World Ward Two era. Since 1941-dated dies were still in production at that time, it is easy to understand how dies could have been impressed from both 1941- and 1942-dated hubs, as described above.At least two different 1942/1 obverse dies were prepared for Mercury dime production, one of which was forwarded to the Denver Mint where it struck an unknown percentage of the 60,740,000-coin mintage reported for the 1942-D. This overdate was first reported in the November 1960 issue of The Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine, its first publication following in Frank Spadones Major Variety and Oddity Guide of 1963. Precious few Mint State survivors have come to light since, although interestingly most are sharply struck and qualify as Full Bands. The coin offered here is a delight to behold and is sure to appeal to advanced Mercury dime specialists and more generalized variety collectors.
