1917 Mercury Dime

The United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917. Four days earlier, President Wilson had asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany, citing unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmermann Telegram. Philadelphia struck 55,230,000 Mercury dimes that year, more than double the 1916 output, as the Mint ramped up production of all denominations to support wartime commerce. The Mercury dime's fasces reverse, with its Roman symbol of authority, its battle-ax for preparedness, and its olive branch for peace, took on a different weight when the nation was actually at war.

The 1917 Philadelphia is common across all circulated grades and available in Mint State without difficulty. Strike quality is generally strong for the year, and Full Bands examples are more common than for many later dates. The coin represents the first full year of Mercury dime production and the beginning of the design's three-decade run that would span both world wars.