1924-S

San Francisco produced 7,120,000 dimes in 1924, sending the issue into a Western circulation network that absorbed the coins steadily through the mid-1920s. Survivors today reflect heavy commercial use, with Good through Very Fine grades dominating the bin and roll market. The 1924-S poses a real challenge in upper Mint State preservation, and the issue is widely regarded as one of the more difficult San Francisco dates of the decade for Full Bands. Strike quality varied substantially across the year, with many coins showing soft central fasces detail even when overall surfaces look fresh. Saver enthusiasm in the West remained limited compared to East Coast hoarding activity, and surviving original rolls are scarce. Mint State examples climb sharply in value at MS-65, and gem-quality FB coins draw consistent specialist attention at major auctions.

The type remains Adolph A. Weinman's 1916 creation, with Liberty in a winged Phrygian cap on the obverse and the fasces wrapped with an olive branch on the reverse. The planchet is 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper, 2.5 grams in weight and 17.9 millimeters across, with a reeded edge. The S mintmark sits on the reverse to the left of the fasces base. The Full Bands (FB) designation, applied by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), requires complete separation between the two horizontal bands at the center of the fasces. Buyers reviewing raw or older-holder examples should examine the entire central reverse for strike strength, then check Liberty's cheek and wing feather definition. Even die-flow lines in the fields under magnification help confirm a coin's originality.

The 1924-S in Full Bands runs into substantial pricing once grades cross MS-65, and PCGS and NGC populations show this date thinning quickly above MS-66 FB. Heritage Auctions and Stack's Bowers Galleries have generated multiple notable results for premium examples. Read the full Mercury Dime series history.