1925

Philadelphia continued its strong production tempo in 1925 with a run of 25,610,000 dimes, placing the issue in the readily available tier of the series. The Coolidge-era economy kept silver subsidiary demand at healthy levels, and the issue circulated widely through the late 1920s. Survivors are plentiful in mid-circulated grades, and Mint State coins exist in sufficient quantity to support steady demand from type and date-set collectors. Strike quality on the 1925 typically runs at or above the average for Philadelphia dimes of the decade, and a number of original rolls came down through the hobby with reasonably bright surfaces. Buyers seeking a fully struck representative of the type often look first to early- and mid-decade Philadelphia dates because the central reverse tends to come more sharply defined than on the branch issues of the same period.

Adolph A. Weinman's design remains in place, depicting Liberty wearing a winged Phrygian cap on the obverse and the fasces wrapped with an olive branch on the reverse. Specifications hold steady at 90 percent silver, 10 percent copper, 2.5 grams, 17.9 millimeters, with a reeded edge. The Full Bands (FB) designation, awarded by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) when the central horizontal crossbands of the fasces show full separation, is attainable on the 1925 but not common at gem level. Authentication priorities include even reeded edge spacing, full luster across Liberty's wing and cheek, and absence of hairlines that would point to a light cleaning. The die-flow pattern in the fields should appear fine and granular under magnification, never artificially smooth.

For collectors building a date set, the 1925 is generally a straightforward purchase through MS-65. PCGS and NGC populations thin above MS-66 FB, and high-grade Full Bands pieces appear with regularity at Heritage Auctions and Stack's Bowers Galleries. Read the full Mercury Dime series history.