1929-S

San Francisco produced 4,730,000 dimes in 1929, a modest branch-mint figure that fits the late-1920s pattern of restrained Western output. The coin circulated through the early Depression years, and surviving examples reflect heavy commercial use, with the bulk of the population falling in Good through Very Fine grades. Mint State coins exist in adequate numbers, supported by occasional original rolls that came down through the postwar hobby, and the date is broadly attainable through MS-65 without unusual difficulty. Strike quality on the 1929-S runs from acceptable to strong, with a meaningful share of certified examples qualifying for the Full Bands designation. Series specialists generally rank this issue as a moderately friendly San Francisco date rather than a true Full Bands rarity, but premium gem material still draws active demand.

The series carries the Adolph A. Weinman type from 1916, with Liberty in a winged Phrygian cap on the obverse and the fasces with an olive branch on the reverse. Composition is 90 percent silver, 10 percent copper, weighing 2.5 grams at 17.9 millimeters with a reeded edge. The S mintmark sits on the reverse to the left of the fasces base. The Full Bands (FB) designation from Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) requires complete separation across the two horizontal bands at the fasces center. Authentication priorities include mintmark inspection for tooling, weight against the 2.5-gram standard, and a check of the fields under angled light for hairlines or slick surfaces that point to past cleaning. The die-flow grain in genuine fields appears fine and natural under magnification.

Date-set collectors generally find the 1929-S available in MS-65 FB, with PCGS and NGC populations thinning above MS-66. Gem-plus examples turn up periodically at Heritage Auctions and Stack's Bowers Galleries with strong realizations. Read the full Mercury Dime series history.