1945

Philadelphia struck 159,130,000 Mercury Dimes in 1945, the final year of the series at the main mint. With Franklin D. Roosevelt's death in April 1945, plans rapidly took shape to honor the late president on the dime, and the Roosevelt Dime debuted in 1946. The 1945 thus closes a 30-year run for Adolph A. Weinman's design that began in 1916 and saw the country through two world wars and the Great Depression. These dimes circulated heavily through the immediate postwar years and well into the 1960s, and they are abundant today in all grades thanks to extensive roll hoarding during the silver speculation era.

Weinman's design carries Liberty in her winged Phrygian cap on the obverse, with LIBERTY arcing around the top and the date at the lower right of the truncation. The reverse displays the fasces, a Roman symbol of authority, with an axe head emerging at the top and an olive branch curling around the base. The coin weighs 2.5 grams of 90% silver and 10% copper alloy, measures 17.9 mm in diameter, and has a reeded edge. Strikes on 1945 Philadelphia dimes are typically good, though Full Bands examples are scarcer than the mintage suggests because of central die fatigue late in the year. Authenticators verify the date for the proper 1945 punch, check the wing feathers and cheek for strike strength, and inspect the central horizontal bands on the fasces for the complete separation required for the PCGS or NGC Full Bands designation.

The 1945 is affordable through MS-66 Full Bands but steps up considerably at MS-67 FB because of its scarcity in that grade. Heritage Auctions has recorded strong results for top examples. Buyers should match expected prices against current Heritage Auctions and Stack's Bowers Galleries records before committing to a purchase. The Mercury Dime series history offers broader context.