1945-D

Denver delivered 40,245,000 Mercury Dimes in 1945, marking the final year of Mercury Dime production at the Denver mint. With Franklin D. Roosevelt's death in April 1945, the mint began preparations for the Roosevelt Dime which debuted in 1946 to honor the late president. The 1945-D thus closes Denver's run on Weinman's design. These coins circulated heavily through the immediate postwar years, with strong demand supporting commerce across the Mountain West and the broader country. Mint State examples are available from roll hoards preserved during the silver speculation era, and the 1945-D is one of the easier final-year issues to acquire in high grade with strong Full Bands.

The Weinman design features Liberty in her winged cap on the obverse and the fasces with olive branch on the reverse, with the D mintmark placed to the left of the fasces 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. Authenticators verify the D punch for the proper serifed style used at Denver throughout the mid-1940s, check the date for correct depth and font, and inspect the central horizontal bands on the fasces for the complete separation required for the PCGS or NGC Full Bands designation. The 1945-D typically strikes well, making Full Bands examples available through the higher Mint State grades with reasonable searching.

Prices remain accessible through MS-67 Full Bands, with consistent demand at the top of the population reports. Heritage Auctions and Stack's Bowers both record strong results for premium pieces. The date closes the Denver Mercury Dime run with quality and availability that make it a comfortable acquisition. Collectors building a date-and-mintmark set should keep an eye on registry-set premiums when assessing comparable certified examples. The Mercury Dime series history adds context.