1945-S 10C Micro S, FB MS(PCGS#5063)

February 2025 Showcase Auction - U.S. Coins

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

1058

等级

MS67FB

价格

10,473

详细说明

Delicately toned around the peripheries, this otherwise brilliant Superb Gem boasts full striking detail and intense frosty luster. This intriguing variety of the San Francisco Mint's final Mercury dime issue features a Micro S mintmark that is similar, yet not identical to that used on the 1916-S and 1917-S issues. The puncheon for this mintmark actually dates to 1907 and was created for use on the San Francisco Mint's coinage for the Philippine Islands, particularly the ten and twenty centavos issues. Last used in 1919, this mintmark punch appears to have been stored at the Philadelphia Mint until the pressing needs of wartime coinage during the early to mid 1940s resulted in its retrieval for use in creating dies for dime coinage at the West Coast branch mint. According to David W. Lange (<em>The Complete Guide to Mercury Dimes</em>, 2005 edition), the Micro S mintmark punch appears in the Mercury series only on the 1945-S, and it is never used again for any other issue, in any series.<p>This variety of the 1945-S dime was discovered by Bernard J. Maier in 1947, only two years after production. Its mintage constitutes an unknown percentage of the 41,920,000 pieces reported for the 1945-S in its entirety, but it must have been sufficiently large since this variety is readily obtainable in most Mint State grades. No doubt Maier's early discovery helped with the survival of uncirculated coins, and they are easily acquired by less discerning collectors who are willing to overlook striking detail. Indeed, nice examples abound in attractive certified grades such as MS-65, MS-66, and even MS-67. On the other hand, hectic wartime production in the United States Mint, and the reduction in quality control that accompanied it, means that the 1945-S Micro S is a significant find with Full Bands definition. Lower grade pieces through MS-66 FB are scarce, while Superb Gem such as this are noteworthy rarities reserved for the finest Mercury dime cabinets.