Your dime could be worth as much as $120,000 — the “Mercury” detail to look for in your loose change

A MERCURY cent with a small date error could be worth more than $100,000.

Coin-focused TikTok channel treasure town recently a piece broke that sold for $120,000 at a heritage auction in 2018.

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Mercury dimes were minted from 1916 to 1945 and some are of course rarer than others.

But there’s something special about a specific one in the series with an over-date bug.

where to look

First, you should look for a 1942 date, which can be found under the neck of the portrait on the face of the Mercury cent.

But most importantly, you want to take a close look at it.

For some mysterious reason, the cent has both a “1” and a “2” superimposed in the date.

This is known as the 1942/1 overdate error.

“The 1942 over 1 dime is one of the most popular and well-known of all U.S. coin types, and for decades it has been touted by dealers and collectors as a great, valuable variety,” said Ron Guth of the Coin Grading Experts website PCGS.

However, there are some that sell for far less on sites like eBay than this one, which went for $1,700.

“The truth is that it’s not rare at all, not even rare, and can be considered common based on the high number of pieces in the PCGS population report,” Guth said.

The reason this coin went six digit is because of its rare designation “MS66FB” certified by PCGS.

Not only is MS66 four numbers away from perfect, it also has the FB or Full Band label that very few Mercury cents have, whether manufactured by mistake or not.

FB means that the bands on the coin’s reverse, which resemble wrapped sticks, are clearly defined, indicating that the coin was struck very well.

Only 11 MS66 1942/1 Mercury Dimes are known, according to PCGS.

If you think your Mercury dime is one of them, you should have it professionally appraised before putting it up for sale.

More dimes worth thousands

While these are hard to find, there are others that could also be worth thousands.

A 1968 cent missing the S (San Francisco) mint mark sold for $47,000, while a cent made with what was believed to be a discontinued production process sold for $9,000.

Special editions are also very popular.

For example, a 1964 Special Strike dime sold for more than $10,000.

Known as SMS coins, they differ due to the particular handling of the blank and cup mouldings, the coloring process and the delicate care of the final product to avoid scratches and marks The spruce craft.

For more related stories, see the “mule” penny with one cent on the back, which could have a six-digit value.

And it’s not just older coins that are making big money, as this quarter of 2022 is already raking in hundreds of dollars online.