1912 Barber Dime Value: Rare "S" Mintmark & Condition Rarity

A dime from 1912 sounds like an old coin. Collectors love “old”. Sometimes they give a fortune for their precious piece.

How much is a 1912 dime worth? What makes it pricier? Who is this Barber? Read and find out.

Want to make sure what you have is an actual 1912 Mercury dime? AI Coin Identifier can find out in a flash.

1912 Dime Design Characteristics

The Barber Dime 1912 is named after its engraver, Charles Edward Barber. He made a classical design with a bit of personality.

Observe: Lady Liberty’s looking right. She wears a Phrygian cap decorated with a laurel wreath. This beautiful headwear is tied by a ribbon. The words LIBERTY are engraved on the band. The words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA encircle the portrait.

Reverse:  a wreath out of leaves, wheat, and corn. All tied by a ribbon on the bottom. The centerpiece is taken by the denomination ONE DIME. You can find the mint mark below.

1912 Dime Overview

Fun fact: 24 special Barber coins were struck at the San Francisco Mint in 1894 as gifts for bankers. Some of them were lost. One famously resurfaced in 1957 when a young girl used it to buy ice cream, unaware of its extreme rarity. That coin, later dubbed the "Ice Cream Dime," was recovered by a savvy dealer.

Barber’s Dime History

Such an old piece must have a history. Why not read it, while you’re here?

• Barber’s designs were introduced following public dissatisfaction with earlier Liberty Seated coinage.

• The coin was issued during the presidency of William H. Taft.

• Though some criticized the piece for being unimaginative, Barber’s design remained in use for nearly 25 years.

• The U.S. Mint started preparing to transition away from Barber designs, which were increasingly seen as outdated.

• Within a few years (1916), the Mercury Dime would replace the Barber Dime.

How much was a dime worth in 1912? 10 cents back then. Today 1912 Barber Dime is a nice piece due to its age, silver content, and history. 

1912 Dime Value

The value of a coin depends on:

• Material.

• Grading.

• Mint marks.

• Errors.

Silver and Mercury

Dime 1912 has another nickname, the Mercury Dime. Gladly, this nickname comes not from the chemical element, but from the Roman God, Mercury. 

Mercury wears a Phrygian cap, like Lady Liberty in the portrait. The resemblance gave the piece this nickname.

90% of the coin is silver, which makes the piece more valuable.

1912 Dimes Variations

1912 Dimes have several variations, depending on their mint mark.

A mint mark is a special letter, usually taking up the lower side of the coin. A mint mark signifies the place of minting.

1912 Dime No Mint Mark Value

They are also sometimes called P-dimes, though they technically don't have a mark.

No-marks are the most common variety. Being so common, their value is comparatively lower. 

The price is 12$ for the good-graded piece.

1912 D Dime Value

Denver had the second biggest mintage of this piece.

Where is the mint mark on a 1912 dime? To identify if that’s really a 1912 D Barber dime, look on the reverse side, under the ribbon. There should be a “D”.

1912 D Barber dime value is 12$ for a good-graded piece.

1912 S Dime Value

San Francisco gave the lowest mintage of this piece.

It means that while coins with a good-graded value give the same 12$, higher quality can be worth a few thousand dollars.

Coin Grading

Even dimes have their gradings, and the 1912 dime value today majorly depends on a good grading. The main factor here is how well the coin was preserved. 

1912 Silver Dime value drastically changes from a few dollars for “About Good” to hundreds for “Mint State”.

1912 Dime Error List

Today the mintage process is working perfectly, or close to perfect.

1912 probably had some kinks to work out. It’s not a bad thing at all. A couple of factory accidents gave us a unique coin with a unique value.

Off-Center Placement

An off-center coin is one where the design isn’t properly aligned on the planchet.

The value depends on how drastically the center was shifted. 1912 Liberty Dime can go for  $100 or even more.

Error reason: Off-center strikes occur when the planchet (the blank disc that becomes the coin) is not properly seated in the coining press.

Clipped Planchet

A clipped planchet error happens when a portion of the coin’s metal is missing. As if it was cut off.

1912 Mercury Dime value for clipped pieces can go for more than $90.

Error reason: If the metal strip isn’t properly aligned or if it overlaps during cutting, the press may punch too close to the edge or an existing hole.

Die Failure

Die failure can take many forms, from cracks to blobs. Basically, the parts of the coin’s design appear where they shouldn’t be.

This flaw can get you  $100 or even more.

Error reason: when the metal dies used to strike coins wear down, crack, or break during the minting process. Dies are under tremendous pressure when striking coins (hundreds of tons), so over time, they can degrade or fracture. When this happens, the coins produced may have visible errors or distortions. 

Value Of A 1912 Dime

Time to see the 1912 Liberty Dime value across various mint marks and gradings.

1912 One Dime in S-mark can get you a good value. D-marks and P-marks follow behind.

Yet there’s one more type of 1912 US Dime. It doesn’t fit anywhere on the table.

1912 Proof Barber Dime

In the beginning, there was a story of 24 special pieces given to the bankers, and one of them later resurfaced.

Such pieces are called “Proof”. Mint facilities make them not for circulation, but for gifting. Usually to important people like bankers. 

Proof coins have impeccable quality with a grading of MS-67 or above it. 

You might ask the following question. 1912 Dime how much is it worth? The answer, it depends. As collectors don’t sell them often, you can’t find one determined price for Proof pieces.

The Most Valuable 1912 Dimes 

Let’s look at the legendary 1912 Dimes. They make up the top 3 of the priciest pieces in their 1912 series.

All examples shown in the table are Proof pieces. Their price ranges, as stated before. Certificates and rarer marks (like S-mark with a smaller mintage) will be an advantage.

Do you have other coins in your collection? You can see their history and characteristics in this app.

Use Coin ID Scanner

Coin ID scanner can be your digital assistant. AI-powered, this app has many functions. Among them:

• Coin Identification. Just take a photo of your piece, and in just a second the Scanner will share the latest numismatic data with you.

• Manage your digital collection and compare your pieces with those from the app. Do you have a 1912 dime with V on back? The app does!

• Chat with an AI assistant and ask them any questions about coins.

Read many guides and blog posts on topics ranging from coin reviews to grading tips.

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• 1967 American Dime Coin Value
• 1971 Eisenhower Dollar Coin Value
• 1983 Washington Quarters Coin Value 
• 1936 Mercury Dime Coin Value
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• Most Valuable Error Coins in Circulation