August 11th, 2008

Mint President

1902 Barber Dime

In 1915, US Mint Director Robert W. Woolley provided the chance to a few famous sculptors, Adolph A Weinman, Albin Polasek and Herman A. MacNeil to prepare designs for 3 silver coins. Outside artists, not chief engraver Charles Barber, equipped designs for the previous six modifications and Woolley felt this was a great option. By 1916, Barber was seventy five years old but had a monitor report of being hostile to outside artists designing cash he thought he must be designing. With three new designs, all changing coins Barber himself had designed, it could have gotten unpleasant. The records counsel Barber was on his best behavior. On this case it seems he simply stepped aside and let his assistant George T. Morgan, who had designed the Morgan dollar, do all the work. Maybe Barber finally simply gave up or was too old too fight anymore or simply acknowledged the beauty within the designs. Barber died in February 1917 and was replaced by Morgan.

It is assumed that Woolley meant to award a unique coin to every person. It might not have been deliberate this manner, however Weinman ended up getting [two] of his designs because the profitable designs. One being what would change into often known as the Strolling Liberty Half and the Mercury Dime. MacNeil received the design for the quarter with Polasek getting shut out.Adolph A. Weinman was born in Germany and got here to the US at the age of 10 in 1880. He was a student of well-known sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Saint-Gaudens can also be credited with some truly outstanding coin designs. By 1915 when the design process started, Weinman was extensively celebrated as one of many nation’s finest sculptors.

The design of the Mercury dime is that of a “Winged Liberty” and is predicated on a bust that Weinman did in 1913 of Elsie Kachel Stevens, spouse of properly-known poet Wallace Stevens, who occurred to be tenants of a New York City house building owned by Weinman. The winged cap was to symbolize freedom of thought. The reverse of the coin depicts the fasces, an historic symbol of authority, with a battle-ax at the high to characterize preparedness and an olive department beside it to suggest love and peace and authority. Manufacturing and launch of the new dimes was delayed till later within the yr of 1916 because the dies weren’t quite ready. The Philadelphia and San Francisco mint produced Barber dimes a lot of 1916 to fulfill demand while Denver ceased producing Barber dimes in 1914. Once the dies were full, manufacturing began with both Philadelphia and San Francisco cranking out thousands and thousands of dimes. Denver though produced a mere 264,000 making the 1916-D an on the spot rarity.

Shortly after the dime started circulating, many people started calling it a “Mercury dime” because of the wings on the cap. Mercury is the Roman god of trade, property and wealth in addition to messenger to the opposite gods. The hat, called a Petasus, is much like that worn my messengers through the time when Mercury was worshipped. Mercury gained his speed from his wings. Although not the unique and meant name for the new time, the time period Mercury stuck and that’s what it is known as today. The Mercury dime served People by means of [two] world wars ending its run in 1945. With the demise of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1945, there was a powerful motion to honor the president and in 1946 the Roosevelt dime began production and continues to be used today.

At Valueincoins.com you will find products, information, and resources regarding 1913 barber dime, 1899 barber dime, and 1913 s barber dime .

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