1929 Dime Error List with Pictures
A 1929-S doubled-die dime sold for $1,410 in January 2017, graded ANACS MS66 Full Bands. Full Bands means the horizontal bands on the back remain clearly separated.
These 1929 Mercury dime errors have estimated whole-coin values of $10–$2,500. They include repeated letters, missing metal, raised cracks, and strikes that changed the coin’s outline.
Read on to separate the San Francisco varieties from Denver’s expanded strike and match the correct feature before comparing prices.
1. 1929 Mercury Dime Die Cracks (Estimated Up to $250)
A thin raised line can cross plain silver or run near the back-side bundle of rods. It may come from a crack in the die, the steel tool that stamps the coin.
Silver enters the opening during striking and forms a ridge. That line was never part of the intended picture.
Die cracks are reported for 1929 without one fixed position for all examples. Their paths depend on which tool cracked.
A scratch can occur in the same area, so location alone is not enough. The line must rise above the original surface.
Estimated Value
Estimate $10–$250 for worn through attractive lower-grade unworn coins with modest cracks. The price covers the whole dime.
Ordinary dealer listings include a Philadelphia MS65 at $90 and a Denver MS64 Full Split Bands at $176. These are asking prices, not completed sales.
They give context for condition value without pricing a crack. The added interest usually depends on how clear and distinctive the raised line is, while damaged surfaces can reduce the comparison.
How to Identify
Tilt the dime under low light while examining the line with a magnifier. Look for a raised ridge rather than a groove with pushed-up metal beside it.
Follow the line through any part of the picture it crosses. If it reproduces a recognizable piece of the opposite design, it may be a clash mark instead.
Parallel fine scratches often indicate cleaning. Neither their number nor their position near the bundle of rods proves a die crack.
Check 17.90 mm with calipers, about 2.50 grams on a scale, and the edge grooves. For the quickest distinction, confirm that the suspected line stands above the coin and follows a continuous crack path.
2. 1929 Mercury Dime Clipped Planchet (Estimated Up to $450)
A section of the edge can be missing before the picture is struck. The incomplete metal disc enters the press and receives a design shaped around the gap.
Collectors call this a clipped planchet. Planchet means the metal disc prepared for striking, and the gap may be curved or straight.
The 1929 reports do not give one certified clip percentage for the example. That must be judged on the actual coin.
The stamping tools do not cut a bite from the finished dime. A later trim can imitate the outline but leave different edge marks.
Estimated Value
Genuine 1929 clips have an estimated whole-coin range of $30–$450 across worn and unworn examples. The size and shape of the missing section affect the comparison.
A 1942 clipped Mercury dime graded PCGS MS66 sold for $192 at Stack’s Bowers in March 2025. That is a recent certified example from another year.
Its grade, mint, and original surfaces need comparison with the 1929 candidate. The same missing percentage alone does not make two clips equally valuable.
How to Identify
Inspect the rim opposite the gap before focusing on the gap itself. A weak area opposite a curved clip can support the diagnosis, though its absence does not settle the question.
Use a magnifier to follow the picture toward the missing section. Examine the nearby edge grooves for natural striking detail rather than fresh tool cuts.
Measure intact parts with calipers against 17.90 mm and weigh against 2.50 grams. Wear as well as missing metal can lower the weight.
A percentage written on a holder is not enough. Begin by matching the gap’s struck boundary and nearby rim to a confirmed clip instead of judging its outline alone.
3. 1929-S and 1929-D Mercury Dime Repunched Mintmark (Estimated Up to $700)
The small mintmark can show part of another S or D beside its main shape. Workers entered the mark by hand into the stamping tool, and a repeated punch could leave an earlier outline.
A dealer lists a 1929-S/S example. Denver is also included in the year’s reports, but the S coin does not establish the D’s extra shape or direction.
Each mint needs its own comparison. The marks sit in the same general area, left of the lower back-side bundle of rods.
Flat shelf-like doubling from the strike is a different effect.
Estimated Value
Estimate $20–$700 for worn through attractive unworn coins with recognizable repunching. The dealer’s 1929-S/S listing asks $30 for an Extremely Fine example.
That is a retail asking price for a worn coin, not a completed auction sale. It shows an accessible price level for this particular listing.
Better preservation, original surfaces, and a clear second letter may support more. A faint trace on a cleaned coin needs a lower comparison than a sharp unworn example.
How to Identify
Find the S or D left of the lower bundle of rods, then use a magnifier around both sides of the letter. Look for a secondary curve or stroke that follows its shape.
Change the light to check whether a lump is added metal, corrosion, or a damaged normal stroke. A stray dot does not show another mintmark.
Use a scale and calipers against 2.50 grams and 17.90 mm. Inspect the edge grooves and retain the complete 1929 date in photographs.
Compare S with S and D with D. The quickest match is a recognizable extra part of the same letter in the same position on a confirmed example.
4. 1929-D Mercury Dime Uncentered Broadstrike (Estimated Up to $1,200)
The Denver example has a complete picture inside a wider, uneven outline. It was graded PCGS MS64 and described as an uncentered broadstrike.
The collar, the metal ring that normally limits width, did not hold the silver during striking. The coin spread outward, with more border on one side than the other.
The picture can sit away from the center of the final shape without losing any of its intended detail. That is why this differs from a true off-center strike.
The whole design and expanded edge should be considered together.
Estimated Value
The PCGS MS64 example brought $329 at Heritage in February 2017, as reported by Mint Error News. That is a completed-sale comparison for the Denver error.
A different 1920-S broadstrike graded NGC AU58 is listed at $725. It is a different-year asking price, not another auction result.
Estimate $150–$1,200 for circulated through attractive unworn Denver examples. The amount of spreading, original surfaces, and overall appearance shape the whole-coin comparison.
How to Identify
Follow the entire picture on both faces before measuring the outline. The broadstrike should retain the intended design, unlike an off-center strike with missing peripheral detail.
Use calipers to record the widest and narrowest spans against a normal 17.90 mm dime. A scale should remain near 2.50 grams unless wear or another issue removed metal.
With a magnifier, inspect the expanded edge for incomplete normal grooves. Follow how the struck picture meets the extra silver around it.
Later hammering may widen a coin while crushing its details. Start by checking for a complete, naturally struck picture inside the uneven expanded border, rather than simply a large diameter.
5. 1929-S Mercury Dime Off-Center Strike (Estimated Up to $2,000)
The recorded San Francisco dime was struck 15% off-center toward three o’clock. It still has sharply separated back-side bands and was graded NGC MS62 Full Bands.
Part of the metal disc lay outside the stamping tools, leaving a plain area while some picture detail missed the coin. The part beneath the tools could still receive a sharp strike.
That explains how clear bands and poor alignment can occur together. They measure different aspects of the coin.
The 15% figure and direction belong to this example, rather than every 1929 off-center dime.
Estimated Value
Estimate $150–$2,000 for genuine examples, from worn minor shifts through attractive, dramatic offsets with readable dates. The documented 1929-S NGC MS62 Full Bands sold for $488.75 in January 2005.
A more recent 1944 dime struck 10% off-center brought $360 in December 2025, graded PCGS AU58. That is a different-year comparison.
A stronger shift and better surfaces can support more, but the date must remain useful. Neither percentage alone sets the whole-coin price.
How to Identify
Hold the front upright to compare the three-o’clock shift with the auction example. Check both faces to see how the displaced picture fits the plain area.
Locate the complete date and back-side S before using a San Francisco comparison. With a magnifier, inspect the design-to-plain-metal boundary for filing or polishing.
Use a scale against 2.50 grams and calipers against the usual 17.90 mm outline. An unusual strike can change that outline without removing metal.
Inspect the edge’s struck and unstruck sections, including surviving grooves. For a quick match, compare the shared offset on both faces and confirm the date and S on the same coin.
6. 1929-S Mercury Dime Doubled Die Obverse (Estimated Up to $2,500)
Extra raised outlines can appear in LIBERTY, the motto, and the date on the San Francisco FS-101 variety. NGC recognizes this 1929-S doubled die among Mercury dime varieties.
A doubled die is a steel stamping tool that already carries repeated design detail. It can put both outlines onto a coin with one blow.
The feature therefore differs from a coin struck twice or a flat shelf caused by movement during striking. The full letter pattern needs comparison with an identified example.
A high-grade auction coin shows the variety together with clearly separated back-side bands.
Estimated Value
An ANACS MS66 Full Bands FS-101 sold for $1,410 in January 2017. Greysheet’s published MS65 Full Bands value is $1,500, a guide price rather than another sale.
Estimate $150–$2,500 for the whole coin, from identified circulated pieces through attractive high grades. MS65 and MS66 describe well-preserved unworn coins.
Visible doubling, original surfaces, and condition explain much of the spread. A weak match should not borrow the price of the clearly identified auction example.
How to Identify
Confirm the S on the back before following the NGC variety comparison. Use a magnifier on LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and the date.
Check the same extra outlines in the same locations as an identified FS-101. One bright edge or a thick number is not enough.
Flat shelves that narrow the main stroke can come from movement during the strike. They differ from rounded repeated parts of the tool’s design.
Use calipers against 17.90 mm, a scale against 2.50 grams, and inspect the edge grooves. Start by matching repeated lettering across several areas of the same San Francisco variety photograph.
Conclusion
Estimated whole-coin values for these 1929 Mercury dime errors span $10–$2,500. Keep San Francisco’s doubled die, repeated S, and 15% off-center coin separate from Denver’s uncentered broadstrike.
The broadstrike retains the picture inside extra metal, while the off-center coin loses part of its design. For smaller cracks or clips, check the actual raised line or missing edge, then compare condition before applying a price.