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10 Cents - Elizabeth II 100th Anniversary of the Mercury Dime
| Issuer | Cook Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 2016 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 17.9 mm |
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| Obverse description | Central field features the fasces — a bound bundle of rods with an axe — flanked by an olive branch to the left, together symbolising military preparedness tempered by the desire for peace, closely reproducing Weinman's original reverse design of the Mercury Dime. A small effigy of Queen Elizabeth II appears at the lower right of the field. The design is contained within a plain border. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Draped bust of Liberty in left profile, wearing a winged Phrygian cap with flowing hair rendered in fine relief, closely replicating Adolph Alexander Weinman's celebrated Mercury Dime obverse design of 1916. The legend LIBERTY arcs along the upper periphery of the field. The inscriptions .9999 SILVER and the designer's monogram appear in the lower left field, with the centennial date range 1916-2016 positioned along the lower border. |
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| Additional information |
The Mercury Dime it commemorates was itself a product of a 1916 redesign competition that replaced the long-running Barber coinage. Adolph Weinman's design beat out submissions from other prominent sculptors, and the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints all struck the new type that first year — creating the famous 1916-D, one of the lowest-mintage regular issues in the entire 20th-century American series.
Cook Islands has served as a vehicle for this kind of numismatic tribute issue for decades, with New Zealand managing its currency arrangements. The .9999 fineness is notably purer than the original 90% silver dimes it honors.