10 Cents - Elizabeth II 100th Anniversary of the Mercury Dime

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.