1930: possible or impossible?

[villa66]

I was chasing down Rex and the 10-centesimi pieces to wherever they happened to lead me, and found I needed a picture of a number of dimes dated 1930 or before.

I’ll get to the story in a day or two, but for now—just for fun—here are a succession of 7 images. Three are possible for 1930, but four are impossible. I hope the images are clear enough.

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#1

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#2

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#3

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#4

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#5

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#6

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#7

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Possible or impossible in 1930?

#1 OK
#2 OK
#3 impossible (1946-64 Roosevelt reverse)
#4 impossible (1956 Roosevelt obverse)
#5 impossible (1945s “micro s” reverse, from a rogue punch then being used for Philippine coinage)
#6 impossible (you’ll hate me—see below!)
#7 OK

#6….Hiding at left under the 1914 Barber dime is a Mercury with only its last date-digit (1) visible.

In 1930, the only Mercury dimes with a date ending in “1” were the two 1921 coins from Philadelphia and Denver. The 1921 date has a very distinctive ”1,” and this is not it.

The point is more than academic, though, which is why I wanted to use this example. The 1921 coins are uncommon and much more expensive than most Mercury dimes, so it will come as no surprise that they have been heavily counterfeited, particularly by altering coins dated 1941. The shape of the “1” is an easy diagnostic test. (The piece in this photo is an equally incorrect '31.)

Tonight I’ll link this to the reason for the photo of the 22 dimes dated 1930 or before.

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