The Mercury dime series is all about bands and rods. For the majority of coins, a collector can determine an accurate grade for their Mercury dime by merely grading the reverse fasces, or more specifically, half of the fasces. Both the upper and lower half of the design are similar, yet the top portion takes on a more consistent wear pattern. The focus is on the extent to which the viewer can discern the detail of the seven rods depicted on the primary reverse devices. Once they appear apparent in higher grades, attention shifts to the diagonal band holding them together. Like all classical series, Mercury dimes did suffer from occasional minting issues. On the reverse, this typically pertains to the poorly struck horizontal bands assisting in securing the rods. A few coins were struck with flat diagonal bands, yet implications for grading the coins by focusing on the bands and rods are minimal. This QuickGrade guide and the entire concept of grading by a single part of the design will not be 100% accurate, but it has proven to produce results that are usually correct.
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The Mercury dime series may be about bands and rods, but low-grade coins have neither of them. As the images show, coins that would grade "about good" do not retain any detail of the fasces. The design element on the left that appears to be a rod is actually an axe handle. It rests in a protected part of the design and is not considered diagnostic in determining the coin's grade.
Mercury dimes grading in the "good" range have a simple requirement: Show something. The fasces show minimal detail, and one needs to look closely to find it at all. In the case of the example coin, faint rod separation occurs at the utmost part of the design. The fasces show no meaningful detail, but for the sake of differentiating between a G coin and one grading AG, faint rod separation in a small part of the design is key.
Coins falling in the "very good" range are not considerably better than those grading "good," but as one would expect, the detail in the fasces improves. At least a part of all seven rods is visible in dimes at this grade level. The visible part is only a fraction of the whole range, and different rods show detail in varying parts of the design. The example coin is a case in point. The three rods lacking detail at the top, numbers two, three, and four, from the left, all show separation right above the center horizontal band. There is certainly still no hint of a diagonal band.
At the "fine" grade, the rods become more visible. Certain rods will now show detail in multiple areas. The section above the center horizontal band generally begins to clear up, showing detail from all seven rods. The diagonal band is still not a factor in determining the grade, and the area of the design lacking any detail remains at half or more.
The "very fine" grade level is the point at which the diagonal band holding the rods together begins to assert itself. Coins in this grade range do range in quality. At the minimum, most of the rod detail should be present, and the diagonal band should be visible except at its center. Higher VF coins will show clarity at the center. A key point is that the emerging diagonal band only sits as a divider across the rods. The detail is flat, and there is no separating line between the band and the rods at its edges. The example image represents a typical VF, neither high nor baseline, that demonstrates about ninety percent of the rod detail and a somewhat clear diagonal band.
The diagonal band on "extremely fine" Mercury dimes shows a clear separating line between itself and the rods it holds. This band no longer sits inside the rods but is clearly on top. A few blurred spaces exist between the two primary fasces components, but this is permitted for an XF grade. The rods are obviously complete at this point on the grading scale, but the collector will notice that they appear more robustly than on high VF coins. Coins grading as "extremely fine" exhibit what should be considered a full design.
Mercury dimes at the "about uncirculated" level appear to move upwards towards the viewer. The diagonal band gains in volume and looks three-dimensional as it sits on top of the rods it protects. Its detail also stretches end to end with no weak spaces. Each of the seven rods is bold, with deep crevices separating each member from its neighbors. The fasces still show wear, but this is minimal. Some luster may also be present, helping to further differentiate an AU coin from one grading XF.
The "brilliant uncirculated" coin is an extension of the AU coin. Any volume that may have still been lacking at the AU level now exists on the BU coin. Any wear that may have slightly marred the design does not distract on a coin grading as BU. The entire presentation of the fasces is bold, deep, and well-separated. The salient point for the collector is the full luster that permeates the design.
