# Face on dime before FDR **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [January 10, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-on-dime-before-fdr/806352 "2018-01-10T19:24:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-on-dime-before-fdr/806352/1 "2018-01-10T19:24:30Z")
To answer the question from this article [“Whose face used to be on the dime?”](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1453/whose-face-used-to-be-on-the-dime/), I’ve found this claim on Wikipeadia’s article [“Mercury dime”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_dime#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBurdette2005172-23): > [@](#): > > Weinman never disclosed the name of the model for the obverse, and no person ever claimed to have been her. The winged Liberty is widely believed, however, to have been based on a 1913 bust Weinman sculpted of Elsie Stevens, wife of Wallace Stevens.[sup][23][/sup]. Where [23] = Burdette, Roger W. (2005). _Renaissance of American Coinage, 1916–1921_. Great Falls, Va.: Seneca Mill Press LLC. ISBN 978-0-9768986-0-3; page 172 … ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-on-dime-before-fdr/806352/2 "2018-01-11T04:20:00Z")
But one way or t’other, it was Liberty, not Mercury. Nearly all US coins before 1909 had either Liberty or a generic “Indian”. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-on-dime-before-fdr/806352/3 "2018-01-11T05:09:01Z")
Why do they call them mercury dimes? I have a vague remembrance of something to do with the element Mercury. Kinda like mercury glass. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-on-dime-before-fdr/806352/4 "2018-01-11T05:13:14Z")
NM. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-on-dime-before-fdr/806352/5 "2018-01-11T05:56:21Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Why do they call them mercury dimes? > I have a vague remembrance of something to do with the element Mercury. Kinda like mercury glass. The image is of [Liberty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_dime#/media/File:1943D_Mercury_Dime_obverse.jpg) wearing a winged cap. The image was confused with [Mercury](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(mythology)#/media/File:Mercurybyhendrickgoltzius.jpeg) who also wore a winged cap. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-on-dime-before-fdr/806352/6 "2018-01-11T08:59:54Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > The image is of [Liberty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_dime#/media/File:1943D_Mercury_Dime_obverse.jpg) wearing a winged cap. The image was confused with [Mercury](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(mythology)#/media/File:Mercurybyhendrickgoltzius.jpeg) who also wore a winged cap. And all this time I thought it was [Golden Age Flash.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_(Jay_Garrick)) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-on-dime-before-fdr/806352/7 "2018-01-11T09:44:50Z")
Duh! You would think I coulda figured that out!