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Author
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Topic: WTB: Liberty Bell 7 flown Mercury dime
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sthomas9999
Member Posts: 79
From: Johnson City, TN
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 06-15-2011 04:29 AM
  
I am looking for a flown Liberty Bell 7 Mercury Dime. |
SkyMan1958
Member Posts: 867
From: CA.
Registered: Jan 2011
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posted 06-15-2011 01:07 PM
As a lifetime member of the ANA (American Numismatic Association) I realize that it is cool to have a Mercury dime flown on a Mercury spacecraft, but given their cost I just wanted to make sure that you understand that, to the best of known research, NONE of the Mercury dimes on LB7 were brought onboard by Grissom, but were most likely placed aboard the craft by the technicians who worked on it. Grissom brought 2 rolls of dimes with him aboard LB7, e.g. a total of 100 dimes. All 3 of the dimes that I've seen are 1961-D Roosevelt dimes (the D stands for the Denver mint). It seems highly logical given this that he brought "new" rolls with him. At most banks you can request these. I suspect Grissom wanted a coin that had the 1961 date. So, if you want a dime that was actually brought onboard/handled by Grissom, the dime would be a Roosevelt dime. These tend to go for significantly less than the Mercury dimes, most likely because they don't have the Mercury name associated with them (in actuality the design on the Mercury dime is NOT of Mercury, but of Lady Liberty who is wearing a cap with wings on it symbolizing freedom of thought). I suspect that most people that buy the LB7 Mercury dimes don't realize that Grissom NEVER touched them. Here's a picture of the 1961-D Roosevelt that I own. Best of luck to you in finding an LB7 dime!  
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sthomas9999
Member Posts: 79
From: Johnson City, TN
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 06-15-2011 07:29 PM
Thanks for the reply. I did not realize that about the dimes. I would much rather have the Roosevelt dime if they were brought onboard by Grissom. |
SkyMan1958
Member Posts: 867
From: CA.
Registered: Jan 2011
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posted 06-15-2011 10:22 PM
My pleasure. Contact me if you want a little more info. |
Larry McGlynn
Member Posts: 1255
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 06-15-2011 11:04 PM
You can buy the Roosevelt dimes directly from Betty Grissom. The difference between the dimes is that 100 flew with Gus and were recovered with him at the end of the mission. While 52 flew inside the capsule and went down with the "ship." at the end of the flight. Gus carried the Roosevelt dimes in a small satchel of spacesuit material tied around his ankle. They went into space on his person. The Mercury dimes have the distinction of flying into space and then descending to the bottom of the ocean in the space of a couple of hours. Then they sat on the ocean floor for 38 years before they were recovered.
While the 100 Roosevelt dimes are available to the public, there are only 10 Mercury dimes available to the public. These two coins are very unique in the history of spaceflight. |
MrSpace86
Member Posts: 1618
From: Gardner, KS, USA
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 06-16-2011 08:18 AM
How do you contact Betty Grissom? |
hinkler
Member Posts: 573
From: Melbourne, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
Registered: Jan 2000
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posted 06-16-2011 04:59 PM
If anyone has one for sale, or knows of one for sale, I would be interested in buying one. Either version would be fine. Thanks for your help. |
Larry McGlynn
Member Posts: 1255
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 06-16-2011 08:39 PM
Folks, when I bought my Grissom dime, I went through Scott Grissom. Scott got me in touch with Betty and acted as an intermediary during the transaction. It was a very amicable deal. I have referred a few collectors to Scott and have gotten feedback that Scott is now not really all that cooperative in contacting his mother about the sale of a dime. Scott also quoted a sale price of $12,000 for a dime to an inquiring collector. Scott may change his mind at some point, but at this time, my suggestion is to wait to see if a Grissom dime comes up at auction in the future and bid on the piece. Maybe Scott will change his mind in the future, so keep in touch with Scott on an informal basis. |
SkyMan1958
Member Posts: 867
From: CA.
Registered: Jan 2011
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posted 12-03-2012 07:29 PM
Just wondering, did anyone here purchase one of the Roosevelt LB7 dimes sold at either Heritage's 11/2/12 auction or RR's 11/29/12 auction? |
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