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In 1916, the US Mint decided to switch out the Barber dime, which was personally designed by the US Mint's Chief Engraver. The US Mint held a competition of designs for the possible new dime and Adolph Weinman, the German-American sculptor won. Although the design of the Mercury dime was revered for its unique creativity, it was less popular for those who actually had to produce the coin. The Mercury dime was incredibly difficult to make into a die design but still had a long run from 1916-1945.
The 1918 Mercury Dime is in extra fine condition, containing a minimal amount of wear. There were over 26 million dimes, minted by the Philadelphia Mint, in 1918. The Philadelphia Mint is the oldest mint in the US, being established in 1792. After the ratification of the Constitution, the Founding Fathers needed to establish a national identity and a means of commerce. At the time, Philadelphia was the capital of the US so it only made sense for the first mint to be built there. The Mint Act was also passed, during this time, to assign coins denominations based on their legal tender or metal fineness.