Owner Comments:
The 1916 Dinero is over-shadowed by it's smaller cousin, the 1916 1/2 Dinero. The 1/2 Dinero is the most common date of any denomination in the seated liberty decimal series. Bags were saved and multitudes of nice mint state examples are always available at a very reasonable cost. Where does that leave the 1916 Dinero? The 1916 Dinero is a common date, yes. But exponentially more scarce than the 1/2 Dinero of the same year. Some patience may actually be required to find a nice 1916 mint state Dinero, but they will turn up soon enough, often Gem-y. A great majority of 1916 Dineros are the Small Date. The Large Date is very scarce. These two date types are difficult to tell apart; see below.
Flatt reports a Small and Large Date, both with no period under the "O" in DINO. He notes the large date always comes as FG/JG. Krause lists the FG/JG as it's own variety separate from the Large Date, and adds an unlikely FG/FF.
Discussion: I find the Large Date/Small Date designation a bit tedious. The differences between the sizes of the date are small enough to be almost unnoticeable. Please see my second photo above as a reference. I have only seen a couple "Large Dates" and the numerals are different shapes in each. Yet, it would appear that any Large Date is quite scarce. All Large Dates do appear to have FG/JF as Flatt reports. Some Small Dates have some under-lettering in the assayer initials, many do not. I have not seen any examples with a dot under the "O" in DINO. I have seen some minor date re-punching. I have not seen an FG/FF; until I do, I will be very skeptical of it's existence (despite one being graded at PCGS).
Krause values the Small Date at $15, the Large Date at the "common level" of $37.50, and the two over-letterings at $50. The Small Date needs to be raised closer to the "common level" and perhaps the Large Date above that. The over-letterings should probably be removed. $50 is not justified.
Population Report:
Large Date: One in AU 58 at NGC, three in MS 63 at NGC, one in 66 at NGC, one in 67 at NGC.
1916 FG/JG: One at PCGS in MS 64. (This is a small date. F/J)
1916 FG/FF: One at PCGS in MS 65.
1916 Small Date: One at NGC in AU 55, two at NGC in MS 63, three at NGC in 64, one at PCGS in 64+, four in 65 at NGC, and two in 66 at NGC.
The set specimen features satiny yet strong cartwheel luster with orange highlights at the rim. For all types, tied with five, four better.