Carroll John Daly (Yonkers NY September 14, 1889 – Los Angeles CA January 16, 1958) was a writer of crime fiction.^[1]

Mercury dimes, more formally known as Winged Liberty Head dimes, minted from 1916 to 1945 is a popular series of U.S. Coins to collect. If the coin shows signs of wear on it due to being used in business transactions, it considered 'circulated.' History of the Roosevelt Dime. In 1792 the United States government passed an act that authorized the Treasury Department to produce coinage for the United States. Dimes or ten-cent pieces were first struck in 1796. The original alloy of United States dimes consisted of 89.24% silver and 10.76% copper, weighed 2.7 g and had a diameter of 19 mm. 1937 10c Mercury 90% Silver Dime Proof Coin NGC PF 66 Winged Liberty Head Rare! Make Offer - 1937 10c Mercury 90% Silver Dime Proof Coin NGC PF 66 Winged Liberty Head Rare! 1937 Proof Mercury Dime PF65 Graded By PCGS. That being said, 1937 Washington quarters are generally considered as common coins by numismatists, especially in the lower grades. One exception is the 1937 doubled-die obverse Washington quarter, which is quite rare and sought after by coin collectors. Another asterisk to that comment would be the 1937-S, which is a semi-key coin. The 1937 dime with no mint mark is worth around $3 in very fine condition. In extremely fine condition the value is around $3.25. In uncirculated condition the price is around $10 for coins with an MS 60 grade. Uncirculated coins with a grade of MS 65 can sell for around $30.

Career[edit]

Daly has been credited with creating the first hard-boiled story, 'The False Burton Combs', published in Black Mask magazine in December 1922, followed closely by 'It's All in the Game' (Black Mask, April 1923) and the PI story 'Three Gun Terry' (Black Mask, May 1923).^[2][3] Daly's private detective Race Williams first appeared in 'Knights of the Open Palm', an anti-Ku Klux Klan story.^[1] 'Knights of the Open Palm' was published June 1, 1923, in Black Mask, predating the October 1923 debut of Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op character.^[4][5][6] Although Black Mask editor George Sutton did not like the Race Williams stories, they were so popular with readers that he asked Daly to continue writing them.^[1] Daly's Williams was a rough-and-ready character with a sharp tongue and established the model for many later acerbic private eyes.

Daly also created other pulp detectives, including Detective Satan Hall, 'Three-Gun Terry' Mack, and Vee Brown.^[7] During the 1920s and 1930s, Daly was considered the leader of the naturalistic school of crime writers. Daly was a hugely popular author: his name on a pulp magazine cover meant an increase in sales.^[7] A Black Mask readers' poll once showed Daly as the most popular writer in the magazine, ahead of Hammett and Erle Stanley Gardner.^[7] In addition to Black Mask, Daly also wrote for other pulp magazines, including Detective Fiction Weekly and Dime Detective.^[8]

In the 1940s, Daly's work fell out of fashion with crime fiction readers, and he moved to California to work on comics^[9] and film scripts. When Mickey Spillane became a bestselling novelist with Mike Hammer, a character similar to Daly's detectives, Daly remarked 'I'm broke, and this guy gets rich writing about my detective.'^[1] However, Spillane wrote Daly a fan letter saying that Race Williams was the model for his own Mike Hammer. The story goes (at least as far as Spillane told it) that when Daly’s agent at the time saw the letter, she instituted a plagiarism suit. Whereupon Daly canned her because he hadn’t gotten a fan letter in years and he sure as hell wasn’t about to sue anybody who had actually taken the time to write one.

Novels[edit]

• The White Circle (1926)
• The Snarl of the Beast (1927)
• Man in the Shadows (1928)
• The Hidden Hand (1929)
• The Tag Murders (1930)
• Tainted Power (1931)
• The Third Murderer (1931)
• The Amateur Murderer (1933)
• Murder Won’t Wait (1933)
• Murder from the East (1935)
• Mr. Strang (1936)
• The Mystery of the Smoking Gun (1936)
• The Emperor of Evil (1937)
• Better Corpses (1940)
• Murder at Our House (1950)
• Ready to Burn (1951)

Precursor to Race Williams[edit]

• 'The False Burton Combs', Black Mask, December 1922, in Herbert Ruhm (1977), ed., The Hard-boiled Detective: Stories from 'Black Mask' Magazine (1920-1951), New York: Vintage.

Race Williams Stories[edit]

All published in Black Mask magazine, thru ‘The Eyes Have It’ (Nov 1934) The Altus Press aka Steeger Books has re-published all the Black Mask stories in a four-volume set. There is a plan to publish the complete stories; info at steegerbooks.com.

Knights of the Open Palm (June 1923) Race vs. The KKK. Appeared in special KKK number of Black Mask Vol.6 No. 5 June 1, 1923Three Thousand to the Good (July 1923)The Red Peril (June 1924)Them That Lives by Their Guns (August 1924)Devil Cat (November 1924)The Face Behind the Mask (February 1925)Conceited, Maybe (April 1925)Say It with Lead (June 1925)I'll Tell the World (August 1925)Alias, Buttercup (October 1925)

• novel: Under Cover [parts:1-2] (December 1925 - January 1926)

South Sea Steel (May 1926)The False Clara Burkhart (July 1926)The Super Devil (August 1926)Half-Breed (November 1926)Blind Alleys (April 1927)

• novel: The Snarl of the Beast [parts: 1-4] (June, July, August, September 1927) [*book - 1927]

The Egyptian Lure (March 1928)

• novel: The Hidden Hand [Creeping Death] (June 1928); The Hidden Hand - Wanted For Murder (July 1928); The Hidden Hand - Rough Stuff (August 1928); The Hidden Hand - The Last Chance (September 1928); The Hidden Hand - The Last Shot (October 1928). [*book - 1929]
• novel: Tags of Death (March 1929); A Pretty Bit of Shooting (April 1929); Get Race Williams (May 1929); Race Williams Never Bluffs (June 1929) [aka: The Tag Murders *book - 1930] Race Williams (& Flame)
• novel: The Silver Eagle (October- November 1929); [*? title of 2nd part: 'The Death Trap' (November 1929). Serial dropped after Part 2] Race Williams (& Flame)
• novel: Tainted Power (June 1930); Framed (July 1930); The Final Shot (August 1930) [aka: Tainted Power *book - 1931] Race Williams (& Flame)

Shooting Out of Turn (October 1930)

1937 Dime With Woman

Murder by Mail (March 1931)

• novel: The Flame and Race Williams [parts:1-3] (June, July, August 1931) [aka: The Third Murderer *book - 1931] Race Williams (& Flame)

Death for Two (September 1931)

• novel: The Amateur Murderer [parts:1-4] (April, May, June, July 1932)

[*book - 1933]

Merger with Death (December 1932)

The Death Drop (May 1933)

If Death Is Respectable (July 1933)

Murder in the Open (October 1933)

• novel: Six Have Died (May 1934); Flaming Death (June 1934); Murder Book (August 1934) [aka: Murder from the East *book - 1935] Race Williams (& Flame)

The Eyes Have It (November 1934) (last Black Mask story)

The next five appeared in Dime Detective magazine.

Some Die Hard (September 1935)

Dead Hands Reaching (November 1935)

Corpse & Co. (February 1936)

Just Another Stiff (April 1936)

City of Blood (October 1936)

The five stories above were collected in ‘The Adventures of Race Williams’

The Morgue's Our Home (December 1936) Dime Detective

Monogram in Lead (February 1937) Dime DetectiveAvailable fromhttp://davycrockettsalmanack.blogspot.com/2013/01/forgotten-and-free-stories-race.html

Dead Men Don't Kill (August 1937) Dime Detective

Anyone's Corpse! (October 1937) Dime DetectiveAvailable fromhttp://davycrockettsalmanack.blogspot.com/search/label/Race%20Williams%20stories

The $1,000,000 Corpse (December 1937) Race Williams-?* (+ see [different-?*]: March 1950) Dime Detective

The Book of the Dead (January 1938) Dime Detective

A Corpse on the House (March 1938) Dime Detective

A Corpse for a Corpse (July 1938) Dime DetectiveAvailable fromhttp://davycrockettsalmanack.blogspot.com/search/label/Race%20Williams%20stories

The Men in Black (October 1938) Dime DetectiveAvailable from vintagelibrary.com

The Quick and the Dead (December 1938) Dime Detective

Hell with the Lid Lifted (March 1939) Race Williams (& Flame) Dime DetectiveAvailable fromhttp://davycrockettsalmanack.blogspot.com/search/label/Race%20Williams%20stories

A Corpse in the Hand (June 1939) Dime DetectiveAvailable fromhttp://davycrockettsalmanack.blogspot.com/search/label/Race%20Williams%20stories

Gangman's Gallows (August 1939) Dime Detective

The White-Headed Corpse (November 1939) Dime DetectiveAvailable from vintagelibrary.com

Cash for a Killer (February 1940) Detective Tales Race Williams-?*

Victim for Vengeance (September 1940) Clues (Street & Smith’s)Available athttp://davycrockettsalmanack.blogspot.com/search/label/Race%20Williams%20stories

• novel: Better Corpses (1940) Race Williams (& Flame) UK only. The three stories ‘Dead Hands Reaching’, ‘Corpse & Co.’, and ‘Just Another Stiff’ from 1935-36. Available from vintagelibrary.com

Too Dead to Pay (March 1941) Clues (Street & Smith)Available athttp://davycrockettsalmanack.blogspot.com/search/label/Race%20Williams%20stories

Body, Body – Who's Got the Body? (October 1944) Detective Story Magazine (Street & Smith) Race Williams-?* Available athttp://davycrockettsalmanack.blogspot.com/search/label/Race%20Williams%20stories

A Corpse Loses Its Head (March 1945) Race Williams-?* Detective Story Magazine (Street & Smith)

Unremembered Murder (March 1947) Detective Story Magazine (Street & Smith) May have been later re-titled ‘Not My Corpse’

This Corpse on Me (June 1947) Thrilling DetectiveIncluded in ‘Race Williams’ Double Date’ story collection

I'll Feel Better When You're Dead (December 1947) Thrilling DetectiveIncluded in ‘Race Williams’ Double Date’ story collection

Not My Corpse (June 1948) Thrilling Detective - UK editionMay have been earlier titled ‘Unremembered Murder’Available in ‘The Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories’

Race Williams' Double Date (August 1948) Dime DetectiveIncluded in ‘Race Williams’ Double Date’ story collection

The Wrong Corpse (February 1949) Thrilling DetectiveAvailable fromhttp://davycrockettsalmanack.blogspot.com/search/label/Race%20Williams%20stories

1936 Mercury Dime Mint Mark

Half a Corpse (May 1949) Dime Detective

Race Williams Cooks a Goose (October 1949) Dime Detective

The $100,000 Corpse (March 1950) Popular Detective (see [different-?*]: December 1937)

The Strange Case of Alta May (April 1950) Thrilling Detective

Little Miss Murder (June 1952) Smashing Detective Stories

This Corpse Is Free! (September 1952) Smashing Detective StoriesIncluded in ‘Race Williams’ Double Date’ story collection

Gas (June 1953) Smashing Detective StoriesIncluded in ‘Race Williams’ Double Date’ story collection

Head over Homicide (May 1955) [wrong title (misspelling): Head over Heels] Smashing Detective Stories

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcdServer, Lee (1993). Danger Is My Business: an illustrated history of the Fabulous Pulp Magazines. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. pp. 62–65. ISBN978-0-8118-0112-6.
2. ^Gruesser, John Cullen (2010). A Century of Detection: Twenty Great Mystery Stories, 1841-1940. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 297. ISBN9780786446506.
3. ^Panek, Leroy Lad (1990). Probable Cause: Crime Fiction in America. Bowling Green, OH: Popular Press. p. 120. ISBN9780879724856.
4. ^Nolan, William F. (1985). The Black Mask Boys: Masters in the Hard-Boiled School of Detective Fiction. William Morrow & Company. pp. 273. ISBN0-688-03966-9.
5. ^Mertz, Stephen. 'In Defense of Carroll John Daly'. Black Mask Online.
6. ^Barson, Michael S. (Fall–Winter 1981). ''There's No Sex in Crime': The Two-Fisted Homilies of Race Williams'. Clues: A Journal of Detection. 2 (2): 103–12.
7. ^ ^abcDeAndrea, William L (1994). Encyclopedia Mysteriosa: a comprehensive guide to the art of detection in print, film, radio, and television. New York: Prentice Hall General Reference. p. 83. ISBN0-671-85025-3.
8. ^Hulse, Ed (2007). The Blood 'N' Thunder Guide to collecting pulps. Morris Plains, NJ: Murania Press. pp. 111, 117. ISBN978-0-9795955-0-9.
9. ^Herbert Ruhm, 'Introduction', in Herbert Ruhm (1977), ed., The Hard-boiled Detective: Stories from 'Black Mask' Magazine (1920-1951), New York: Vintage, p. xviii.

Other resources[edit]

Daly, Carroll John (1947). 'The Ambulating Lady' [essay on his writing style]. Writer's Digest April 1947. Repr. Clues: A Journal of Detection 2.2 (1981): 113-15.

External links[edit]

• Carroll John Daly bibliography at HARD-BOILED site (Comprehensive Bibliographies by Vladimir)

Coin Values Moving with Precious Metals: Up-Dated 2/8/2021: Gold $1813 Silver $26.90

The 1937 dime value is at a minimum of $1.97 - rising with the value of silver it contains. However old Mercury head dimes are avidly collected today and many are valued higher.

Your old silver dime does have the very real possibility of being worth more, especially if it is in very nice condition. Additionally if you find the 'D' or 'S' mintmark on the reverse it has increased appeal and raises the value of your 1937 dime.

Mercury head dimes are popular and collectors assembling sets often include coins from the all the mints that produced dimes for that year. And these branch mint coins are scarce when compared to those minted in Philadelphia.

The 'Uncirculated' 1937 dime pictured, is $7.06 plus coin because of its high end condition and also the San Francisco mintmark, becoming a nice addition to any Mercury dime collection.

Images showing coins representing various stages of wear are found in the grading section below and see under the value chart for the locations of mintmarks, helping judge how much your 1937 dime is worth.

Many people are interested in collecting Mercury dimes by dates and also include coins of the different mints.

Used to identify minting facilities, a small 'D' for the Denver mint and 'S' for San Francisco are found on the reverse. If your coin is without a mintmark, it was struck at the Philadelphia mint.

Brightly Toned 1937 Dime Value

Silver tones naturally overtime, today this rare 1937 Mercury dime displays subtle shades of gold, red and blue highlighted by original luster. Often when toning is light and attractive the visual interest adds value to the coin.

Even though some collectors seek only brilliant silver white examples as additions to their collections, many others see stunning toned Mercury dimes as appealing. The coin pictured lived up to its potential by realizing $402 at a David Lawrence Rare Coin Auction.

A notable Mercury dime having everything necessary to classify as gem quality - mark free surfaces, bold strike, and intense luster. Add eye-caching toning together with appreciative collectors and values rise. Natural toning and aging of coins, when undisturbed, brings the highest prices.

Grading Determines 1937 Dime Value

The amount of wear or preferably the lack of it, determines a large part of the value of your 1937 dime. Collectors after checking the date and mintmark next examine the condition of the coin and give it a 'grade. ' As a coin wears there are distinct visual differences from one 'grade' to the next. Judge your coins against the images and descriptions to gain an accurate value.

Uncirculated: A very sought after dime, noted for never circulating and not receiving any wear, the coin has remained in brand new condition as the day it left the mint. Both beginning and selective collectors strive to advance their collections into coins of this grade. Inspect the high points of the design to confirm no wear has occurred. If the coin has circulated, wear starts to appear as a dulling of the luster on Liberty's cheek, curls of hair near the ear and the center portion of the wing.

Extremely Fine: Although this coin has been in circulation, it sill remains very detailed in appearance. Across the surface a small amount of wear is visible. Feather details of the wing above Liberty's ear have worn and lost detail but remain separated. Also a slight flatness to the once rounded cheek is noticeable. On the reverse, vertical lines of the 'fasces' are separated. Your coin is a nice collectible condition with a premium 1937 dime value.

Fine: After serving for an extended period of time your dime has lost considerable detail. Liberty's portrait once distinguished by feathers in a wing above her ear is hard to recognize. Additionally the hair running along her fore head under her cap is now quite flat, the curls hard to see. 1937 dime value is now just above its silver value.

Good: Just beginning to merge into the lettering and date, the rim indicates the grade of this dime. The bust of Liberty is lacking all design features, no hair or wing elements are visible but she does remain well outlined. At the low end of the 1937 dime value, collectors strive to add nicer examples to their collections.

Coin Values CoinStudy Articles

Date by Date
In Depth Mercury Dime Values
1916 to 1945

Values listed for the entire Mercury head dime series including more on the 1937 dime value. Rare and valuable dates are scattered through out the series contributing to a large spread in Mercury dime values. Additionally, the condition of your old dime plays a key role in today's rare coin values.

One of the most popular and widely collected coins today. Spanning over two hundred years of US dime production with rare coin values listed for literally hundreds of date and mintmark combinations. Examine closely these small potential treasures.

1937 Dime Silver

★Coin Values Discovery... finds 1937 dime value and...

all old US coin values. It is an excellent index with images and text links to coin series, from Cents to Gold. Value charts, grading images with descriptions uncover how much your box of old coins is worth.

Rare Dimes!

Awaiting discovery are potentially high value rarities in the US dime series as well as some other possible finds in your box of old coins. Visit... Finding Rare Dimes...