I have an old coin and wonder is it worth more than its face value . it is a 1934 "liberty head " dime

your dime , at best , might bring ya 15 cents , depending on it's condition . Your dime is 100% silver . Not worth that much , but better than the newer dimes with the copper in them . If ya find ya a sucker who will give ya a quarter for it , Ya better take it. Otherwise , next time you buy something for a dollar , you can use that dime to pay the tax on your dollar. They'll give you 1 peny back.

Actually you have a Winged Liberty Head, that is the true numismatic name. The image is a female, it got nicknamed a Mercury dime, but Mercury was a male. It may have a mint mark, it is on the reverse near the E in one at the bottom left. The dimes of that year were struck only at 2 mints, Denver (D) and no mint mark Philadelphia. No dimes were struck in 1932 or 1833 so the mintage for 1934 is a little higher than the other dimes of 1930 & 1931. It is worth at least 8 time face for it's silver and if in a middle circulated grade sells for around $2 or so. Hope this answers your question.

It's not a liberty head but a mercury dime. Liberty head was used in reference to V nickels.

http://www.bestcoin.com/1913-liberty-nickels.htm

That's a liberty head. For starters your coin is 90% silver (10% copper) and is worth a little over a dollar for the silver content alone.

You didn't mention a mintmark for your coin. It is located on the back of the coin at the bottom and to the left of the fasces (pillar looking thing).

If there is not mintmark then your coin came from the Philadelphia mint.and would fetch probably between $1.00 and $3.00. Higher if it an especially nice example.

If there is a "D" mintmark on your coin, the mintage was slightly lower and you could probably get between $2.00 and $5.00. Again if your coin is especially nice you could get more.

1 - Take your coin to a local coin dealer (trustworthy ones can be found - shop around). It never hurts to get a second opinion. They will be able to tell you so much more by evaluation the condition of the coins. They will also know the amount minted and what it is going for in today's market.

2 - Try posting pictures on this website (there are many experts here that can help you evaluate it - there also may be people willing to buy if you are trying to sell):

http://www.coincommunity.com/forum/default.asp

3 - Repost this question and include pictures. You can use websites like http://www.photobucket.com/ and include the link in your question.

Good luck!

P.S. You should not clean your coins. Most coin collectors see cleaning a coin as the equivalent of stripping down antique furniture and refinishing it.

When cleaning, the surface metal of the coin is often stripped. Anything used to scrub the coin will leave scratches (even 100% pure silk will leave hairline scratches). Most cleaning products will have some type of reaction with the coin's metal and the surface metal can also be removed in this manner.

Your best bet is to leave the coins alone. Cleaning the coin will leave traces - which can be found by the knowledgeable collector - who in turn will not buy the cleaned coin. Also if you ever wanted to send your coin into a grading company, they can recognize signs of cleaning and will send your coin back in a "cleaned" slab (also called a "body bag" in the coin world) - which is usually a greatly decreased value.

If you absolutely must must must clean your coins do not use the method described above as it will react with the metal in your coin. Use 100% acetone (do not use fingernail polish remover!). It must be 100% pure because other additives will react with the coin metal. Place your coin(s) in the solution for several minutes (do not leave in for long periods of time). Rinse your coin(s) in distilled water. Next remove your coins and either pat dry with a soft cloth or allow the coin to air dry (air drying is better as you don't risk scratching the coin with the cloth). NEVER scrub your coins!

I would still advise you to leave your coins as they are. They may not be bright and shiny but that is what most collectors prefer.

We'll of course its worth more than its face value cuz everything that is old is worth money. We'll you have to first see what the metal value is and also how rare the coin is. Usually the rarer the coin is the more its worth. You would also have to see what a person would exactly spend on a coin as well.