1918-D MERCURY 10C MS66 Full Bands

It is 1918; the United States has now been engaged in World War I for under a year since Britain intercepted a telegraph from Germany meant for Mexico filled with promises of allegiance and land, specifically the Southwestern United States. Clearly, Germany did not get their wish fulfilled which led to the formation of diplomatic ties between the United States and Mexico and another super power in the battle against the central powers. Before the United States entered, there was really no end in sight for this vicious and bloody war but once we joined the fates leaned more toward the allied powers. In the United States, the previous reasons for hesitancy to join came to light as economic downfall became a reality when they attempted to fund the war. Soon the government implemented meatless and wheat less days of the week as well as aggressive bond programs to assist the militant force in Europe. Even states answered the call for supplies and geared up their specialty markets to produce needed supplies for the war. Colorado, the home state for this coin, for example amped up their livestock, agricultural, and mining practices to provide raw materials across seas which helped Denver’s slow growth economy and provided ample jobs.

As other countries focused on war efforts, the almighty Russia struggled to continue their fight but had to withdraw from the war by March 3, 1918. It is likely that their struggle outward was affected by their issues within such as the Bolshevik Revolution that had been going on since late 1917 into 1918. As their leadership faltered so too did the country’s war contributions. Shortly after withdrawal, Russia was able to focus inward and soon the Bolshevik party, now the Communist party, became more evolved and stable. Eventually after the royal Tsar and his family were executed, the Communist Party overthrew the government and changed history forever.

Allied victories became more frequent as calendar pages flew by. In a last bout of energy and hopefulness near the end of 1918, the United States deployed several thousand troops across Europe to Serbia, Russia, and Germany. This last ditch effort to end the war successfully forced German troops to retreat and began peaceful negotiations with several Central Power countries. Thus the Great World War came to an end by November 1918.