The “Mercury” dime does not depict the winged messenger of Roman mythology. The figure is a depiction of the goddess Liberty wearing a Phrygian cap, with its wings intended to symbolize freedom of thought. Designed by sculptor Adolph A. Weinman, the Winged Liberty Head dime is considered to be one of the most beautiful U.S. coin designs ever produced. The composition (90 percent silver, 10 percent copper) and diameter (17.9 millimeters) of the Mercury dime was standard for U.S. dime coins until 1945. Weinman studied under Augustus Saint-Gaudens and won a 1915 competition to design the coin. Weinman may have modeled his version of Liberty on Elsie Kachel Stevens, wife of noted poet Wallace Stevens. The reverse design, a fasces juxtaposed with an olive branch,  symbolizes America's readiness for war, combined with its desire for peace.