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US Dime or Ten-Cent Coin from 1957

YEARS: 1796-1799 | 1800-1824 | 1825-1849 | 1850-1874 | 1875-1899 | 1900-1924 | 1925-1949 | 1950-1974 | 1975-1999 | 2000-2024
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Click here to view the US 10 cent piece of 1957 at eBay

The Roosevelt dime replaced the Winged Liberty or “Mercury” dime in 1946. The reason for its creation was to honor President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who guided our nation not only through the Great Depression years, but through the dark years of World War II as well. Designed by one John R. Sinnock (who also designed the Franklin half dollar two years later), there was a minor scandal associated with his initials on the Roosevelt dime. With his initial, “J.S” appearing on the dime at the base of Roosevelt’s bust, a story went around that the initials were placed there by a Russian agent residing in the United States, as a veiled salute to Joseph Stalin!

From the start, mintages were high for the Roosevelt dime. Mintages ranged from the tens of millions to the hundreds of millions. One of the scarcest mintages for a circulation-issue Roosevelt dime was 13.5 million, for the 1949-S. Because of the consistent high production, no Roosevelt dime is rare. After the 1949-S, the collecting public got briefly excited over the 1955 mintages– the 1955-P had a mintage of just 12.8 million, the 1955-D at 13.9 million and the 1955-S at 18.5 million. But because so many people were on the lookout for 1955 dimes, the 1955-P in uncirculated, only retails $3.15 today, while the 1955-D and 1955-S both retail for around $2 in mint-state!

Other “high-priced” Roosevelt dimes would include the 1949-P (retails $29 in UNC), the 1950-S (retails $40 in UNC), and the 1951-S (retails $15 in UNC). Most dates, even the older ones of the 1950's and early 1960's, retail only $1-$3 in basic mint-state condition!

There was only one major change in the Roosevelt dime series, it had nothing to do with the design. From 1946 through 1964, all Roosevelt dimes were struck in 90% silver. After 1965, they were struck in copper-nickel clad. Amazingly, the mint-state CLAD issues of 1965 to present, retail for about the same in mint-state condition as do most of the silver 1950's and 1960's Roosevelts!

There IS one thing that makes the Roosevelt dime unique among all other U.S. coin types ever struck– at least the ones struck for circulation. The Roosevelt dime is the one and only U.S. circulation-issue coin type to boast “The Big W”. I’m talking about the West Point mintmark.

Yes, only the Roosevelt dime – not the cent, not the nickel, not the quarter, not the half dollar, not the dollar coin – was ever struck with the West Point mintmark of “W.” A couple of other U.S. commemorative coins and special bullion coins have that mintmark, but again, the Roosevelt dime is the only U.S. Mint CIRCULATION coin, to ever bear a “W” mintmark. Bear in mind though, these 1995-W and 1996-W Roosevelt dimes were not actually struck FOR circulation– they were part of special Mint and Proof sets. But that does not take away from the fact that the Roosevelt dime is a circulation-issue coin. The 1995-W (mint-state) retails for $10, while the 1996-W (Proof) retails for $25.

Two questions may come to mind at this point. One, how much longer will the Roosevelt dime be with us? At this writing, there are no concrete plans to retire the Roosevelt dime, but with as many changes in U.S. coins as we’ve seen in the last ten year, a change may come sooner than we realize. The drum is beating ever louder for wholesale U.S. coin design changes across the board!

Secondly, will values ever rise for the under-appreciated Roosevelt dime? Obviously, the best chance for that happening, would be if the series did come to an end. Then, there would be a movement of dime collectors to complete full-sets of Roosevelt dimes. But then, if there aren’t that many Roosevelt dime collectors to begin with, then there won’t be much demand to push up prices– especially if supply considers to overwhelm demand. It seems that collectors much prefer the more beautiful Mercury dime, a dime series that’s 90% silver for ALL dates! Or they prefer the older, classic silver dimes: the Seated Liberty dimes, or the Barber dimes. Who knows if the Roosevelt dime will EVER rise above the status of perennial “sleeper?”


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