Roosevelt Dime

Franklin Delano Roosevelt's portrait was placed on the Roosevelt Dime in 1946, following his death in 1945.

Specifications

 * Designer: John R. Sinnock
 * Obverse Design: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bust
 * Reverse Design: Upright torch, symbolizing freedom, flanked by branches of olive and oak, respectively denoting peace and victory.
 * Edge: Reeded
 * Weight: ±2.50 grams
 * Diameter: ±17.9 millimeters
 * Composition:  Silver (90%), Copper (10%) until 1965
 * Dates Minted: 1946 - Present

Background
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!

History
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?”

Collecting
At least as far as collectors are unconcerned, the Roosevelt dime may well be the least-loved of all U.S. coin types. It seems that few folks, if any, have any real passion for the Roosevelt dime series. There are at least three major reasons for this.

First, is the familiarity-breeds-contempt principle. The Roosevelt dime has been with us for 60 years now, and there’s no sign that it’ll ever go away. And unlike the Lincoln cent, Jefferson nickel, Washington quarter, Kennedy half dollar and any of the dollar coins issued since 1971, the Roosevelt dime has not gone through one single solitary design change since it came on the scene in 1946 – not even during the Bicentennial year!

Secondly, let’s face it– the design is boring. Franklin D. Roosevelt may have been a great President, but his portrait bust doesn’t make for dynamic coinage art. Or the Roosevelt dime just seems boring because it’s been with us, unchanged, for so long. I’m sure the Roosevelt dime was much more exciting when the American public first saw it. But even then, I’m sure few people saw it as an artistic improvement over its predecessor, the Mercury dime. Today, it’s pretty certain that NO ONE sees the Roosevelt dime as an improvement over the classic Mercury dime!

Third, there are no major rarities in this series to capture the collecting public’s imagination. There’s no hope of striking it rich with any Roosevelt dime. For any Roosevelt dime to be worth more than a movie matinee ticket, it has to be at LEAST in mint-state. So even if you are lucky enough to find an older, 90% silver Roosevelt dime, it would STILL have to be uncirculated to have any hope of any kind of value! And even then, the rarest Roosevelt dime in mint-state condition (the 1949-S), retails for just $45.

Mints

 * Philadelphia Mint (no mintmark)
 * San Francisco Mint (S mintmark)
 * Denver Mint (D mintmark)
 * West Point Mint (W mintmark)