History
Between 1963 in 1965, the United States experienced a coin shortage. This shortage was mainly due to the rising price of silver, causing the intrinsic melt value of silver coins to be worth more than their face value. As a result, in 1965, the United States began converting all its silver coins to a copper-nickel clad composition. John Sinnock’s design of the Roosevelt dime remained unchanged. However, the United States Mint continued to blame the coin shortage on coin collectors. Therefore from 1965 through 1967, they removed all mint marks from United States coins. Beginning in 1968, the mint resumed using mint marks to identify where the coins were made.
Market Analysis
Roosevelt dimes are still made for circulation by the United States Mint. The current coin is made with an outer layer of 25 percent nickel and 75 percent copper with an inner core of 100 percent copper. Up until 1964, dimes were made with 90 percent silver. To get the most money for your Roosevelt clad dime collection, you need to sort them and organize them so the dealer can quickly see what you have. Unfortunately, most Roosevelt dime coin collections are not worth much more than face value.
Key Dates, Rarities, and Varieties
In 1982 a die was made for a Roosevelt dime without the required “P” mint mark. A “1982 No P Mint Mark” coin is worth considerably more than regular 1982 Philadelphia mint dimes. As such, this coin is frequently counterfeit or altered from common 1982-P dimes. Therefore, you should have the coin authenticated by a reputable coin dealer or third party grading service.
Condition or Grade
If your coin is worn and looks similar to the one illustrated below, it is considered a circulated coin. If your coin looks similar to the one illustrated below and has no evidence of wear due to being in circulation, it is considered an uncirculated coin.
Mint Marks
Roosevelt Clad Dimes were produced at four different mints: Philadelphia (1965 to1979: no mint mark. 1980 to date: P), Denver (D), San Francisco (S) and West Point (W). As illustrated in the picture below, the mint mark is located on the obverse of the coin, near the lower right side above the date.
Photo of the Roosevelt dime mint mark location
Average Prices and Values
The buy price is what you can expect to pay to a dealer when you purchase the coin. Sell value is what you can expect a dealer to give you if you sell the coin. Average circulated and average uncirculated prices and values are given for your reference. These are approximate retail prices and wholesale values. The actual offer you receive from a particular coin dealer will vary depending on the actual grade of the coin and a number of other factors that determine its worth.
