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Roosevelt Dime

The Roosevelt Dime is a US dime piece that was first produced in 1946, shortly after the death of the nation's 32nd President.

The dime piece was chosen to honor President Franklin Delano Roosevelt because of all of his work with the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (known today as the March of Dimes).

This charity organization originally raised money to aid the victims of polio and to further research of the disease and people were encouraged to send a dime donation, hence the new name March of Dimes.

President Roosevelt, being a victim of polio himself, had worked hard to get the Foundation up and running.

U.S. Mint Director Nellie Tayloe Ross wanted the new Roosevelt Dime ready to be released on what would have been President Roosevelt's 64th birthday, January 30, 1946 which was also the day that the 1946 March of Dimes fundraiser was to kick off.

So, instead of the normal contest among American artists for the design of the coin, Chief Engraver John R. Sinnock was chosen to design the new dime piece because he had previously designed a medal of President Roosevelt.

(click to enlarge)

Sinnock's choice of design elements for the reverse of the Roosevelt Dime included:

a torch symbolizing liberty
an olive branch symbolizing peace
an oak branch symbolizing victory

Early Roosevelt dimes were made of 90% silver and 10% copper (1946-1964). Dime pieces from 1964 forward are clad coinage consisting of copper sandwiched between two layers of an alloy that is 75% copper and 25% nickel.

Beginning in 1992, silver coins were included in yearly collectors sets produced by the US Mint. These 90 percent silver proof coins include the Roosevelt Dime, Washington Quarter and Kennedy Half Dollar.

Below you will find the following information for the Roosevelt Dime:

Design Specifications and Mintages for 1946-1964
Design Specifications and Mintages for 1965 to date
Rare Coins and Errors to Watch For

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Silver Roosevelt Dimes 1946-1964

(click image for larger view)
**Silver Roosevelt Dime**

Type	Silver Roosevelt Dime
Designer	John R. Sinnock
Years Minted	1946-1964
Weight	2.50 grams
Composition	90% silver, 10% copper (net weight: .07234 oz. pure silver)
Diameter	17.9 mm
Edge	reeded
Mints	Philadelphia - *no mint mark* Denver - D San Francisco - S

Mintage	Philadelphia	Denver- D	San Francisco- S
1946	255,250,000	D - 61,043,500	S - 27,900,000
1947	121,520,000	D - 46,835,000	S - 34,840,000
1948	74,950,000	D - 52,841,000	S - 35,520,000
1949	30,940,000	D - 26,034,000	S - 13,510,000
1950	50,130,114	D - 46,803,000	S - 20,440,000
1951	103,880,102	D - 56,529,000	S - 31,630,000
1952	99,040,093	D - 122,100,000	S - 44,419,500
1953	53,490,120	D - 136,433,000	S - 39,180,000
1954	114,010,203	D - 106,397,000	S - 22,860,000
1955	12,450,181	D - 13,959,000	S - 18,510,000
1956	108,640,000	D - 108,015,100	S - 0
1957	160,160,000	D - 113,354,330	S - 0
1958	31,910,000	D - 136,564,600	S - 0
1959	85,780,000	D - 164,919,790	S - 0
1960	70,390,000	D - 200,160,400	S - 0
1961	93,730,000	D - 209,146,550	S - 0
1962	72,450,000	D - 334,948,380	S - 0
1963	123,650,000	D - 421,476,530	S - 0
1964	929,360,000	D - 1,357,517,180	S - 0

Clad Coins and Silver Proofs - 1965 to Date

Type	Roosevelt Dime
Designer	John R. Sinnock
Years Minted	1965 to Date
Weight	2.27 grams
Composition	outer layers - 75% copper and 25% nickel bonded to an inner core of pure copper
Diameter	17.9 mm
Edge	reeded
Mints	Philadelphia - *no mint mark* Denver - D San Francisco - S West Point - W - 1996W was issued in Mint sets only with a mintage of 1,457,000

Mintage	Philadelphia- P or none	Denver- D	San Francisco- S
1965	1,652,140,570 - no mint marks were used at any mint
1966	1,382,734,540 - no mint marks were used at any mint
1967	2,244,007,320 - no mint marks were used at any mint
1968	424,470,400	D - 480,748,280	S - 3,041,506 proofs
1969	145,790,000	D - 563,323,870	S - 2,394,631 proofs
1970	345,570,000	D - 854,942,100	S - 2,632,810 proofs
1971	162,690,000	D - 377,914,240	S - 3,220,733 proofs
1972	431,540,000	D - 330,290,000	S - 3,260,996 proofs
1973	315,670,000	D - 455,032,426	S - 2,760,339 proofs
1974	470,248,000	D - 571,083,000	S - 2,612,568 proofs
1975	585,673,900	D - 313,705,300	S - 2,845,450 proofs
1976	568,760,000	D - 695,222,774	S - 4,149,730 proofs
1977	796,930,000	D - 376,607,228	S - 3,251,152 proofs
1978	663,980,000	D - 282,847,540	S - 3,127,781 proofs
1979	315,440,000	D - 390,921,184	S - 3,677,175 proofs
1980	P- 735,170,000	D - 719,354,321	S - 3,554,806 proofs
1981	P- 676,650,000	D - 712,284,143	S - 4,063,083 proofs
1982	P- 519,475,000	D - 542,713,584	S - 3,857,479 proofs
1983	P- 647,025,000	D - 730,127,224	S - 3,279,126 proofs
1984	P- 856,669,000	D - 704,803,976	S - 3,065,110 proofs
1985	P- 705,200,962	D - 587,979,970	S - 3,362,821 proofs
1986	P- 682,649,693	D - 473,326,970	S - 3,010,497 proofs
1987	P- 762,709,481	D - 653,203,402	S - 4,227,729 proofs
1988	P- 1,030,550,000	D - 962,385,489	S - 3,262,948 proofs
1989	P- 1,298,400,000	D - 896,535,597	S - 3,220,194 proofs
1990	P- 1,034,340,000	D - 839,995,824	S - 3,299,559 proofs
1991	P- 927,220,000	D - 601,241,114	S - 2,867,787 proofs
1992	P- 593,500,000	D - 616,273,932	S - 2,858,981 proofs 1,317,579 silver proofs
1993	P- 766,180,000	D - 750,110,166	S - 2,633,439 proofs 761,353 silver proofs
1994	P- 1,189,000,000	D - 1,303,268,110	S - 2,484,594 proofs 785,329 silver proofs
1995	P- 1,125,500,000	D - 1,274,890,000	S - 2,117,496 proofs 679,985 silver proofs
1996	P- 1,421,163,000	D - 1,400,300,000	S - 1,750,244 proofs 775,021 silver proofs
1997	P- 991,640,000	D - 979,810,000	S - 2,055,000 proofs 741,678 silver proofs
1998	P- 1,163,000,000	D - 1,172,250,000	S - 2,086,507 proofs 878,792 silver proofs
1999	P- 2,164,000,000	D - 1,397,750,000	S - 2,543,401 proofs 804,565 silver proofs
2000	P- 1,842,500,000	D - 1,818,700,000	S - 3,082,572 proofs 965,421 silver proofs
2001	P- 1,369,590,000	D - 1,412,800,000	S - 2,294,909 proofs 889,697 silver proofs
2002	P- 1,187,500,000	D - 1,379,500,000	S - 2,319,766 proofs 892,229 silver proofs
2003	P- 1,086,500,000	D - 986,500,000	S - 2,172,684 proofs 1,125,755 silver proofs
2004	P- 1,328,000,000	D - 1,159,500,000	S - 1,789,488 proofs 1,175,934 silver proofs
2005	P- 1,412,000,000	D - 1,423,500,000	S - 2,275,000 proofs 1,069,679 silver proofs
2006	P- 1,381,000,000	D - 1,447,000,000	S - 2,000,428 proofs 1,054,008 silver proofs
2007	P- 995,000,000	D - 1,012,000,000	S - 1,384,797 proofs 677,996 silver proofs

Roosevelt Dime - Rare Coins and Errors to Watch For

Keydates - 1949-S
Semi-key dates - 1949, 1950-S, 1951-S, 1952-S
Doubled-Die Obverse - 1960
Doubled-Die Reverse - 1963, 1964-D
Proof Coins that were made without the 'S' mintmark - 1968, 1970, 1975, 1983
1982 no mintmark error dime - minted in Philadelphia but without 'P' mintmark, less than 15,000 are believed to exist

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