Roosevelt Dimes 1946 - present Coin Guide
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Roosevelt Dimes 1946 - present
Who really designed the Roosevelt Dime? Was it the U. S. Mint's Chief
Engraver, John Ray Sinnock, whose initials appear on the coins first
minted in 1946, or was it sculptor Selma Burke, whose bas-relief submitted
as a gift to the President five years earlier bears an uncanny resemblance
to the portrait actually used? This nagging question has been raised
repeatedly during recent years, and it remains a subject of debate among
numismatic scholars.
What is known for certain is that the American public in 1945 was
clamoring for some memorial to their fallen leader, whose passing had come
just as he was about to enjoy a sweet victory after years of struggle and
worry. As World War II was nearing its end in April of that year, Franklin
Delano Roosevelt breathed his last, and the free world mourned. The
nation's only four-term president died at 63, aged beyond his years by
twin burdens of the greatest economic depression in the nation's history
and the most devastating war of all time.
Within the Treasury Department, plans were quickly laid for the
introduction of a new coin to honor Roosevelt. Since the late president
had been afflicted with polio, or infantile paralysis as it was then
commonly known, it seemed only natural to place his portrait on the dime.
This humble coin was symbolic of the struggle to end polio through the
"March of Dimes" fundraising campaign, a project begun during
Roosevelt's first term.
In a break with its 40-year tradition of enlisting outside artists in
the design of new coins, the Mint assigned this task to Chief Engraver
Sinnock. His initial models were submitted to the federal Commission of
Fine Arts by Acting Mint Director Leland Howard on October 12, 1945. The
Commission rejected them on very specific grounds and recommended an
invitational competition for the design of the new dime, naming five
accomplished sculptors as candidates. Given the allowable time frame (the
coins had to be ready for issue when the 1946 March of Dimes campaign
kicked off on the late president's birthday, January 30), this suggestion
was quickly rejected by Mint Director Nellie Tayloe Ross.
Instead, Sinnock went back to his workshop to make the desired
improvements. His small head of Roosevelt with large mottos was replaced
by the now familiar, larger portrait with a miniscule IN GOD WE TRUST. As
it fit the available space, LIBERTY remained in large letters but was
moved to the left from its former position directly above the portrait.
The date, and Sinnock's initials JS, were quite small and appeared below
the truncation of Roosevelt's neck. The reverse featured an upright torch,
symbolizing freedom, flanked by branches of olive and oak, respectively
denoting peace and victory. The motto E PLURIBUS UNUM was awkwardly spaced
between these elements in a single line. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and ONE
DIME were arranged in arcs around the periphery, separated from one
another by ornamental dots. At the eleventh hour, these revised models
were approved on January 8, 1946 by the Commission of Fine Arts and
Treasury Secretary Fred Vinson. Accompanying this announcement was an
order from Director Ross to commence the production of hubs and dies
immediately and to begin coinage as soon as possible.
As they would decades later with the claims raised by Selma Burke, John
Sinnock's initials JS on the dime provided controversy from the outset.
Americans, newly awakened to the post-war threat posed by the Soviet
Union, were beginning to imagine Communists behind every tree. A
persistent rumor spread that the initials JS were those of Soviet leader
Joseph Stalin. As absurd as this may seem today, enough Americans were
alarmed by the possibility of Communist influence that the Mint was forced
to issue a statement identifying the coin's creator and refuting the
claims of "Reds" being harbored within its venerable walls.
Coined by the millions every year from 1946 onward, the Roosevelt Dime
series has no rare dates, and the only challenge in completing a
collection lies in locating scarce varieties or condition rarities. A
number of minor hub changes have occurred, the first appearing in 1946
when it was realized that parts of the obverse design were indistinct,
including the controversial initials JS. Other modifications are noted
during 1964 and 1981. Since then, new hubs have been introduced
frequently. This is to compensate for the wear which results from the
repeated die sinkings required to meet modern demands for additional
coinage. These new hubs appear almost annually, but the changes are so
slight as to go unnoticed except by specialists.
Roosevelt dimes have been coined at three mints: Philadelphia, Denver
and San Francisco. From 1946 through 1964, the mintmark location was just
to the left of the base of the torch. From 1968 onward, mintmarks appear
above the date. Those struck in Philadelphia carried no mintmark until a
letter P was introduced beginning in 1980. Roosevelt dimes coined at the
mints in Denver and San Francisco have always been identified by letters D
and S, respectively, except during the years 1965-67 when these mintmarks
were omitted. All three mints made dimes for circulation through 1955; in
March of that year, San Francisco ceased the minting of coins, and for the
next ten years its mint was used exclusively as an assay office. The other
two mints continued alone until 1965, when the West Coast facility was
reactivated in an effort to overcome a nationwide coin shortage. Silver
dimes dated 1964 and carrying no mintmark were struck in San Francisco
during the last months of 1965.
Although there are no rare dates in the Roosevelt dime series and it is
easily completed in mint state, several issues carry notable premiums,
particularly in grades MS-65 and higher. These include all of the 1948 and
1949 dimes, 1950-S and 1951-S. Despite their much lower than normal
mintages, the three issues dated 1955 were widely hoarded and carry only
modest premiums. The only regular-issue coin worth more than its silver
bullion value in circulated grades is 1949-S. Points to check for wear on
the Roosevelt dime include the highpoints of FDR's hair and cheek and the
flame and horizontal bands of the torch.
Proofs were coined at the Philadelphia Mint beginning in 1950, and this
date through 1955 are all worth more than subsequent proofs. Coinage of
proofs was suspended with the adoption of copper-nickel clad dimes in
1965. No proofs were coined with the dates 1965, 1966 and 1967, but
"special mint sets" were coined at the San Francisco Mint that
have a prooflike quality to their surfaces. These are not as boldly struck
as true proofs. In addition, less care was taken in their handling, and
they frequently display nicks and abrasion, even when found in their
original packaging. Proof coinage resumed in 1968, this time at the San
Francisco Mint. The S-Mint dimes dated 1968 to date are true proofs
bearing the letter S and were made exclusively for sale to collectors.
Since 1992, these have been coined in both the conventional clad
composition and at the old silver standard. The Philadelphia and Denver
Mints continue to produce copper-nickel clad dimes for general
circulation.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Diameter: 17.9 millimeters Weight: 2.50 grams (silver) Composition:
.900 silver, .100 copper Net Weight: .07234 ounce pure silver Weight: 2.27
grams (CuNi-clad) Composition: .750 copper, .250 nickel bonded to pure
copper Edge: Reeded
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Breen, Walter, Walter Breen's Complete
Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins, F.C.I. Press/Doubleday, New York,
1988. Tomaska, Rick Jerry, Cameo and Brilliant Proof Coinage of the 1950
to 1970 Era, R & I Publications, Encinitas, CA, 1991. Taxay, Don, The
U.S. Mint and Coinage, Arco Publishing Co., New York, 1966. Yeoman, R.S.,
A Guide Book of United States Coins, 48th Edition. Western Publishing Co.,
Racine, WI, 1994.
Coin Information Provided Courtesy NGC.
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