The dime was the first coin made by the U.S. Mint, even before any Mint building existed. George Washington ordered the first run of dimes in 1792, which were made on a borrowed press kept in the owner’s basement.
The first dime produced in a U.S. Mint building was struck in 1796. The earliest 10-cent coins pictured Lady Liberty, either in bust or full profile form. From 1916 to 1945, designers put wings on Liberty’s head, leading people to mistake her for Mercury. (Today, these dimes are referred to as Mercury Dimes.) President Roosevelt’s image first appeared on the dime in 1946.
Traditionally, dimes were predominately silver, though some early ones were made of copper due to a silver shortage. The Coinage Act of 1965 removed all silver, replacing it with a combination of copper and nickel.
Like other coins, the most valuable dimes survive the years in mint condition. This does not mean the coin appears as it did when it was minted. Changes in coloration are normal and even expected. Cleaning a coin may detract from its value. The dimes that command the most value are in excellent condition and rare, due to various reasons, including production errors, small quantities produced or large quantities melted for their silver content.
Two organizations certify coins, the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC). Both use the Sheldon Scale to assign a numerical rating, from 1 to 70. Coins rated 60 or higher are also referred to as “mint” state coins and are considered the most valuable.
These are 25 of the most valuable dimes, and they are worth a combined $8.6 million.
1945 S Micro S Full Band Mercury Dime
Sold at auction: $25,850
Year: 2019
Bottom Line: 1945 S Micro S Full Band Mercury Dime
The 1945 S dime is the only one known to have the Micro S mintmark appear on the reverse side of the coin. While there’s no shortage of 1945 S dimes, only a little over 1,200 have been graded mint condition by NGC.
In addition, dimes from this year struck in San Francisco (as this one was) tend to be poorly struck so those with full bands are rare.
This one is in mint condition.
1860 Liberty Seated Dime
Sold at auction: $27,600
Year: 2006
Bottom Line: 1860 Liberty Seated Dime
In 1860, the words “United States of America” moved to the front of the dime and replaced the stars. The wreath on the reverse side was enlarged to fill the space.
While this change was made to coins minted in New Orleans (O coins) and Philadelphia (no mint mark), coins made in San Francisco remained the same. More than 600,000 dimes were produced in Philadelphia, so these are not particularly rare.
This dime, produced in Philadelphia, is one of over 100 dimes from 1860 certified to be mint state.
1968 No S Roosevelt Dime Proof
Sold at auction: $31,102
Year: 2015