Coin Specifications

The first dimes of the United States were not minted until 1796. This was already four years after the Coinage Act of 1792, which established the specifications for the denomination. The early mint had already produced other denominations with the flowing hair design, but by the time production of dimes began the draped bust design had already come into use.

The Draped Bust Dime features an obverse portrait of Liberty with her bust slightly draped and hair flowing and lightly bound. There is the inscription “Liberty” above and the date below, with stars to each side. The number of stars varied in the early years of the series, as the Mint added more to represent newly admitted states. In 1797, the number of stars reverted to thirteen and remained as such for the duration of the series.

The reverse design for the series initially featured a small eagle positioned within a wreath. In 1798, this was replaced with a heraldic eagle, pictured with a shield at its chest and arrows and an olive branch in talons. The only reverse inscription was “United States of America”. The denomination did not appear anywhere on the coin, leaving the value to be determined based on weight or comparison to other coins.

As with other early silver coinage of the United States, the composition was 89.24% silver and 10.76% copper. The weight was 2.70 grams, or twice the wight of the previously released half dime.

Draped Bust Dime Coin Specifications

dimes draped bust

Starting in the year 1965, the silver content was taken out of the Roosevelt Dime. For the years 1946 to 1964, the coins had been struck in 90% silver. The new composition was copper-nickel clad. This consisted of an inner core of pure copper with outer layers composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel. The overall composition of the coins resulted in 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel.

For the first three issues after the composition change, no mint marks were used on Roosevelt Dimes. This was done in an effort to prevent hoarding by collectors. The mint marks were restored in 1968 for Denver and San Francisco mint issues. Philadelphia began using a mint mark in 1980.

The obverse design of the Roosevelt Dime features the head of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The reverse features a lit torch with branches of olive and oak to either side.

Clad Roosevelt Dime Coin Specifications

dimes Roosevelt

In 1916, new designs were introduced for the dime, quarter, and half dollar. The Mercury Dime replaced the previous Barber Dimes series, which had run from 1892 to 1916. The new coin was designed by Adolph A. Weinman, who had also provided the new half dollar design.

The Mercury Dime featured a portrait of Liberty wearing a winged cap. This image was mistaken for the Roman god of trade, profit, and commerce, who the coin is commonly named for. The reverse of the coin included a bundle of rods and an axe tied together, known as fasces. The coins carried the same composition and specifications as the prior series, but mintage only took place at Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco.

The design would be replaced after 1945 with an image to memorialize the recently passed Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Mercury Dime Coin Specifications

dimes mercury

For the initial years of the Roosevelt Dime series, coins was issued with the same silver based composition that had been used for the two prior series issued for the denomination. This consisted of 90% silver and 10% copper with a weight of 2.50 grams. Each silver dime contains 0.07234 ounces of pure silver.

Between 1946 and 1964, circulation strike silver Roosevelt Dimes were produced at the Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Denver Mints. For these years of the series, the mint mark only the “D” and “S” mint marks were used, and these appeared on the reverse of the coin to the left of the base of the torch. Coins minted at Philadelphia did not use the mint mark. Mintages ranged from a low of 12,450,181 for the 1955 coin to a high of 1,357,517,180 for the 1964-D.

Starting in 1992, the US Mint began producing 90% silver Roosevelt Dimes for inclusion in an annual Silver Proof Set. These coins shared the same specifications as the original silver coins issued for circulation.

Silver Roosevelt Dime Coin Specifications

dimes Roosevelt

The Barber Dime was issued from 1892 to 1916, replacing the long running Seated Liberty Dime. The coin was designed by Charles E. Barber and features a rendition of Liberty facing left and wearing a Phygian cap. The reverse features an agricultural wreath bordering the denomination in the center. During the run of the Barber Dime series, coins were produced at the Philadelphia, Denver, New Orleans, and San Francisco Mints. The scarcest coin is the 1894-S, which reportedly only had 24 coins produced. The coins were struck in the 90% silver composition that had been used for the previous design.

Barber Dime Coin Specifications

dimes barber