How Much is a Roosevelt Dime Worth?

Content by Matt Pavia, Licensed CT Precious Metals Dealer & ANA Member

Published October 3, 2026 · Last reviewed October 3, 2026 · 8 min read

What is a Roosevelt Dime?

The Roosevelt dime honors President Franklin D. Roosevelt one year after his death in 1945. Designed by John R. Sinnock, the obverse shows FDR's profile, while the reverse shows a torch with an olive branch and an oak branch, which symbolizes liberty, peace, and strength. It replaced the beloved Mercury dime, and it's the same basic design we still use on dimes today. This makes it one of the most familiar coins most people handle.

We see a lot of these come through the shop, often mixed in with other old change people bring in without realizing some of what they have might be more than face value. Like a lot of middle century American coinage, the Roosevelt dime's story is a two parter: an early silver era, and everything else after the Mint moved away from silver coinage in the mid-60s.

When Were Roosevelt Dimes Made?

The Roosevelt dime debuted in 1946 and, remarkably, it's still being minted today, making it one of the longest-running coin designs in American history. Over that long stretch, the coin has lived through one of the biggest shifts in U.S. coinage history: the move away from silver in '65.

That transition year splits the series into two very different eras. Everything from 1946 through 1964 was struck in silver, the same composition used across most U.S. coinage at the time, while everything from 1965 onward switched to a copper-nickel clad composition with no silver at all. Because that one date, 1965, determines so much about a dime's value, it's the very first thing we check when someone brings in a handful of old Roosevelt dimes.

Which Roosevelt Dimes Are Silver?

Roosevelt dimes dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver, the standard coin silver alloy used across U.S. coinage before the mid-1960s. Starting in 1965, the Mint switched to a copper-nickel clad composition, the same material still used in dimes today, with no silver content at all in circulation.

There's one notable exception worth knowing about, though. Since 1992, the Mint has included specially struck 90% or .999 fine silver dimes in its annual Silver Proof Sets, sold directly to collectors rather than released into circulation. So while the simple rule of thumb is "1964 and earlier means silver," it's not the whole story. A modern dime pulled from a Silver Proof Set can be silver too, even though an ordinary dime from the same year that's pulled from pocket change would be clad with no silver content.

How Much Silver is in a Pre-1965 Roosevelt Dime?

Every Roosevelt dime struck from 1946 through 1964 weighs 2.5 grams and, at 90% silver purity, contains approximately 0.07234 troy ounces of pure silver. This figure holds true across every date and mint mark from that time, since the composition never changed during those years.

Because that silver content is so consistent, calculating a baseline value is easy: multiply 0.07234 by the current spot price of silver. A roll of 50 pre-1965 dimes contains a little over 3.6 troy ounces of silver in total, which is why rolls and bags of these old dimes became a common way for people to accumulate silver over the years, and why we see so many of them brought in.

How Much is a Silver Roosevelt Dime Worth?

A pre-1965 Roosevelt dime's value starts with its silver content, which is 0.07234 troy ounces, multiplied by whatever silver is trading for today. That calculation gives you the coin's silver floor, and for most common date silver Roosevelt dimes, that floor plus a handling premium is all of the value.

Unlike a series such as the Mercury dime, Roosevelt dimes from this silver era don't have a single, dramatic standout key date. Most of them trade pretty close together in value, with condition mattering more than date for the average coin. Well preserved uncirculated examples can bring a bit more than heavily worn ones, but for the most part, a pre-1965 Roosevelt dime is valued primarily as a straightforward, reliable piece of silver with little to no collector premium on top.

What Will a Dealer Actually Pay for Roosevelt Dimes?

Here's the practical version. Silver Roosevelt dimes are bought by weight, not by date. A dealer sorts out everything dated 1964 and earlier, weighs the pile or counts it, and makes an offer based on the silver in it, usually quoted as a multiple of face value (a dollar in silver dimes is 0.7234 ounces of silver, so the offer is whatever that's worth at the live spot price, less a small margin). Because 90% silver coin is one of the easiest things in the business to resell, that offer lands close to melt value, a little better than you'd get for the same silver in 40% halves or sterling scrap. Nobody looks up a common-date 1958 dime; it's silver, and it's priced as silver.

The coins that get pulled out and priced on their own are few: a 1949-S or a 1955 issue in uncirculated condition, any silver dime that's truly uncirculated with original luster, the 1996-W (priced as a collector coin, typically well above face but not in the hundreds), and the 1982 no-mint-mark error if one turns up. Everything else dated 1965 or later is face value, and a dealer won't pay more than ten cents for a clad dime unless it's a proof in its Mint packaging. When we go through a jar of dimes, the first thing you'll see is the 1964-and-earlier split, then the scale, then the spot price, so the number makes sense before we write it down.

Are Roosevelt Dimes After 1964 Worth Anything?

For the most part, a Roosevelt dime dated 1965 or later that came from regular circulation is worth (unfortunately) exactly what it says: ten cents. These are clad coins with no silver, so there's no metal value calculation to apply.

That said, it's not a blanket rule. Certain years with low mintage draw a little collector interest even among the clad coins. The one clad error worth knowing is the 1982 no-mint-mark dime: a batch of Philadelphia dimes that year was struck without the "P," and genuine examples sell for well above face value, sometimes into the hundreds in high grade. As we mentioned earlier, silver dimes have continued to be struck since 1992 as part of the Mint's annual Silver Proof Sets, sold directly to collectors. There's also a special modern rarity worth knowing about, the 1996-W, which we'll cover in detail below. So while the general rule covers most post-1964 dimes you'll find in pocket change, it's always worth a second look before assuming one is only worth face value.

Which Roosevelt Dime Dates Are Valuable?

Unlike some older series with one dramatic standout date, the Roosevelt dime's more valuable years tend to be semi-keys rather than crazy rarities. The 1949-S had a relatively low mintage for its era and draws a bit more interest than typical dates from the period. The 1955 issues, struck at all three mint locations that year, also had noticeably lower mintages than surrounding years and are considered minor key dates within the silver era.

The real standout of the entire series, though, is a coin from the clad era: the 1996-W, a special commemorative issue that we cover in its own section just below. Beyond these specific dates, well-preserved uncirculated examples of almost any date, silver or clad, tend to draw more collector interest than heavily circulated coins, so condition is often just as important as the date itself.

What Is the 1996-W Roosevelt Dime?

The 1996-W is one of the more interesting modern rarities in American coinage, and it's a great story to know. Struck at the West Point Mint to mark the Roosevelt dime's 50th anniversary, it was never released into general circulation. Instead, it was included as a special bonus coin in that year's annual Uncirculated Mint Set, meaning the only way to get one at the time was to buy that specific set.

With a mintage of about 1.46 million, it's not an extremely rare coin by historical standards, but it's quite scarce compared to the billions of ordinary dimes struck most years and is the first dime to ever carry a "W" mint mark. For collectors building a complete Roosevelt dime set, the 1996-W is often one of the more exciting finds, since it's rare enough to be notable without being out of reach the way a true historic key date can be.

Where is the Mint Mark on a Roosevelt Dime?

The mint mark's location on a Roosevelt dime depends on the year, which catches a lot of people off guard. From 1946 through 1964, the mint mark sat on the reverse, just to the left of the base of the torch. Then, from 1965 through 1967, during the transition away from silver, the Mint suspended mint marks on all U.S. coinage entirely, so dimes from those three years show no mint mark regardless of where they were struck.

Starting in 1968, the Mint brought mint marks back, but moved them to the obverse, where they now sit just above the date. Wherever it is, the mark itself works the usual way: no mark means Philadelphia (or, for 1965 to 1967, simply no mark at all regardless of mint), "D" means Denver, and "S" means San Francisco, which struck dimes for circulation through 1955 and has been the proof mint since 1968.

How Do You Sell Roosevelt Dimes?

Selling Roosevelt dimes starts with sorting by date, since separating anything 1964 or earlier from the clad coins is key in determining value. For the silver pile, calculate a rough baseline using the live spot price (Kitco.com/silver is the one we use), and set aside anything that looks like it might be a 1996-W, a 1982 with no mint mark, or an unusually well preserved coin for a closer look.

We always recommend getting more than one quote, especially for a larger collection. If you're in or around Hamden, Connecticut, stop by Haven Coin & Jewelry for a free, no-obligation evaluation. Walk-ins are welcome during business hours (Tuesday through Friday 10am–5pm and Saturday 10am–2pm), or give us a call to schedule a time for a larger collection. We'll sort and weigh everything right in front of you, price it against live market prices with the math shown, and pay you by check on the spot, as Connecticut law requires. You can reach us at (203) 717-4921, or find us at 2285 Whitney Ave, Hamden, CT 06518.

FAQ: Roosevelt Dimes

Are Roosevelt dimes silver?

Dimes dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver. Dimes dated 1965 and later are clad with no silver, except for special silver proof dimes the Mint has included in collector sets since 1992.

What year dimes are silver?

Any Roosevelt dime dated 1946 through 1964 is silver, and so is every dime dated before 1946, including Mercury dimes.

What is the rarest Roosevelt dime?

The 1996-W is the most notable modern rarity, a special West Point issue included only in that year's Uncirculated Mint Set for collectors.

How much is a silver dime worth?

Its silver content (about 0.07234 troy ounces for a Roosevelt dime) multiplied by the current spot price is a good ballpark, and a dealer's offer on common dates will land close to that number.