1948-D Roosevelt Dime
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 52,841,000 made
- Mintage
- 52,841,000
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 2.5 g
- Diameter
- 17.91 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1948-D Roosevelt Dime worth?
In worn condition it trades for about its silver content, 0.0723 troy ounces. Uncirculated coins with full luster or attractive toning sell for more.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- Full torch bands (FT)
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1948-D Roosevelt Dime rare?
- Not in absolute terms: 53 million were made. It is one of the smaller runs in the series, though, so uncirculated examples are worth a little more than most dates.
- Is the 1948-D Roosevelt Dime silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.0723 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1948 Roosevelt Dime?
- On the reverse, to the left of the torch's base. On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.
- Which Denver dates near 1948 are scarcer?
- The 1949-D at 26,034,000, the 1950-D at 46,803,000, the 1947-D at 46,835,000. So the 1948-D is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1948-D Roosevelt Dime coins were made?
- 52,841,000.
What to check on your 1948-D
- Make sure the mint mark really is a D. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1948-S (36 million made).
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Judge the grade under good light. Check the horizontal bands on the torch on the reverse. "Full Bands" (FB) coins, where the bands are complete and separated, carry big premiums. On the obverse look at Roosevelt's hair above the ear.
Circulated examples are usually traded for their silver content. Pick out the best ones: original luster and attractive toning lift a coin above melt, while cleaned coins lose most of their collector value.
The story of the 1948-D
Denver made 52,841,000 in 1948, up from 47 million in 1947. In 1949 the figure was 26 million.
1948-S came to 36 million and 1948 came to 75 million, so neither mint's 1948 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Across Denver's 77 Roosevelt Dime issues, the hardest to find is the 1955-D with 13,959,000 made. The 1948-D is on the scarcer side of the middle. Within the 1940s it's 8th smallest of 12, between the 1947-D (47 million) and the 1946-D (61 million).
Silver dimes from three mints (1946 to 1955)
The Roosevelt dime went into circulation on January 30, 1946, Franklin Roosevelt's birthday, less than a year after his death. John R. Sinnock's design honored the president's work for the March of Dimes. Philadelphia struck more than 255 million in that first year alone. Denver and San Francisco also struck dimes, with the mint mark placed on the reverse just left of the torch base. Proof dimes returned in 1950 after a pause that began during World War II.
Output fell sharply in 1949 and again in 1955. The 1949-S at about 13.5 million and the three 1955 issues have the lowest mintages of the silver era. The 1955-S was also the last dime with an S mint mark made for circulation. Collectors look closely at the torch, where fully separated horizontal bands earn a Full Bands designation. Most survivors from these years are worn silver pieces that were pulled from change before 1965.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1948
The Franklin half dollar replaced the Walking Liberty half dollar.
How to recognize it
Franklin Roosevelt faces left with LIBERTY in front of him, IN GOD WE TRUST below his chin and the date at the lower right. The designer's initials JS sit below the neck. The reverse shows a torch flanked by an olive branch and an oak branch, with E PLURIBUS UNUM across the field. The mint mark was to the left of the torch base until 1964 and has been above the date since 1968.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Roosevelt Dime (1946–present) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1948 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 52,841,000 |
| Face value | 10¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 2.5 grams |
| Diameter | 17.91 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.0723 troy oz (2.250 g) |
| Designer | John R. Sinnock |
Other 1948 Roosevelt Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 Roosevelt Dime | 74,950,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1948-D Roosevelt Dime | 52,841,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1948-S Roosevelt Dime | 35,520,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
Mintage: Roosevelt dime mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.