1951 Roosevelt Dime Proof
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 57,500 made
- Mintage
- 57,500
- 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 1951 Roosevelt Dime Proof worth?
It's scarcer than a typical date, so even circulated examples sell above face and above their metal value. The best uncirculated coins are where the money is.
What would make yours worth more:
- Grade and, for proofs, strong cameo contrast
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1951 Roosevelt Dime Proof rare?
- Fairly. The Mint made 57,500 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 1951 Roosevelt Dime Proof silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.0723 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1951 Roosevelt Dime?
- On the reverse, to the left of the torch's base. No mint mark means Philadelphia.
- How many 1951 Roosevelt Dime proofs were made?
- 57,500.
What to check on your 1951
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- 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.
Proofs from 1951 come with and without frosted devices. Coins with strong contrast are labeled Cameo or Deep Cameo and are worth more.
The story of the 1951
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.
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 | 1951 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 57,500 |
| 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 1951 Roosevelt Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 Roosevelt Dime | 103,880,102 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1951 Roosevelt Dime Proof | 57,500 | Proof | 0.0723 oz |
| 1951-D Roosevelt Dime | 56,529,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1951-S Roosevelt Dime | 31,630,000 | 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.