1997-D Roosevelt Dime
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 979,810,000 made
- Mintage
- 979,810,000
- Metal
- Copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel
- Weight
- 2.268 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 1997-D Roosevelt Dime worth?
A worn 1997-D is a spender: face value. A bright uncirculated one, or one with a known error, is worth setting aside.
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 1997-D Roosevelt Dime rare?
- Not by date: 980 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 1997-D Roosevelt Dime silver?
- No. It's copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel. Dimes dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1997 Roosevelt Dime?
- On the obverse, just above the date. "P" appears from 1980. On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.
- Which Denver dates near 1997 are scarcer?
- The 1992-D at 616,273,932, the 1993-D at 750,110,166. So the 1997-D is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1997-D Roosevelt Dime coins were made?
- 979,810,000.
What to check on your 1997-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 1997-P (992 million made).
- A face that's fully copper colored could be a missing clad layer error. Patchy discoloration is usually damage.
- 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.
With 980 million made, the 1997-D still turns up in everyday change. Keep yours only if it looks uncirculated or shows a variety; otherwise it's worth face value.
The story of the 1997-D
Output at Denver slipped to 979,810,000 in 1997, from 1.4 billion the year before. In 1998 the figure was 1.2 billion.
1997-P came to 992 million, so neither mint's 1997 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 1997-D is one of the easier ones. Within the 1990s it's 9th smallest of 21, between the 1991-P (927 million) and the 1997-P (992 million).
Silver proofs and the 1996-W (1992 to 2008)
Silver proof sets returned in 1992, so collectors could once more buy proof dimes struck in 90 percent silver at San Francisco alongside the clad proofs. In 1996 the Mint marked the dime's 50th anniversary by placing a West Point dime with a W mint mark in each uncirculated set. About 1.46 million were made, the lowest mintage dime of the 1990s apart from the proofs.
Circulation demand peaked in 1999, when Philadelphia alone struck more than 2.1 billion dimes. From 2005 the dimes in uncirculated sets carried a satin finish that sets them apart from business strikes, a detail worth checking when sorting coins removed from sets. Dimes of this era found in pocket change are usually lightly worn clad pieces with their outer layers intact. Proof dimes from both the clad and silver sets of these years survive in large numbers.
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 | 1997 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 979,810,000 |
| Face value | 10¢ |
| Composition | Copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel |
| Weight | 2.268 grams |
| Diameter | 17.91 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Designer | John R. Sinnock |
Other 1997 Roosevelt Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-P Roosevelt Dime | 991,640,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1997-D Roosevelt Dime | 979,810,000 | Circulation strike | – |
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.