Is the 1952-S Roosevelt Dime rare?

Not in absolute terms: 44 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 1952-S 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 1952 Roosevelt Dime?

On the reverse, to the left of the torch's base. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.

Which San Francisco dates near 1952 are scarcer?

The 1949-S at 13,510,000, the 1955-S at 18,510,000, the 1950-S at 20,440,000, plus 5 more. So the 1952-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.

Roosevelt Dime · Dimes

1952-S Roosevelt Dime

Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 44,419,500 made

Silver

Mintage: 44,419,500
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.

Pure silver0.0723troy oz

Value band: Metal value

Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.

What is a 1952-S 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 1952-S Roosevelt Dime rare?: Not in absolute terms: 44 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 1952-S 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 1952 Roosevelt Dime?: On the reverse, to the left of the torch's base. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
Which San Francisco dates near 1952 are scarcer?: The 1949-S at 13,510,000, the 1955-S at 18,510,000, the 1950-S at 20,440,000, plus 5 more. So the 1952-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
How many 1952-S Roosevelt Dime coins were made?: 44,419,500.

What to check on your 1952-S

Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1952 (99 million made).
Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1952 Roosevelt Dime Proof (81,980 made) is the one to compare with.
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 1952-S

San Francisco made 44,419,500 in 1952, up from 32 million in 1951. In 1953 the figure was 39 million.

1952 came to 99 million and 1952-D came to 122 million, so neither mint's 1952 coin is much scarcer than the other.

Of the 10 Roosevelt Dimes San Francisco struck between 1946 and 1955, none was made in bigger numbers. The scarcest San Francisco issue is the 1949-S at 13,510,000. Within the 1950s it's 9th smallest of 26, between the 1953-S (39 million) and the 1950-D (47 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.

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

Roosevelt Dime mintages, 1952-S highlightedLog scale · hover or tap a bar · 1946–2025

Specifications

Series	Roosevelt Dime (1946–present)
Year	1952
Mint	San Francisco Mint
Mint mark	"S"
Strike type	Circulation strike
Mintage	44,419,500
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 1952 Roosevelt Dime issues

Coin	Mintage	Type	Silver
1952 Roosevelt Dime	99,040,093	Circulation strike	0.0723 oz
1952 Roosevelt Dime Proof	81,980	Proof	0.0723 oz
1952-D Roosevelt Dime	122,100,000	Circulation strike	0.0723 oz
1952-S Roosevelt Dime	44,419,500	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.