1955-S Roosevelt Dime
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 18,510,000 made
- Mintage
- 18,510,000
- 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 1955-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 1955-S Roosevelt Dime rare?
- Not in absolute terms: 19 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 1955-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 1955 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 1955 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no San Francisco issue had a smaller mintage than the 1955-S.
- How many 1955-S Roosevelt Dime coins were made?
- 18,510,000.
What to check on your 1955-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 1955 (12 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 1955 Roosevelt Dime Proof (378,200 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 1955-S
San Francisco made 18,510,000 in 1955, down from 23 million in 1954. It turned out to be San Francisco's last Roosevelt Dime for circulation.
1955 came to 12 million and 1955-D came to 14 million, so neither mint's 1955 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Only the 1949-S has a lower mintage among San Francisco's 10 Roosevelt Dimes. Within the 1950s it's 3rd smallest of 26, between the 1955-D (14 million) and the 1950-S (20 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 1955
Doubled hub impressions on one Philadelphia cent die produced the 1955 Doubled Die cent, one of the most famous US errors. It was also the last year San Francisco struck circulating cents until 1968.
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 | 1955 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 18,510,000 |
| 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 1955 Roosevelt Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 Roosevelt Dime | 12,450,181 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1955 Roosevelt Dime Proof | 378,200 | Proof | 0.0723 oz |
| 1955-D Roosevelt Dime | 13,959,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1955-S Roosevelt Dime | 18,510,000 | 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.