Basic Dime Terms

Dime

A dime is the United States ten-cent coin. It represents one-tenth of a dollar and has been part of the federal coinage system since the earliest years of the United States Mint.

Ten-Cent Coin

The official denomination of a dime is ten cents. Collectors often use “dime” and “ten-cent coin” to describe the same U.S. coin.

Numismatics

Numismatics is the study and collecting of coins, paper money, medals, and related objects. Dime collecting is one area within U.S. numismatics.

Coinage

Coinage refers to coins issued by a government or mint. U.S. dime coinage includes Draped Bust, Capped Bust, Seated Liberty, Barber, Mercury, and Roosevelt dimes.

Legal Tender

Legal tender means a coin is officially recognized as money for payment. U.S. dimes remain legal tender even when older examples are worth more than face value to collectors.

Dime Series Terms

Draped Bust Dime

The Draped Bust dime was struck from 1796 through 1807 and includes the first regular U.S. dime issues.

Capped Bust Dime

The Capped Bust dime was struck from 1809 through 1837 and features Liberty wearing a cap.

Seated Liberty Dime

The Seated Liberty dime was struck from 1837 through 1891 and features Liberty seated on the obverse.

Barber Dime

The Barber dime was struck from 1892 through 1916 and was designed by Charles E. Barber.

Mercury Dime

The Mercury dime, officially called the Winged Liberty Head dime, was struck from 1916 through 1945.

Roosevelt Dime

The Roosevelt dime began in 1946 and remains the current U.S. dime design.

Winged Liberty Head Dime

Winged Liberty Head dime is the official name of the Mercury dime. The nickname “Mercury dime” came from Liberty’s winged cap.

Parts of a Dime

Obverse

The obverse is the front of a coin. On Roosevelt dimes, the obverse features Franklin D. Roosevelt. On Mercury dimes, it features Winged Liberty.

Reverse

The reverse is the back of a coin. Dime reverses have included eagles, wreaths, the Mercury dime fasces, and the Roosevelt dime torch with branches.

Rim

The rim is the raised outer border of the coin. It helps protect the design and can be important when identifying damage or certain mint errors.

Edge

The edge is the outer side of the coin between the obverse and reverse. U.S. dimes normally have a reeded edge.

Field

The field is the flat background area around the main raised design elements on a coin.

Device

A device is a raised design element, such as Roosevelt’s portrait, the Mercury dime fasces, Liberty, lettering, or the torch.

Reeded Edge

A reeded edge has small grooves around the outside of the coin. U.S. dimes have reeded edges, unlike pennies and nickels, which normally have plain edges.

Mint and Production Terms

Mint Mark

A mint mark is a small letter showing which U.S. Mint facility produced the coin. Dime mint marks may include no mint mark, O, S, D, P, or W depending on the series and year.

Philadelphia Mint

The Philadelphia Mint produced many U.S. dimes. Earlier Philadelphia dimes often have no mint mark, while later Roosevelt dimes may carry a P mint mark.

New Orleans Mint (O)

The New Orleans Mint used an O mint mark and produced several classic silver dime issues, especially in the Seated Liberty and Barber series.

Denver Mint (D)

The Denver Mint uses a D mint mark. Denver dimes include many Mercury and Roosevelt issues, including the famous 1916-D Mercury dime.

San Francisco Mint (S)

The San Francisco Mint uses an S mint mark and is important for Barber, Mercury, Roosevelt, proof, and branch mint issues.

Mintage

Mintage means the number of coins struck for a specific date, mint, denomination, or issue.

Planchet

A planchet is the blank metal disc that becomes a coin when struck by the dies.

Strike

Strike refers to the act of impressing a coin design into a planchet. It can also describe how sharply the finished coin was made.

Strike Quality

Strike quality describes how fully the design came up when the coin was struck. It is especially important for Mercury Full Bands and Roosevelt Full Torch details.

Business Strike

A business strike is a coin made for regular circulation instead of specially made for collectors.

Proof Coin

A proof coin is a specially made collector coin struck with extra care, often with sharper detail and more reflective surfaces.

Proof Set

A proof set is a set of proof coins issued together by the Mint.

Composition Terms

Silver Dime

A silver dime is a dime made mostly of silver. Most U.S. dimes dated 1964 or earlier are 90% silver.

90% Silver

90% silver means the coin is made of 90% silver and 10% copper. Barber dimes, Mercury dimes, and Roosevelt dimes from 1946 through 1964 used this composition.

Clad Dime

A clad dime is a modern dime with outer copper-nickel layers bonded to a copper core. Circulating Roosevelt dimes from 1965 onward are generally clad coins.

Copper

Copper is used in both silver-alloy dimes and modern clad dimes. In clad dimes, copper appears in the core.

Nickel

Nickel is part of the copper-nickel outer layers used on modern clad dimes.

Composition Change

A composition change happens when the metal content of a coin changes. For Roosevelt dimes, the major change occurred in 1965 when circulating dimes moved from 90% silver to clad composition.

Grading Terms

Grade

Grade is the measure of a coin’s condition. It reflects wear, detail, luster, strike, surfaces, and eye appeal.

Coin Grading

Coin grading is the process of evaluating a coin’s condition and assigning a grade.

Wear

Wear is the loss of detail caused by circulation and handling.

Very Good (VG)

Very Good (VG) is a lower circulated grade where major design outlines remain, but the coin is heavily worn.

Very Fine (VF)

Very Fine (VF) is a circulated grade with moderate wear and stronger remaining detail.

Uncirculated

Uncirculated means the coin shows no wear from circulation, although it may still have marks or weak strike.

Mint State (MS)

Mint State (MS) describes an uncirculated coin on the numerical grading scale.

Luster

Luster is the original shine or reflective quality created during minting.

Surface Preservation

Surface preservation refers to how clean and original a coin’s surfaces remain without major marks, scratches, cleaning, corrosion, or other problems.

Eye Appeal

Eye appeal is the overall visual attractiveness of a coin.

Toning

Toning is the natural or artificial color change that can develop on a coin’s surface over time.

Slab

A slab is a sealed plastic holder used by third-party grading companies to certify and protect a coin.

Mercury Dime Terms

Fasces

The fasces is the bundled rods and axe design on the reverse of the Mercury dime. It symbolizes strength through unity.

Olive Branch

The olive branch on the Mercury dime reverse symbolizes peace.

Full Bands

Full Bands refers to Mercury dimes with complete, uninterrupted horizontal band detail across the fasces on the reverse.

1916-D Mercury Dime

The 1916-D Mercury dime is the major key date of the Mercury dime series and one of the most famous U.S. dimes.

1942/1 Mercury Dime

The 1942/1 Mercury dime is a famous overdate variety where traces of an earlier date appear beneath the final date.

Roosevelt Dime Terms

Torch

The torch is the central reverse design element on the Roosevelt dime. It represents liberty.

Full Torch

Full Torch refers to Roosevelt dimes with complete, sharp torch detail on the reverse.

Full Bands

On Roosevelt dimes, Full Bands can refer to complete horizontal torch band detail. The exact terminology may vary by collector or grading service.

No-Mintmark Proof

A no-mintmark proof dime is a proof coin missing an expected mint mark. Certain Roosevelt proof no-mintmark varieties are important collector coins.

Clad Roosevelt Dime

A clad Roosevelt dime is a circulating Roosevelt dime made from copper-nickel clad composition, generally from 1965 onward.

Error and Variety Terms

Error

Error means a mistake that happened during the minting process.

Variety

Variety means a repeatable difference caused by the die itself.

Double Die

Double die describes a die variety with visible doubling caused during the die-making process.

Overdate

Overdate refers to a date variety where traces of an earlier date appear beneath the final date.

Off-Center Strike

Off-center strike means the planchet was not properly centered when struck, leaving part of the design missing.

Clipped Planchet

A clipped planchet is a coin blank with part of the metal missing before the coin was struck.

Broadstrike

A broadstrike happens when a coin is struck without the collar properly containing the metal, causing the coin to spread outward.

Die Crack

A die crack is a raised line on the coin caused by a crack in the die.

Cud

A cud is a larger die break, often near the rim, where part of the die has broken away.

Strike-Through

A strike-through occurs when a foreign object or substance comes between the die and the planchet during striking.

Wrong Planchet

A wrong planchet error happens when a coin is struck on a planchet intended for a different denomination or issue.

Collecting Terms

Key Date

A key date is one of the most important or difficult coins in a series.

Type Coin

A type coin is one representative example of a major design type rather than every date in a series.

Roll Hunting

Roll hunting means searching rolls or boxes of coins for better dates, errors, varieties, older coins, or silver coins.

Date-and-Mintmark Set

A date-and-mintmark set is a collection built by obtaining one coin from each year and mint combination in a series.

Proof Set

A proof set includes specially made proof coins issued together for collectors.

World Coins

World coins are coins from countries outside the United States.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a dime?

A dime is the United States ten-cent coin, worth one-tenth of a dollar.

What year dimes are silver?

Most U.S. dimes dated 1964 or earlier are 90% silver. Circulating Roosevelt dimes from 1965 onward are generally clad coins.

What does Full Bands mean on a Mercury dime?

Full Bands means the horizontal bands on the fasces are complete and uninterrupted.

What does Full Torch mean on a Roosevelt dime?

Full Torch means the torch detail on the reverse is complete and sharply struck.

What is the most famous Mercury dime?

The 1916-D Mercury dime is the major key date of the Mercury dime series.