1970 Roosevelt Dime Value Guide

Are you looking for a new 10-cent coin to add to your collection? If yes, you need to check out the 1970 dime. Issued by the US Mint more than 50 years ago, it’s an interesting coin you should easily get. It’s affordable in circulated condition, and even mint state shouldn’t be too expensive.

If you wish to learn more, here is an article that discusses the 1970 dime’s composition, design, value, and history.

What Is the 1970 Roosevelt Dime Made Of?

Five years after the US Mint transitioned regular coins to base metals, the 1970 Roosevelt dime is interesting to collect. Its composition includes 75% copper and 25% nickel. Its core is made of pure copper, while its surface is covered with nickel.

The 1970 dime is part of the Roosevelt dime series, which is still the current dime of the United States. It has a value of 10 cents, a mass of 2.27 grams, a diameter of 17.91 mm, and a reeded edge.

Although the regular Roosevelt dime is made of copper and nickel, there are still silver dimes made for collectors from 1992 to now.

Image source: USA Coin Book

John Sinnock made the original design. The obverse features the picture of Franklin Roosevelt. Aside from that, the inscriptions include LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, 1970, JS, and mint mark.

On the reverse, you’ll find the Liberty Torch with the olive branch on its left and the oak branch on its right. Inscriptions include UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, and ONE DIME.

The US Mint started to produce the Roosevelt dime in 1946. A year before that, Roosevelt passed away. He was the president who helped the country to go through the Great Depression and World War II.

To honor his contributions, Congress chose the dime, which incidentally appears in the name of the non-profit organization that Roosevelt helped to establish — the March of Dimes.

The Roosevelt dime came into existence without congressional action and replaced the Mercury dime starting in January 1946.

1970 Roosevelt Dime Varieties

The 1970 Roosevelt dime has three varieties. There are also error coins that gave rise to other coin types.

The Denver, Philadelphia, and San Francisco mint centers worked together to produce more than 1 billion Roosevelt dimes in 1970. Here’s a quick look at their mintage:

With that, let’s take a deeper look at each of the Roosevelt dime varieties in 1970:

1970 D Roosevelt Dime

Photo Source: PCGS

The Denver Mint produced more than 754 million dimes in 1970. This is way higher than the number of dimes produced in the Denver Mint. However, in 1971, the Denver Mint would significantly lower its production to about 377 million dimes.

1970 P Roosevelt Dime

Photo Source: PCGS

The Philadelphia Mint produced more than 345 million dimes, about half of the mintage of the Denver Mint in the same year. Nevertheless, the production level of the Philadelphia Mint was higher in 1970 compared to the production level of dimes in 1969 and 1971.

1970 Proof Roosevelt Dime

Photo Source: PCGS

The San Francisco Mint helped in producing dimes in 1970. However, the mint didn’t produce regular coins but was focused on producing proof coins. The San Francisco Mint produced almost 1.7 million dimes, indicating a high demand for proof dimes in 1970.

List Of 1970 Roosevelt Dime Errors

With more than a billion of 1970 dimes produced, it shouldn’t be surprising to find dimes with errors. Although the US Mint doesn’t want coin errors to happen, many collectors are interested in them. That’s why you sometimes get to see that error coins are even more expensive than regular coins.

If you’re interested in knowing more, here are some examples of 1970 Roosevelt dime errors:

No S proof dimes

Perhaps the no-S proof dimes in the 1970 Roosevelt series are the most popular dime error. As mentioned, the San Francisco mint produced dimes, and all the coins they issued came with an “S” mint mark.

However, the San Francisco Mint forgot to add an S mint mark; thus, a few proof dimes didn’t have the S mint mark. The error was quickly detected, so only a few of these no-S proof dimes, about 2,200, went into circulation.

Image source: PCGS

Notice on the image above the S mint mark should be found above the year 1970. Yet, you won’t find the S mark.

Edge error

The 1970 dime, like other dimes, has a reeded edge. However, there’s one example of a 10-cent coin with the ridge of the edge that looks like it is pushed inside.

Here’s how it looks:

Image source: eBay

This one’s a rare error, which might be worth a few hundred dollars.

Wrong planchet

The United States Mint also produced coins for the Philippines. A dime was mistakenly struck on an aluminum Philippine 1-cent coin.

Since the Philippine one-cent coin was smaller, not all parts of the 10-cent dime were fully printed. Here’s how it looks:

Image source: eBay

This error is extremely rare. On eBay, at the time of this writing, an owner with this coin sells it for $4,200.

How Much Is 1970 Roosevelt Dime Worth Today?

The 1970 Roosevelt dime has a face value of 10 cents. The melt value is $0.0240. An ordinary circulated 1970 Roosevelt dime is $0.15 to $0.35. Proof 1970 dimes may be more valuable with prices that can start at around $7.

Looking at these prices, you might think the 1970 Roosevelt dime isn’t valuable. However, did you know that some 1970 dimes were sold for hundreds or thousands of dollars?

To get a better idea, please take a look at this table of auction records:

How Does The Grading System Work?

Professional numismatists joined in the 1970s and established CoinGrading standards, known as the Sheldon Scale. These numismatists now assign grades at key places on the seventy-point scale, using the most regularly utilized numeric points in conjunction with the original adjective grade. The following are the most common coin grades:

• (P-1) Poor – Indistinguishable and probably damaged; if used, must have a date and mintmark; otherwise, rather battered.
• (FR-2) Fair – Nearly smooth, but without the damage that a coin graded Poor often possesses. The coin must have enough detail to be identified.
• (G-4) Fair – Inscriptions have merged into the rims in some areas, and important elements have been mostly erased.
• (VG-8) Very Good- A little weathered, but all primary design elements are visible, albeit faintly. There is little, if any, central detail left.
• (F-12) Good – The item is very worn, yet the wear is even, and the overall design details stand out clearly. Rims are almost completely isolated from the field.
• (VF-20) Very Fine – Moderately weathered, with some finer features still visible. The motto or all letters of LIBERTY are readable. Both sides of the coin have entire rims separated from the field.
• (EF-40) Extremely Fine – Gently used; all gadgets are visible, and the most important ones are bold. The finer details are bold and clear; however, light wear may be seen.
• (AU-50) Uncirculated – Slight evidence of wear on the coin’s design’s high points; it may have contact marks; eye appeal should be adequate.
• (AU-58) Uncirculated Choice – Slight traces of wear, no severe contact marks, almost full mint shine, and great eye appeal.
• (MS-60) Mint State Basal – Strictly uncirculated; no indication of wear on the coin’s highest points, but an unsightly coin with reduced luster, visible contact marks, hairlines, and other flaws.
• (MS-63) Mint State Acceptable – Uncirculated, but with contact scratches and nicks, little reduced shine, but otherwise appealing appearance. The strike is weak to average.
• (MS-65) Mint State Choice – Uncirculated with great mint shine, little contact blemishes, and exceptional eye appeal. The strike is unusually severe.
• (MS-68) Mint State Premium Quality – Uncirculated with superb luster, no obvious contact marks to the naked eye, and exceptional eye appeal. The strike is quick and appealing.
• (MS-69) Almost Perfect Mint State – Uncirculated with perfect brilliance, a sharp and appealing strike, and extremely good eye appeal. A near-perfect coin with minor imperfections in the planchet, strike, and contact markings (seen only under 8x magnification).
• (MS-70) Mint State Perfect – Under 8x magnification, no tiny imperfections are discernible; the strike is crisp, and the coin is perfectly centered on a beautiful planchet. Rarely seen on a coin, this coin is bright and whole, with original luster and exceptional eye appeal.

Where To Buy Or Sell 1970 Roosevelt Dime?

The 1970 Roosevelt dime is available in coin shops, antique stores, and pawnshops. However, looking for an old coin can be difficult if you do it in person. So, the best thing is to call these shops before going to their place to save you time and energy.

Auction houses also sell 1970 dimes. If your timing is right, you might even be able to find rare 1970 10-cents.

Moreover, you should also try going online. In just a few minutes, you should be able to find websites and sellers who specialize in US coins. Some websites you can try are eBay, Amazon, and Etsy. Specialized websites like USA Coin Book, Grey Sheet, and Coin Appraiser could also buy or sell dimes.

FAQs

How much does a 1970 D dime weigh?

The 1970 D dime weighs 2.27 grams. It is lighter compared to the silver dimes.

How rare is a 1970 dime?

The 1970 dime isn’t rare because more than a billion of these coins were made in 1970. However, there are still 1970 dimes that can be rare. These rare dimes are those coins with grades MS 68 or PR 68 and higher. Aside from that, error coins are also rare. Some rare error coins include the No-S proof dime, the coin with edge error, and the 1970 dime struck on an aluminum Philippine cent.