1974 Roosevelt Dime Value Guide

If you are looking for a new coin to add to your collection, you must consider the 1974 dime. It is an old coin, which can be worth a lot of money if it is still in good condition and has rare characteristics.

You can learn more about the 1974 dime by reading through this post. 

What Is the 1974 Roosevelt Dime Made Of?

The 1974 dime is part of the Roosevelt dime series that the US Mint started to issue in 1946. It has a core made of copper while it is clad with nickel. Specifically, the 1974 Roosevelt dime is made of 75% copper and 25% nickel.

The coin was made of silver and copper when the Roosevelt Dime was first struck from 1946 until 1964. When the Coinage Act of 1965 was ratified, all regular coins, including the Roosevelt dime, were turned into base metals. Thus, from 1965 to the present, the Roosevelt 10-cent dime was made of cupronickel.

The value of the 1974 Roosevelt dime is 10 cents. It has a diameter of 17.91 millimeters and a reeded edge. Its mass is 2.268, which is lighter than the silver version of the dime.

John Sinnock prepared the original design of the Roosevelt dime. The Roosevelt dime’s design remained the same to this day.

Image source: USA Coin Book

The obverse features the image of Franklin D. Roosevelt, facing to the right. The inscriptions include the mint mark, initials of John Sinnock (JS), year of minting, 1974, LIBERTY, and the US motto, “IN GOD WE TRUST.”

On the reverse, you’ll find the images of olive and oak branches; in their center, you’ll find the Liberty Torch. The inscriptions include ONE DIME, E PLURIBUS UNUM, and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Roosevelt was among the country’s greatest and most liked presidents. Upon his death, Congress moved immediately to introduce the Roosevelt dime. The whole process of adding Roosevelt to the coin was not that easy. It has faced much opposition, from creating the design to ratifying it as a law.

Finally, the Roosevelt dime was released into circulation on January 30, 1946, which coincided with the 64th birthday of Roosevelt.

1974 Roosevelt Dime Varieties

The 1974 Roosevelt dime comes in three varieties. The main difference among these varieties is their mint marks. They may also differ whether they are proof coins or regular coins.

The San Francisco, Denver, and Philadelphia Mint worked together in 1974 to produce over one billion 10-cent coins.

Here’s a table to show you the different varieties of the 1974 Roosevelt Dime as well as their mintage:

As you can see, the Denver Mint produced the most dimes in 1974, showing you that the highest demand for coins was in the western part of the country.

Here’s a deeper look at each of the Roosevelt dimes:

1974 D Roosevelt Dime

Photo Source: PCGS

The Denver Mint produced more than 571 million dimes in 1974, which is higher than the mintage figures of 1973 and 1975. The mintage was so high in 1974 that in the following years, from 1975 to 1979, the mintage figure of 1974 was never surpassed.

1974 P Roosevelt Dime

Photo Source: PCGS

The Philadelphia Mint produced more than 470 million dimes in 1974, higher than in 1973 but lower than in 1975. The 1974-P dime is extremely rare in grades MS-65 and higher. The reason is that most of the dimes struck in the Philadelphia Mint are weakly struck.

1974 Proof Roosevelt Dime

Photo Source: PCGS

Millions of Roosevelt dimes were struck in the 1970s. In 1974, more than 2 million dimes were issued by the San Francisco Mint. Proof coins are more beautiful and expensive compared to regular coins. They are mainly made for collectors and not for the general public.

List Of 1974 Roosevelt Dime Errors

There were more than one billion dimes produced in 1974. So, you can expect that there were some coins made with errors.

Error coins are quite interesting because they are potentially valuable and rare. Here are some examples of 1974 Roosevelt dime errors:

Off-center strike

The die should strike the planchet at its center. If not, some engraved elements would go over the edge and not properly display on the coin. When this happens, an off-center strike error would occur.

Here’s an example of a 1974 dime with an off-center strike error:

Image source: eBay

You can see that the US motto, “IN GOD WE TRUST,” wasn’t completely engraved due to the off-center strike.

Struck-through and weak strike error

To truly have a beautiful dime, the die should strike the dime with full force and no obstruction. However, there are times when foreign objects get stuck either on the die or planchet or in both of them.

When the die hits the planchet, the die strikes through the foreign object leading to different types of distortion on the coin’s surface. Aside from that, a struck-through error can be combined with a weak strike, leading to a further blurring of the engraved elements.

Here’s an example of a struck-through error:

Image source: Etsy

Doubled-die error

The doubled-die error happens when the die hits the planchet twice. Supposedly, the strike should be done once. When the doubled-die error happens, you will find a doubling of some elements on the coin’s surface.

Here’s an example of a 1974 dime with a doubled-die error:

Image source: Boo-Babs

Look at the letters R and T in the word LIBERTY. You’ll see some doubling on the letters.

How Much Is 1974 Roosevelt Dime Worth Today?

The most important question in the minds of collectors pertains to the value of the 1974 dime. It wouldn’t be much if you base its value on the face value and melt value. The face value is just 10 cents, and the melt value is $0.0237, which is quite low since the coin isn’t made of precious metals.

However, don’t lose hope because some 1974 Roosevelt dimes are worth more. If they are in good condition, then that would make their value higher.

Here’s a table to show you the auction records for each 1974 dime variety:

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 1974 Roosevelt Dime?

You can go to different places to buy or sell 1974 Roosevelt dimes. The easiest and quickest would be online.

In the digital age, you should quickly find sellers offering 1974 Roosevelt dimes. You can do a quick Google search with terms like “Where to buy 1974 Roosevelt dimes” or “Where to sell 1974 Roosevelt dimes.”

Aside from that, you can also go to your local stores, such as coin shops and pawn shops. They might have a 1974 dime. If not, you can also sell your coins to them.

FAQs

Is a 1974 dime silver?

No, the 1974 dime is not made of silver. The dimes struck before 1965 are the ones made of silver. The 1974 dime is instead made of copper and nickel.

Does a 1974 dime have a mint mark?

Yes, the 1974 dime has a mint mark on the obverse (head) side of the coin. Look for it just above the year 1974. If present, you’ll find a letter D mintmark, indicating that the coin was struck in the Denver Mint, or an S mintmark, indicating that the coin was struck in the San Francisco Mint.