1949-S Roosevelt Dime : History and Value

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
 

As one of many key dates of the Roosevelt Silver Dime collection, the 1949-S Roosevelt Dime is second in rarity solely to the Philadelphia Mint’s 1955 mintage of 12,450,181 items.

Nevertheless, with the issuance of 13,510,000 cash, the 1949-S will not be precisely “uncommon”. But it is one of many extra attention-grabbing points from the collection and instructions a premium over different extra widespread dates.

The late Nineteen Forties and early ’50s noticed important fluctuations in dimes struck on the San Francisco Mint. The ability’s 1949 mintage was 38% of the earlier 12 months (1948) and 66% of the next 12 months (1950). This was attributable to a brief however critical financial recession lasting from November 1948 till October 1949, which resulted in a excessive unemployment price, a drop within the Gross Home Product, and a decline in demand for brand spanking new coinage.

Regardless of this, there have been a number of styles of Roosevelt Dime by the collection’ third 12 months. On the 1949-S obverse, the phrase “GOD” within the motto was engraved in a sans serif font as a substitute of the Trumpet Tail font used on the time. The initials of the dime’s designer, United States Mint Chief Engraver John Sinnock, have been bigger than on the sooner 1946 kind. When these obverse variations are mixed, the 1949-S dime is delineated as ODV-002. From 1946 to 1952, San Francisco employed the MMS-002 kind Trumpet Tail font mintmark on the reverse design.

The 1949-S additionally has two repunched mintmark varieties, the RPM-001 and RPM-002. Because the mintmark was hand punched into the dies by a mint employee after the working dies have been minimize from the grasp die, there will be slight positioning errors creating overlapping mint marks from when the moneyer tried to repair offset impressions with repeated strikes. The cardinal compass factors describe the situation of repunched mintmarks utilizing the second mintmark because the descriptor (North – Above / East – Proper / South – Beneath / West – Left). RPM-001 has a slight westerly drift, and RPM-002 has a extra noticeable northwesterly drift.

Relying on the situation of the host coin, RPM examples of the 1949-S can count on a $5-10 improve in worth.

In one other milestone for dime manufacturing, the U.S. Mint put in extra highly effective rollers, quadrupling the output of 10-cent planchets in 1949. This was additionally the final 12 months earlier than the Mint resumed Proof coin manufacturing.

What Is the 1949-S Roosevelt Dime Value?

Whereas the 1949-S Roosevelt Dime has an estimated common rarity of 1 in all grades and a couple of.2 in MS65 or higher, it is among the few regular-strike Roosevelt Dimes that instructions a numismatic premium over the cash’ base bullion worth within the decrease vary circulated grades. The 1949-S dime usually realizes about twice the worth of different Roosevelt Dimes in reasonably to flippantly worn grades. These mid-range examples (35-55) sometimes promote for between $5 and $10. In licensed grades, the best costs are for examples with Full Torch/Full Bands designations or extraordinary rainbow firming.

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Market Information and Noteworthy Specimens

When Heritage Auctions provided PCGS MS67+FB #25039700 on June 6, 2013, that coin was a high pop, pop one coin. Between April and October 2024, the inhabitants of PCGS MS67+FB cash has held regular at 17. The everyday instance has offered for $1,000+, with a couple of promoting for considerably extra.

The reported PCGS MS68FB coin was probably made someday earlier than 2021; it offered at GreatCollections on August 2, 2020, for a document value of $11,812.50.

High Inhabitants: PCGS MS68FB (1, 10/2024), NGC MS68FT (1, 10/2024), and CAC MS68 (0:1 stickered:graded, 10/2024).

• NGC MS68FT #6616805-003: eBay, December 2022 – $6,000. Reported Finest Provide Worth. Sensible; “The Bethel Assortment of Roosevelt Dimes,” GreatCollections, April 28, 2024, Lot 1562235 – View. Rainbow firming round rim of obverse, throughout reverse.
• PCGS MS68FB #39242765: GreatCollections, August 2, 2020, Lot 808024 – $11,812.50. Peripheral rainbow firming on each side. Safe Protect holder.
• PCGS MS67+FB #46725838: “The Daniel D. Biddle Assortment of Roosevelt Dimes,” GreatCollections, April 2, 2023, Lot 1326976 – View. Daniel D. Biddle on insert. Safe Protect holder. Sensible; GreatCollections, June 25, 2023, Lot 1383905 – View. Daniel D. Biddle on insert. Safe Protect holder. Sensible; GreatCollections, Might 19, 2024, Lot 1557749 – View. Daniel D. Biddle on insert. Safe Protect holder. Sensible.
• PCGS MS67+FB #45006862: GreatCollections, June 12, 2022, Lot 1094139 – View; GreatColletions, April 23, 2023, Lot 1348837 – View; Heritage Auctions, February 6, 2024, Lot 21163 – $1,020. Rust and inexperienced peripheral firming on the highest and backside of the obverse and above OF AMERICA on the reverse.
• PCGS MS67+FB #45534339: Heritage Auctions, August 1, 2022, Lot 44062 – $2,100. PQ rainbow firming.
• PCGS MS67+FB #29833947: Heritage Auctions, February 27, 2022, Lot 7089 – $3,120. Frosty with a dusting of rose firming. Safe Protect holder.
• PCGS MS67+FB #42088888: Stack’s Bowers, November 22, 2021, Lot 1311 –  $1,920. Safe Protect holder; Heritage Auctions, August 26, 2022, Lot 4432 – $1,800. Safe Protect holder; “The Stephenville Assortment,” Heritage Auctions, July 23, 2023, Lot 7092 – $1,020. Creamy with scattered rust firming. Safe Protect holder.
• NGC MS67+FT #4221852-016: Heritage Auctions, August 22, 2021, Lot 7103 – $1,110. Rust-colored firming covers a lot of the reverse and is on the backside and proper of the obverse.
• PCGS MS67+FB #30805465: Heritage Auctions, February 16, 2017, Lot 3426 – $2,291.25. Sensible.
• PCGS MS67+FB #25039700: Heritage Auctions, June 6, 2013, Lot 4013 – $3,290. Darkish rust crescent firming on the obverse and the reverse that reaches deep into the sector. When provided high pop, pop one.

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Design

Obverse:

A lot of the obverse design consists of a pensive, left-facing bust of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Within the northwest quadrant, instantly in entrance of Roosevelt’s face, is the usual legend LIBERTY. Beneath the president’s chin, in smaller letters, is the nationwide motto IN GOD WE TRUST.

The designers’ initials JS are instantly beneath the neck truncation on the bust. Positioned at a barely increased line than the motto and to the precise of the designer’s initials is the date 1949.

Reverse:

Centered within the reverse design is a flaming torch symbolizing liberty. The torch sits between the olive department of peace on the left and the oak department of victory on the precise. The motto E PLURIBUS UNUM is cut up into 4 elements between the branches and torch. Because the phrases are divided as E PLU / RIB / US U / NUM, there are centering dots between every phrase. This central design is surrounded by the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA on the high and the marginally bigger denomination ONE DIME on the underside. Not like the dimes struck after 1967 with the mint mark on the obverse above the date, the S mintmark is positioned within the decrease reverse on the left of the torch.

Edge:

The sting of the 1949-S Roosevelt Dime is reeded with 118 reeds.

Roosevelt Dime Designer

John R. Sinnock turned the eighth Chief Engraver of the USA Mint upon George T. Morgan’s demise in 1925 and held the place till his demise on Might 14, 1947. Along with being chosen by Mint Director Nellie Tayloe Ross to design the brand new Roosevelt Dime and Franklin Half Greenback in 1946, Sinnock is chargeable for engraving the 1926 Sesquicentennial American Independence Half Greenback and Quarter Eagle $2.5 gold coin for the USA’ one hundred and fiftieth anniversary. Sinnock additionally helped sculpt the Military’s fashionable Purple Coronary heart Medal in 1932 for Army Benefit by troopers wounded in fight.

Coin Specs

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