Legend Numismatics

HomeCollecting Strategies1975 "No S" Roosevelt Dime - History and Value | CoinWeek

1975 “No S” Roosevelt Dime – History and Value | CoinWeek

A common question we receive from readers of CoinWeek relates to the modern rarity 1975 “No S” Roosevelt dime. The coin is so rare that there are only two known examples, making this one of the most elusive and expensive modern coins issued by the United States Mint.

Finding one in a Proof Set would take an incredible amount of luck and given that the last one sold for an astonishing $456,000 at auction in 2019, whoever discovers the third example will likely net a life-changing sum of money to show for it.

But there’s a catch. The rare 1975 “No S” Roosevelt dime is not the only “No S” dime struck by the Mint in 1975. What makes the rare one different than one you might find in your change jar?

Read on and find out.

Proof Coins vs. Business Strikes

To properly identify a 1975 No S Roosevelt dime, one must first be able to distinguish between a Proof coin that is made for collectors and a business strike that is made for circulation.

An ordinary 1975 Dime struck at the Philadelphia Mint.
A circulation strike 1975 Roosevelt dime. This coin was struck at the Philadelphia Mint and, as was customary at the time, was not struck with a mintmark. Philadelphia began employing the “P” mintmark on circulation strike dimes in 1980. Image: PCGS.

The example above is a circulation strike 1975 Roosevelt dime in the typical grade one might find in an original uncirculated roll or in a United States Mint Set.

Circulating coins are the coin struck by the U.S. Mint to be used in commerce. The coins that you spend every day and receive back in change are almost entirely comprised of business strike coins. When brand new, business strike coins will be flashy, lustrous, and convey the full details of the design as imparted by the coin dies. These coins are distributed at face value by the Federal Reserve System and make their way through the economy when private banks order coins. From here, the coins are distributed to bank customers, be they individuals or companies.

1975 United States Mint Sets do not contain Proof "No S" dimes.
The United States Mint Uncirculated Set for 1975 contains one example of each denomination struck by the Mint from both Denver and Philadelphia. The Denver Mint coins are struck with a D mintmark. The coins struck at the Philadelphia Mint were struck without mintmarks, as was the custom at the time. This Mint Set can be purchased for $27.75 from Littleton Coin.

Freshly distributed coins gradually lose the visual appearance of newness. Over time, post-Mint damage from the environment, contact with other coins, and contact with oils and dirt from human skin dull a coin’s luster, wear down its details, and impart scratches and other forms of damage. No matter the scarcity or desirability of a coin, these factors impact its value. In the case of modern coins, with so many Mint State examples available, circulation wear and post-Mint damage all but diminish the coin’s numismatic value. As such, any circulated modern-era business strike is likely worth only its face value.

Proof coins are coins produced by the United States Mint using a special process to impart maximum detail onto the struck coin, to present the designer’s art in its full glory for collectors, who pay a premium for the privilege of owning them. Modern Proof issues struck after 1968 are sold in Proof Sets and housed in rugged plastic cases. Each coin will exhibit a deeply-mirrored field, will usually have some degree of frost or cameo on the coin’s raised design elements, and (should) exhibit the S Mintmark that denotes that the coin was struck at the San Francisco Mint.

In a side-by-side comparison, the difference between a Business Strike and a Proof Strike is unmistakable.

In the illustration above, the coin on the left is a circulation strike 1975 Roosevelt dime. This coin has not been circulated and shows no sign of wear, therefore all of the details imparted from the coin die remain clearly visible on this example. Circulation strike 1975 Roosevelt dimes that do not contain mintmarks were struck at the Philadelphia Mint, which produced 585,673,900 dimes that year.

With the exception of a four-year run of billon silver nickels struck during World War II, no U.S. coins produced at the Philadelphia Mint were struck with a P mintmark until the release of the Susan B. Anthony dollar in 1979. Nickels, dimes, quarters, and half dollars followed suit in 1980.

The coin on the right is a typical example of a 1975-S Proof Roosevelt dime. This example has mirrored fields and frosted devices. It carries the S mintmark of San Francisco. Any Proof coin struck by the San Francisco Mint that does not have an S mintmark was struck that way in error and is potentially valuable.

But I Know I Found a 1975 “No S” Dime… What Do I Do?

Here is where we separate fact from fantasy.

It would be nice to imagine ourselves finding a rare 1975 “No S” Roosevelt dime under our sofa cushion or in a jar of change, but the reality is one would have a much better chance winning the Powerball than finding a coin that has been hunted down by collectors and coin dealers for more than 40 years with only two examples to show for it.

Finding any great rarity and bringing it to market requires a few things, the most important being authentication.

The coin industry supports a small number of For-Profit grading services, the two most popular (and the two we recommend) are Florida-based Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) and California-based Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS). Both services have the professional experience necessary to properly identify a genuine 1975 “No S” Roosevelt dime and the integrity to properly handle and return your coin. Having a coin certified has a cost that can be significant due to the liability and value of the coin, and working with a professional numismatist who is an authorized dealer is recommended.

Always protect yourself by checking references before committing to work with any dealer and make sure you have a written agreement with the dealer that explicitly lays out the terms under which you are working with them regarding your rare coin.

In the event that you discover the third 1975 “No S” Roosevelt dime, your best option to sell it would be through a major auction company. A professional dealer will be able to help you negotiate the terms of your consignment and give you an opinion on what the market value of your coin might be so that you can decide on what is the best course of action for you and your coin.

Often when we field calls concerning coins like this, the caller is excited and absolutely sure about what they have found but quickly loses interest once we spell out the steps necessary for them to authenticate and market their coin. There is no bag of money on the other end of the phone and, as we have stated, most people confuse a business strike 1975 dime–worth about 10 cents–with the rare Proof issue (no doubt due to amateur coin videos published on YouTube or incomplete articles published elsewhere).

We hope this guide helps you, and even if we’ve bummed you out a little bit about your new find, do know that coin collecting is an interesting and rewarding hobby and we’d love it if you stay awhile.

How Much Is the 1975 No S Roosevelt Dime Proof Coin Worth?

To date, there are only two known examples of the 1975 No S Roosevelt Dime. Only one of the two have traded recently at public auction.

  • PCGS PR-68 #20519253: Fred Vollmer; unknown intermediaries; Ken Goldman; Sold in OGP. Stack’s Bowers, August 13, 2011, Lot 7297 – $349,600. As PCGS PR-68. “The Paulos Family Collection, Part II, “Heritage Auctions, September 6, 2019, Lot 4715 – $456,000.

* * *

CoinWeek Notes
CoinWeek Notes
CoinWeek Notes presents expert analysis and insights from Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker, the award-winning editors of CoinWeek.com.

Related Articles

30 COMMENTS

    • The article very clearly states what you should do. And that thing you should do does not involve contacting us about it.

  1. I found that a great thing to explain about 1975 no S. I got one if you are interesting about email me and i will send you the picture.

    • If you got in in change it’s almost certainly worth only 10¢. As the article states, only a tiny handful of 1975 PROOF dimes were struck without mint marks. At the same time massive numbers were made for circulation without mint marks because (again as noted in the story) Philadelphia didn’t use a “P” on dimes until 1980

    • Please re-read the article. Only two PROOF 1975 “no-S” dimes are known to exist, while nearly *600 million* were struck for circulation. You almost certainly have one of the latter which the article clearly states are only worth face value.

    • Lol .. Was just thinking the same thing .. Thats 5 new examples price will drop by the time i find my 3 examples hehe .. Keep hunting everyone its fun .

  2. For those commenting about their finds: if it’s not in a sealed US Mint proof set, you have found an ordinary Philadelphia mint dime, which in this year did not have a mint mark. It is worth 10 cents

  3. Im curious on the picture with coins side by side .. The right example which is a proof has a dbl edge on parts of the outer rim and the dimes diameter seems slightly larger .. May i ask if these are signs of a proif ..the dbl strike on edge .. And its just a bit flatter so its pancaked a little .?? I too have a 1975 i am wondering about … Greatful fan thanks for article

  4. I’m thoroughly amazed at even after reading this article people are still confused or in belief they have found one of the Holy Grail’s in mere pocket change or the old jar on the Shelf full of coins and don’t seem to grasp where have the understanding of how rare of a coin this actually is that my frustration actually is with people trying to sell this coin or other coins online that have no mint mark and trying to sell them as something rare when millions of them were produced by the Philadelphia mint with no mint mark I’m new to coin collecting and when I first started and I looked on eBay and all kinds of coins we’re being presented as something rare and error coins and trying to get a sense of what was what as far as value or worth of a coin but just now I noticed the selling price I’d like 20,000 or $40,000 that’s when I realized I needed to do a lot of homework a lot of reading and thank you for this article it was very helpful not just for me but hopefully for all these other yahoos out there trying to Peddle these coins off as something rare that’s what angers me I’m all for people selling stuff online I’m trying to make a living but they’re not trying to make a living there trying to rip people off and all it takes is one person to buy one of these coins thinking that they have purchase something of great value or potentially down the road when it’s just an ordinary coin but the comments from people who supposedly read the article still did not can any new knowledge and still thought that their coin was one of the rare ones even though 500 million of them were produced without mint marks just shows that are public education system it’s failing a lot of people because reading and comprehending go hand-in-hand you may be able to read but if you don’t comprehend what you just read then these are the people that these places online hope come along cuz they don’t have an understanding so how any of this works and it’s not hard stuff understand I’ve been doing this for about 6 months now and I would say that articles like this are great at explaining what the facts are & easy to read and come away with hopefully new knowledge but judging from a few of the comments there still people out there that just don’t come over here with any new wisdom and that’s the sad sad thing not the brightest bulb in the pack but I’m not the most dim one either but but if you can’t understand after reading this article then I think understanding is pretty much out the window you’re not going to get it and for the people who are selling these coins online at ridiculous prices either there ignorant don’t know what they’re selling or they do know with the intent to rip someone off which is probably their main objective they’re just stupid and don’t want to take the time to learn and they see a headline here or there and don’t do the research and don’t gain any kind of understanding of the Rarity of a coin and all the key factors that make a coin rare if 500 million coins were made that have no mint mark and it’s known in the coin collecting world that Philadelphia mint did not use a mint mark until 1980 so all those coins that are up for sale unless it has a grade from the Grading Company buyer beware cuz you’re more likely going to get ripped off and sold a piece of ordinary coinage

  5. I have this dime in fact I have two of them there is a big difference in the shine the dime I have has know mint mark and has a dark deep shine like it was just printed yesterday I have never seen a dime with a dark shine like this one I had it since 1976 it was my good luck charm I really want to keep it but I would sell it if I get what I want for it

  6. It’s very obvious to me that I’m just wasting my time telling anyone about this 1975 no mint mark dime when there is so many others out there I’m placing it in the bank vault along with my 1965 dime until I can do more research about maybe the bank manager might could help me on his spare time

    • Unless the bank manager is also a coin collector it’s very doubtful they’ll be able to help you. Banks do not appraise coins or paper money.

      In any case there is NO grain from putting either of your coins in a bank vault. As the article clearly states, only two PROOF 1975 no-S dimes are known while nearly 600 million business strikes were made. In addition ALL 1965 dimes lack a mint mark because the Mint halted their use during the first three years of clad coin production.

  7. Most of the rare coins have been found and brought million of dollars it’s seem people are interested in what you have you have like its a fake or they only made one in the world I’m not wasting my time telling anyone else about my coins because they believe in only in what they already have

    • Sounds good Izeah. With your new found wealth, maybe you should invest in Reading Comprehension 101. Everyone has a 1975 no S courtesy of the Philadelphia mint. Maybe look into other specs to see if you can differentiate between a proof and business strike. Perhaps weight or thickness? Something other than it’s so shiny. You sound like the crab on Moana.

  8. I have three 1975 dime and no mint mark and two 1968 dime and no mint mark. Can you tell me how much is the value for all of those….Thanks.

    • Please re-read the article. Your coins are worth a total of 50¢. Philadelphia didn’t place P mint marks on dimes until _1980_ so the lack of a mint mark on earlier circulation strikes is completely normal. The only rare 1975 “plain” dimes are a tiny handful that were released in proof sets.

    • You can authenticate it by re-reading the article. Only a tiny handful of no-S dimes were released in specially-packaged proof sets. Philadelphia struck over half a billion for circulation. If you found such a coin in change it, like all Philadelphia dimes made before 1980, doesn’t have a mint mark and is not an error coin.

  9. The “No S” piece shown in the PCGS slab that sold for half a million dollars looks more like the uncirculated example than the proof example you show in the comparison above. Furthermore, if you’re going to have a side-by-side comparison of an uncirculated example with that of a typical proof to distinguish the differences, why would you use a proof with the S mintmark intact in your comparison rather than a “No S” piece which you show anyway later in your article?
    People will obviously leave comments as they’re doing and submit numerous duds with no chance of getting any result, while only those companies you mention will reap all the reward.

    • It would be a lot more helpful to these people if you posted side-by-side pictures of the three mentioned above: an uncirculated example (possibly even potential “prooflike” specimen found in a mint set or even souvenir mint set), followed by a common proof dime with the “S” mintmark, and then one without it.
      I have a 1983 “no S” proof set myself, and the PCGS example shown in this article doesn’t do justice of what a proof should look like at all.
      God bless you guys!

  10. The article was very helpful. But apparently not everyone understood it. Maybe you should dumb it down for some.

    Your dimes have to be super shiny, people! Shiny coins come in sets bought straight from the Mint. Not in pocket change. Sorry.

  11. Well, it saddens me to read most of these posts made my people who are hoping they have a treasure. In awful times like these, where we find ourselves grasping for a miracle. I have about 8 dimes from various years with no mint mark, including some silver from 1964. I haven’t been able to get a straight answer from any of the “so-called” professionals I’ve spoken to, as they are also just wanting to make money. Therefore, I trust no one. I wonder how that helps you? I will continue my search for the truth, and until then my items remain in a safe place until I do find someone who will appreciate them.

    • If you trust no one you’ll never get a pleasing answer. You CAN trust sources like the famous “Red Book” Guide Book to United States Coins that shows images and approximate values for nearly every US coin ever struck.

      In any case the straight fact is that until 1980 NO dimes made in Philadelphia carried a mint mark, nor did any dimes from any mint struck during 1965-1967. Late-date silver dimes are generally worth only their value as scrap silver, while circulation-strike clad dimes are rarely worth more than face value unless they’re in uncirculated or proof condition.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Stacks Bowers Auction

J Durham Coin Auctions

David Lawrence Rare Coins Auctions