Old Dimes: Which Are Silver, Rare Dates and Values

Yes. Every U.S. dime dated 1964 or earlier is 90% silver, so it is worth several times face value even when worn, and a few dates are worth hundreds of dollars or more. USA CoinBook lists common silver dates, such as a 1964 Roosevelt dime or a 1943 Mercury dime, at $5.83 in Good (G4); its precious-metal portion updates live, and we read it on September 25, 2026, so this number moves with the silver price (USA CoinBook).

Dimes dated 1965 and later have no silver. The Coinage Act of 1965 switched them to copper-nickel outer layers bonded to a pure copper core (Wikipedia)). Those are normally worth ten cents unless they are a known error or in top condition.

• Read the date first. 1964 or earlier means silver; 1965 or later means clad (Wikipedia)).
• Weigh it if the date is worn. A silver dime weighs 2.5 g (Wikipedia); a clad dime weighs 2.268 g (Wikipedia)). A kitchen scale that reads to 0.01 g separates them.
• Look at the edge. Because clad dimes have a copper core, their reeded edge (118 reeds) shows a copper-colored band; a silver dime is the same color all the way through.
• Name the design. The six types are Draped Bust (1796–1807), Capped Bust (1809–1837), Seated Liberty (1837–1891), Barber (1892–1916), Mercury (1916–1945) and Roosevelt (1946 to today) (Wikipedia)).
• Find the mint mark (next section), then compare with the price lists below.

No mint mark on an old dime usually means Philadelphia. D is Denver, S is San Francisco, O is New Orleans and CC is Carson City.

• Seated Liberty: inside the wreath on the back before 1860, below the wreath near the rim after 1860 (Wikipedia).
• Barber: on the back, beneath the wreath (Wikipedia).
• Mercury: on the back, between the E of ONE and the base of the olive branch (Wikipedia).
• Roosevelt 1946–1964: on the back, left of the torch. 1965–1967: no mint mark at all. 1968 on: on the front above the date; Philadelphia added P in 1980 (Wikipedia).

For every other U.S. coin see coin mint marks.

The Mercury dime, officially the Winged Liberty Head dime, was designed by Adolph Weinman; 2,677,232,488 were struck in all (Wikipedia). Prices below are USA CoinBook retail estimates, numismatic values updated February 2026 (USA CoinBook):

• 1916-D: $1,247 in G4; $32,661 in MS65. Only 264,000 were struck because Denver was told to make quarters that year (Wikipedia).
• 1942/1 (Philadelphia): $379 in G4; $18,710 in MS65.
• 1942/1-D: $379 in G4; $12,164 in MS65. The "overdate" is really a doubled die: the die took one impression from a 1942 hub and one from a 1941 hub (Wikipedia).
• 1921-D: $84 in G4; $4,251 in MS65.
• 1921: $64 in G4; $4,074 in MS65.
• 1926-S: $22 in G4; $4,252 in MS65.
• 1931-D: $14 in G4; $441 in MS65.
• Common dates (for example 1943, 1943-D, 1943-S): $5.83 in G4, about $11 to $12 in MS60, $37 to $41 in MS65.

In the highest grades collectors also pay for full bands, meaning the horizontal bands on the fasces on the back show full detail (Wikipedia).

Barber dimes are named after Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber and are 90% silver (Wikipedia). USA CoinBook values in Good (G4), updated February 2026 (USA CoinBook):

• 1895-O: $588.
• 1896-S: $147.
• 1901-S: $126.
• 1903-S: $121.
• 1892-S: $90.
• 1913-S: $53.
• Common date, such as 1912: $10.44.

The 1894-S is in a class of its own: 24 were struck as proofs, about nine are known, and one sold for $1,552,500 at auction in 2007 (Wikipedia). USA CoinBook gives no G4 price for it, because it is essentially never found worn.

The Roosevelt dime was first struck on January 19, 1946, and designed by John R. Sinnock (Wikipedia). Most are worth silver (1946–1964) or face value (1965 on). The exceptions, from USA CoinBook (February 2026) unless noted (USA CoinBook):

• 1982 with no mint mark: a Philadelphia dime struck without its P; $249 in MS65.
• 1949-S: $72 in MS65.
• 1996-W: $25 in MS65.
• 1975 proof with no S: only two are known; one sold for $349,600 at auction in 2011 (Wikipedia). The 1970 and 1983 proofs also have no-S errors. A normal 1970-S proof is $2.50 and a normal 1975-S proof $3.08 in PR65, so the missing S is what matters.

Ranked by the highest non-proof price USA CoinBook lists for each coin (catalog values current as of 2026) (USA CoinBook):

• 1873-CC Seated Liberty, No Arrows: $3,737,496
• 1874-CC Seated Liberty: $313,010
• 1872-CC Seated Liberty: $278,923
• 1871-CC Seated Liberty: $175,509
• 1843-O Seated Liberty: $120,117
• 1797 Draped Bust, 13 Stars: $118,825
• 1804 Draped Bust, 14 Stars: $105,850
• 1803 Draped Bust: $105,849
• 1804 Draped Bust, 13 Stars: $93,132
• 1873-CC Seated Liberty, with Arrows: $92,683

Five of the ten are Carson City coins from 1871–1874. The 1894-S is left off this ranking only because it is a proof; by auction price it belongs near the top. The 1916-D Mercury, the dime people ask about most, ranks 24th at $32,657.

• Dates that were never made: no Denver Mercury dimes were issued in 1923 or 1930, so a 1923-D or 1930-D is counterfeit (Littleton Coin).
• Added mint marks: the value of a 1916-D depends on one small letter. A D that looks soldered, sits at the wrong spot, or has a different surface from the coin around it needs authentication. See spot counterfeit coins.
• Wrong weight: a genuine silver dime is 2.5 g; a coin that is far off is not a regular silver dime.

• Read the date and design: they tell you the series and whether it is silver.
• Find the mint mark using the list above.
• Judge wear: on a Mercury dime, look at the hair lines and the bands on the fasces; on a Roosevelt, the hair above the ear.
• Compare with the prices on this page, using the grade that matches your coin, not the top grade.
• For a key date or error, get the coin certified before selling. See coin grading guide.

A CoinLens scan identifies the series, date and mint mark from a photo.

This page was researched and drafted with the help of AI, then checked line by line against the sources listed below. Prices are dated and name their source: the PCGS Price Guide for Lincoln cents was read from its September 24, 2026 update; USA CoinBook numismatic values were last updated in February 2026 and its silver portion was read on September 25, 2026. Prices change, and a coin's real value depends on its exact grade and authenticity. Use CoinLens if you want to check a coin before you look it up here.