On a Dime

Three sisters in Ohio knew the Roosevelt dime stored in their family’s bank vault was valuable, but they didn’t realize just how valuable it was until a few years ago. The piece is one of only two known 1975 “No S” proof dimes. The dime will appear in a GreatCollections online auction that closes at the end of October and is expected to bring more than $500,000.

Their brother and mother purchased the error in 1978 for $18,200 ($90,000 today) as a financial safety net for the family’s dairy farm. After their brother’s death, the sisters inherited the coin. One sister mentioned that her brother often talked about the coin, but she only saw it for the first time last year.

The brother had initially reached out to GreatCollections President Ian Russell seven years ago and told him about the coin. The San Fransisco Mint produced over 2.8 million special uncirculated “proof” sets in 1975. The sets featured six coins and cost $7. Several years later, collectors discovered two examples without the “S” mintmark. Since the late 1970s, the whereabouts of the two 1975 “No S” proof dimes had been a mystery, until one specimen sold for $456,000 in a 2019 auction. More examples could exist but would only appear in 1975 proof sets.