The silver percentage was increased to 90.0 percent with the introduction of the Seated Liberty dime; the use of a richer alloy was offset by reducing the diameter from 18.8 millimeters (0.740 inch) to its current figure of 17.9 millimeters (0.705 inch).With the passage of the Coinage Act of 1965, the dime's silver content was removed. Thus dimes are made small and thin. This new Capped Bust dime, which began production in 1828, is known as the Small type. This is partially because they were struck without a restraining collar, which gave them a broader appearance. In particular, the dime was reduced in diameter from 18.8 to 18.5 millimeters. A valuable variety is an overdate, where 1942 was stamped over a 1941 die at the Philadelphia mint. Sinnock's design placed his initials ("JS") at the base of Roosevelt's neck, on the coin's obverse. Starting in 1992, the U.S. Mint began issuing Silver Proof Sets annually, which contain dimes composed of the pre-1965 standard of 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper.
The name for each type (except for the Barber dime) indicates the design on the coin's The Coinage Act of 1792, passed on April 2, 1792, authorized the mintage of a "disme", one-tenth the silver weight and value of a dollar.
To maintain a standard weight and alloy, the diameter of most coins was reduced. It has been speculated that this is what Barber had wanted all along.The Barber dime, as with all previous dimes, featured an image of Liberty on the obverse.
His reverse design elements of a torch, olive branch, and oak branch symbolized, respectively, liberty, peace, and strength.Controversy immediately ensued, as strong anti-Communist sentiment in the United States led to the circulation of rumors that the "JS" engraved on the coin was the initials of Another controversy surrounding Sinnock's design involves his image of Roosevelt. The lack of numeric value markings on subsequent dime coins causes some confusion amongst foreign visitors, who may be unaware of the value of the coin. In 1792, a limited number of dismes were minted but never circulated. The initial design (1837) had no stars on the obverse and, further, the dates were minted in a Large Date and Small Date variety. This size and metal composition would continue until 1965, when silver was permanently removed from circulating dimes.There were several minor varieties during the Seated Liberty's run. Covering the eagle's breast is a U.S. shield with six horizontal lines and 13 vertical stripes. This reverse design continued through the end of the series in 1891 and was changed only slightly in 1892, when the Barber dime debuted.
Previous designs of the dime had no indication of its value, the way people determined its value was by its sizeCapped Bust dimes minted through 1828 are known as the Large type. Soon after the coin's release, it was claimed that Sinnock borrowed his design of Roosevelt from a With the passage of the Coinage Act of 1965, the composition of the dime changed from 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper to a clad "sandwich" of pure copper inner layer between two outer layers of Since 1946 the Roosevelt dime has been minted every year. Another variety is the 1838–40 dime minted with no drapery underneath the left elbow of Liberty.Arrows at the date in 1853 and 1873 indicated changes made in the coin's This produced the greatest rarities in the Seated Dime Series, the 1873 & 1874 Carson City Dimes, with arrows and the unique 1873 Carson City Dime without arrows.The Barber dime is named for its designer, Charles E. Barber, who was Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint from 1879 to 1917. These were replaced with the legend "United States of America," which was moved from the reverse in mid-1860. It featured the same obverse and reverse as all other circulating coins of the time, the so-called Draped Bust/Small Eagle design. Through 1964 "D" and "S" mintmarks can be found to the left of the torch. In 1828, Chief Engraver William Kneass introduced the close collar method of coining (which automated the process of placing reeds on a coin's edge). None were used in 1965–67, and Philadelphia did not show a mintmark until 1980 (in 1982, an error left the "P" off a small number of dimes, which are now valuable). Thus, the 1916-D is worth up to thousands of dollars if it is in relatively fine condition.
A considerable number of common 1916 Philadelphia mint dimes have been altered with a "D" added, so buyers should be careful to purchase only from reputable dealers or to accept only sealed and graded coins.
These sets are intended solely for collectors, and are not meant for general circulation.Since its introduction in 1796, the dime has been issued in six different major types, excluding the 1792 "disme". In the Large Date variety, the "3" has a pointed Thirteen stars (symbolizing the 13 original colonies) were added to the perimeter of the obverse in 1838. In addition to standardizing the diameter of coins, the new method allowed the Mint to produce thicker coins. Through 1955, all three mints, Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco produced circulating coinage; production at San Francisco ended in 1955, resuming in 1968 with proof coinage only. Mint Director Robert Maskell Patterson requested a new coin design, to be reminiscent of the The obverse features an image of Liberty sitting on a rock, wearing a dress and holding a staff with a liberty cap on top.