Dimes have a face value of 10 cents, but the 1954 Roosevelt dime is worth much more. Depending on the grade, appearance, and tone, your 1954 dime can be worth thousands. In this article, you’ll find out the different grades and values for the 1954 dime.
Designed by James R. Sinicock, The 1954 Roosevelt Dime is the 9th entry in the original silver Roosevelt Dime series starting from 1946 to 1964. It was minted in Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco, with a collective mintage of 243.5 million dimes.
The coin has a diameter of 2.11mm, a weight of 2.5g, and a composition of 90% silver and 10% copper. The obverse features the image of US president Franklin Roosevelt, while the reverse shows a flaming torch flanked by an olive branch on the left and an oak branch on the right.
1954 Dime: Grades and Values
The 1954 Dime, with a mintage of 243.5 million, is generally considered common, especially compared to the other key dates like 1949 and 1955, which both have considerably lower mintage (80 and 40 million, respectively).
Consequently, circulated 1954 dimes below MS60 grade cost less than $4, and the lowest grades aren’t worth much more than $1.67, which is the melt value of silver dimes.
| 1954 Dime: Grade and Value Chart | |||
| Regular Strike | Circulated | MS | FB |
| No mint mark | $3 | $4–$100 | $6–350 |
| D Dime | $3 | $4–80 | $8–185 |
| S Dime | $3 | $4 – 57 | $8–325 |
| Proof coin | PR | PR CAM | PR DCAM |
| No mint mark | $7- $425 | 24–2250 | 350–10500 |
On the flip side, uncirculated coins have more price variation; an MS62 dime costs $10, while an MS67 goes for around $80. With full bands, these same coins will cost $8 and $325.
As expected, the highest-valued dimes are the proof coins. Starting at $7 but can cost as much as $10500 for the highest grades.
1954 Dime: Regular Strike and Full Bands
Roosevelt dimes are graded based on appearance, the tone of the coin, and whether or not the coin has Full Bands.
“Full Bands” is a term used for only Roosevelt Dimes. It refers to the twin horizontal bands on the torch on the dimes’ reverse side. For a coin to be designated as Full Bands, there must be complete separation between the upper and lower bands, and the bands should not have any marks or cuts.
Only coins at MS60 and above can be called full bands. This doesn’t mean that all MS60 and above dimes have Full Bands, as the majority do not.
But the few that have Full Bands always have a higher value than those that don’t. For instance, an MS60 1954 dime costs $4, but the same coin with full bands goes for $6.
The price difference can range from very small, as you saw in the example above. But it could also be significant. Generally, the price difference between Full bands and regular MS dimes increases as the grading increases – A Full Bands MS60 dime will usually cost $2 more, but at MS65, the difference increases to $10, and at MS67+, the price difference is well over $600.
The reason for this price variation all boils down to numismatic rarity. Regular uncirculated 1954 dimes are common, but there are only a few full bands at MS65.
You may also hear or see the term “Full Split Bands” (FSB); this is the style ANACS uses and it means the same thing.
Another one you may come across is “Full Torch” (FT). This is less common, and a bit different too, as it recognizes not only the horizontal bands but also the vertical lines on the torch. This style is mostly used by NCG.
But there’s little or no difference in the value of coins called Full Bands (FB) versus those designated as Full torch (FT). This is due to the fact that coins with full bands will usually also have the vertical lines visible and distinct.
1954 No Mint Mark (P) Dime: Value and Grading
There were over 114 million no-mint mark 1954 dimes made by the Philadelphia Mint alone. So there are still a lot of them around, and it’s estimated that about 3.4 million of the Philadelphia dimes around today are of grade MS60 and above.
As you know, rarity has a direct influence on price. So even an uncirculated MS60 Philadelphia dime is Valued at just $4. Due to this, the lower-grade dimes aren’t worth more than $3.
On the other hand of the spectrum, a high-quality dime of grade MS65 goes for $15, while a pristine MS67+ costs $575.
Dimes with full bands are, of course, more expensive. A 1954 MS60 dime with full bands will costs $6, an MS65 is $24, and the finest MS67+ with full bands will cost you $1,250.
Even auction prices favor full bands over regular uncirculated dimes. The present record for a 1954 no-mint mark dime stands at $3,738 for an MS67+ with full bands, sold by Heritage auctions in 2011.
| 1954 No Mint (P) Dime: Grade and Value Chart | ||
| Grade | Regular Strike | Full band (FB) |
| Good | – | – |
| Extremely fine | $3 | – |
| About Uncirculated | $3 | – |
| MS 60 | $4 | $6 |
| MS 61 | $5 | $7 |
| MS 62 | $7 | $8 |
| MS 63 | $10 | $11 |
| MS 64 | $14 | $15 |
| MS 65 | $15 | $24 |
| MS 66 | $28 | $45 |
| MS 67 | $100 | $350 |
| MS 67+ | $575 | $1,250 |
1954-D Dime: Grading and Value
The 1954 Denver dime had a mintage of about 106 million, and it’s estimated that 1.5 million of these are still available in uncirculated grades. So again, this is a common coin and not very valuable.
Like the no-mint Mark dime, lower grades of the 1954-D Roosevelt dime are also valued at $3 or less.
A low grade uncirculated 1954-D dime is worth $4, an MS65 is worth $14, and the highest graded 1954-D dimes at MS67 can cost as much as $200. Which is a bit low compared to a no-mint mark 1954 dime.
Similar to the no-mint mark dime, uncirculated 1954-D coins With full bands have higher prices. For full bands, the values shoot up to $8 for an MS60, $20 for an MS65, and $1,050 for MS67+.
Again, these figures are still lower than those of the Philadelphia full bands, this is likely because there were more 1954-D fullbands than the other mint so they’re not as pricey.
The highest recorded price for the 1954-D dime is $3,780 for a full band MS68, sold by Heritage Auctions in January 2017.
| 1954-D Dime: Grade and Value Chart | ||
| Grade | Regular Strike | Full band (FB) |
| Good | – | – |
| Extremely fine | $3 | – |
| About Uncirculated | $3 | – |
| MS 60 | $4 | $8 |
| MS 61 | $5 | – |
| MS 62 | $7 | $9 |
| MS 63 | $10 | $10 |
| MS 64 | $12 | $14 |
| MS 65 | $14 | $20 |
| MS 66 | $26 | $36 |
| MS 67 | $80 | $185 |
| MS 67+ | $200 | $1,050 |
1954-S Dime: Grading and Value
The third and final variety of the 1954 dime has
the letter S under the date to indicate that the coins were minted in San Francisco.
These S dimes had the lowest mintage of the 1954 Roosevelt dime, at just 22.8 million. But despite this low mintage, the coins are still considered common. As such, circulated coins have low prices.
Only uncirculated S dimes at MS60 and over are considered valuable. A 1954-S MS60 dime is worth $4, an MS65 is worth $10, and an MS67 goes for $165.
While regular MS dimes may be common, true full bands are scarce. An MS60 costs $8, MS65 costs $50, and an MS67 is worth $2000. You can see that the 1954-S full band dimes are worth considerably more than the Philadelphia or Denver full bands. Indeed, they are the most valuable of 1954 dimes excluding proofs.
This great price difference between the different mint marks also extends to the auctions. The present auction record for the 1954-S dime is $6,000 for an MS68 full band dime sold by Heritage auctions in 2019. This figure is over 80% higher than the records of the other 1954 mint marks.
| 1954-S Dime: Grade and Value Chart | ||
| Grade | Regular Strike | Full band (FB) |
| Good | – | – |
| Extremely fine | $3 | – |
| About Uncirculated | $3 | – |
| MS 60 | $4 | $8 |
| MS 61 | $5 | $8 |
| MS 62 | $7 | $9 |
| MS 63 | $10 | $12 |
| MS 64 | $14 | $25 |
| MS 65 | $16 | $50 |
| MS 66 | $22 | $58 |
| MS 67 | $57 | $325 |
| MS 67+ | $165 | $2000 |
1954 Proof Dime: Grade and Value
Proofs of the 1954 dime were struck in Philadelphia. And unlike the regular strike that numbered millions, a mere 233 thousand proof dimes were released in 1954, making the proofs significantly rarer and more valuable than the business strikes.
Unlike the regular strikes, all proof dimes are counted as Full Bands (But not all full bands are proofs). That’s because proof dimes are special, polished, struck at higher pressures and may even be double-struck to ensure that every detail is as clear and distinct as possible.
Proof coins are graded based on the toning and strike characteristics. The lowest grades of the 1954 proof dimes have similar values as the MS dimes, ranging from $7 to $115. Similarly, Cameo (CAM) dimes have prices comparable to those of regular strike Full bands. They’re worth $24 to $800.
Deep Cameo (DCAM) dimes are the highest grade and the least common 1954 dimes and so they have the highest value. Starting at $350 and finishing at $10,500 for a PR68 DCAM dime.
Naturally, the DCAM has the highest auction record of all the 1954 dimes – $9,800 for a PR68 DCAM sold by Heritage Auction in April 2014.
| 1954 Dime Proof: Grade and Value Chart | |||
| Grade | PR | Cameo (CAM) | Deep Cameo (DCAM) |
| PR 60 | $7 | – | – |
| PR 61 | $8 | – | – |
| PR 62 | $9 | – | – |
| PR 63 | $10 | $24 | – |
| PR 64 | $15 | $26 | – |
| PR 65 | $25 | $30 | $350 |
| PR 66 | $30 | $35 | $1200 |
| PR 67 | $37 | $100 | $2650 |
| PR 68 | $60 | $550 | $10500 |
| PR 68+ | $115 | $800 | – |
1954 Roosevelt Dime, Error Coins.
With such a mintage of over 240 million, it’s inevitable that there will be error coins. Some errors seen in the 1954 dimes include die cracks, missing designer Initials, and partial collar strikes.
Die Crack, Hair Spike
This circulated 1954 no-mint mark dime has a die crack error.
As the name suggests, these errors occur when a die cracks from the immense pressures used to strike coins. If the cracked die is used again after the crack, the metal fills into the crack, resulting in a raised portion of metal that’s the same size, shape, and position as the die crack.
In this case, the error appears as a hair spike on the back of the President’s head and extending to the rim. This error dime is priced at $18.
Missing Designer Initials
Here, we have an uncirculated MS60 1954-S error dime. The dime is missing the JS initials, which should normally be on the obverse and right under Roosevelt’s image. The initials stand for John Sinicock, who designed all the Roosevelt dimes.
The most likely cause of this error is a die abrasion from overpolishing, which removed the details that should have imprinted the initials on the planchet.
This is one of the good errors. It does not affect the shape or appearance of the coin like other errors. Instead, it may even increase the dime’s value. For instance, this error dime is ANACS-certified as MS64 and goes for $65, more than twice the present value of an error-free MS64 1954-S dime.
Partial Collar Strike
This 1954-S Roosevelt dime has a partial collar strike error. A partial collar strike occurs when the restraining collar that prevents the coin from expanding does not fully engage. And the result is what you see in the picture– a slightly misshapen coin.
For this coin, the error can be seen on the left of the obverse side, which is wider than the rest of the coin. The images on the obverse and reverse are not very obvious and detailed, but this is not an error but the usual signs of wear.
This dime is PCGS-certified as AU55 and is worth $65.
Die Crack, Mustache Error
Another die crack dime. This one has a small blob on the obverse. The blob sits right over President Roosevelt’s mouth, giving the impression of a mustache. The coin is a circulated 1954 no-mint mark dime and is priced at $41.
Missing Initials, FB
Here is another 1954-S dime with missing initials. This one is ANACS-certified as MS65 with Full Bands. It costs $124, again double the present value of a 1954-S MS65 Full Bands dime.
Jenson is a professional numismatist, a dedicated coin collector, a graduate of the College of Business at Oregon State, a life member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA), and an overall coin nerd. He is the founder of Coin Value List.