1951 Dime Coin Value: How Much Is It Worth?

Silver Roosevelt dimes replaced Mercury dimes in 1946, and their minting has lasted until now. However, the US Mint canceled silver coinage production two decades later because of raised prices of this precious metal and introduced cupronickel dimes in 1965.

Although these silver coins were minted over 70 years ago, the 1951 dime value is low. Since they belong to the early series, they are never entirely worthless, regardless of condition. As always, the best-graded and rare pieces can bring you a premium, while others can be a good investment because of the silver content.

1951 dime value Chart
Condition	1951 No Mint Mark dime	1951 D dime	1951 S dime
Good	$2.02	$2.02	$2.02
Very good	$2.02	$2.02	$2.02
Fine	$2.02	$2.02	$2.02
Very fine	$2.02	$2.02	$2.13
Extra fine	$2.13	$2.13	$3.56
AU	$2.25	$2.25	$4.05
MS 60	$4.05	$4.05	$17
MS 65	$12	$12	$28
PR 65	$56	/	/

 

1951 Dime Value Guides

Three mints produced precisely 192,096,602 dimes in 1951. That number included pieces from the regular strike minted in all three mints and proofs struck only in Philadelphia.

1951 No Mint mark dime Value

Nowadays, you can get about $2 for one of the surviving 103,880,102 Roosevelt dimes produced in Philadelphia in 1951 that spent some time in circulation. Most better-preserved pieces cost $2 to $44, but you should set aside a high $1,500 for specimens in an MS 68 grade.

1951 Roosevelt dime
Condition	1951 No Mint mark dime	1951 D dime	1951 S dime
Extra fine	$2.06	$2.06	$2.06
AU	$2.06	$2.06	$2.06 to $4
MS 60	$2.11	$2.11	$6
MS 61	$2.11	$2.11	$6
MS 62	$2.11	$2.11	$6
MS 63	$3.25	$3.50	$12.50
MS 64	$6	$6	$13.50
MS 65	$10	$10	$15
MS 66	$20	$18	$22
MS 67	$44	$70	$38
MS 68	$1,500	$1,600	$280

The auction record for one dime in this grade is $4,600. That was a sum one collector paid for this coin in January 2009 at Superior Galleries. Interestingly, the most expensive specimen with Full Bands is slightly cheaper, with the price of $4,465 reached at Heritage Auctions in 2017.

1951 proof dime Value

The Philadelphia mint produced 57,500 dimes in 1951. Nowadays, these collectible coins are worth $20 to $100, except for the ultimately beautiful pieces with a PR 69 rating. Their price can go up to $250.

1951 proof Roosevelt dime
Condition	1951 PR dime	1951 PR CAM dime	1951 PR DCAM dime
PR 60	$18	/	/
PR 61	$20	/	/
PR 62	$22	/	/
PR 63	$25	/	/
PR 64	$30	$40	/
PR 65	$35	$50	$800
PR 66	$38	$60	$1,200
PR 67	$50	$70	$2,200
PR 68	$95	$325	$5,000
PR 69	$250	$650	$12,500

The 1951 PR CAM Roosevelt dimes are always more pricey, and their price range is from $40 to $650 for the best-rating ones. Only the luckiest collectors with high budgets can afford dimes with desirable deep cameo contrast.

Coins with the lowest value cost at least $800, but they can be more valuable, like one piece sold in January 2007. A collector paid $2,990 for it at Heritage Auctions.

Scarce specimens in a PR 69 grade are unbelievably expensive. Their estimated price is approximately $12,500, but the auction record is almost twice that price. One collector grabbed the 1951 PR 68 DCAM dime for $23,500 in January 2014.

1951 D dime Value

Any survived dimes of 56,529,000 produced in Denver in 1951 are collectible nowadays. Their price range is wide, and you should pay approximately $2 for pieces in lower grades and up to $70 for excellently preserved ones. Only scarce coins with an MS 68 rating come to $1,600 at auctions.

One of the exceptions is the 1951 D MS 68 Roosevelt dime sold for $2,185 in March 2011. Even though the estimated price for dimes with Full Bands is $2,000, one collector purchased one such piece for $8,337 in January 2009.

1951 S dime Value

The San Francisco mint had the lowest 1951 Roosevelt dime mintage. Interestingly, that hasn’t affected these coins’ value. Most of the surviving pieces of 31,630,000 minted have the same prices as coins from the other two mints.

Most dimes cost $2 to $40, except for the best-graded ones that are worth up to $300. On the other hand, auction records can be surprisingly high.

For instance, one collector set aside $4,830 at Bowers & Merena for the 1951 dime in an MS 68 grade. At the same auction, but four years later, the coin with desirable Full Bands was paid $6,038.

Related Posts: 16 Most Valuable Dime Errors

1951 Roosevelt Dime Errors and Variation

You can recognize one highly appreciated 1951 Full Band dime variation, and a few typical errors occurred that year. Those coins are more or less rare and expensive than regular ones, making them collectible.

1951 Roosevelt Dime Full Bands

As always, collectors look for the 1951 Roosevelt dimes with Full Bands. These coins show the original design undamaged during the minting process, so you can expect them to be more expensive than regular coins.

1951 FB Roosevelt dime
Condition	1951 No Mint mark FB dime	1951 D FB dime	1951 S FB dime
MS 65	/	$12	$16
MS 66	$30	$19	$22
MS 67	$74	$70	$65
MS 68	$2,500	$2,000	$1,400

*by Greysheet

The 1951 FB dimes from Philadelphia cost $30 to $75 in most cases, but those in an MS 68 grade are rare. Therefore, their prices can go up to $2,500 at auctions.

Pieces from the other two mints are less expensive, so you should set aside about $2,000 for the best-rating ones from Denver. The excellently-preserved FB coins minted in San Francisco are even less costly, and you can get one for $1,400 on average.

1951 Roosevelt Dime Errors

Even though the US Mint tried to avoid coin errors during minting, a cost-cutting mode actual in 1951 resulted in poor quality control. Therefore, you can find numerous dimes with minor mint errors interesting for collectors.

• Die crack – After a die breaks, it comes with a crack that leaves an imprint on the planchet. As a result, produced coins come with imperfections on their surfaces, reminding short, thin lines.
• Off-center – Strike off-center is a fascinating error for collectors when the deviation from the center is about 50%. Remember that only coins with the recognizable DATE are worth some money.

• Weak strike – A problem with a weak strike was common in 1951, so affected coins ended up with shallowly struck design elements.
• Planchet error – In this case, you can see a cut coin coming as a result of a folded or clipped planchet area.

Related Posts: 22 Most Valuable Roosevelt Dimes Worth Money

History of the 1951 roosevelt dime

In 1946, the US Mint decided to replace Mercury dimes with a new design and introduce new coins with President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s portrait on the obverse.

Americans loved their 32nd President, but he didn’t deserve to appear on the coin because of his excellent leading the nation during hard times. Interestingly, he won this honor because of his struggle to stop polio, a disease he suffered from.

1951 Roosevelt dime
Location	Year	Minted
Philadelphia	1951 No Mint mark dime	103,880,102
San Francisco	1951 S dime	31,630,000
Denver	1951 D dime	56,529,000
Philadelphia	1951 proof dime	57,500
Total	/	192,096,602

After the nation’s only four-term President died in April 1945, the Treasury Department decided to release a new coin with his image. This humble dime became a symbol of his struggle to end the horrible disease through the fundraising campaign – March of Dimes.

Related Posts: 18 Most Valuable Mercury Dimes Worth Money

how to identify 1951 Dime?

The Roosevelt dime design is not the most fortunately chosen and executed, and collectors have divided opinions about its appearance. However, the portrait of a highly appreciated President on the obverse is sufficient reason for most numismatists to include these coins in their collections.

The obverse of the 1951 Roosevelt dime

Chief Engraver Sinnock created this coin with Roosevelt’s image in the central obverse position. The design was conceived in a way to leave only a little space for inscriptions.

You can read the word LIBERTY struck on the left coin rim, while the cramped motto IN GOD WE TRUST is stamped at the bottom of the President’s neck. On the right truncation part are the letters JS, the designer’s initials, and the DATE, 1951.

The reverse of the 1951 Roosevelt dime

It seems that Sinnock had a penchant for ornate and cluttered designs, so he overcrowded the reverse of this coin in that style. The central figure was an upright Roman torch, a symbol of freedom framed with the denomination and country name.

You can notice two branches on its sides, the olive one on the left and the oak one on the right. They should symbolize peace and victory. The required motto E*PLU/RIB/US*U/NUM was interrupted and awkwardly struck between depicted elements. The mint mark found its place left of the torch base.

1951 Roosevelt dime
Face value	Ten cents ($0.10)
Shape	Round
Compound	Silver coin with added 10% copper
Coin thickness	1.35 mm (0.053 inches)
Coin diameter	17.91 mm (0.705 inches)
Silver content	2.25 g (0.072 troy ounces)
Coin weight	2.50 g (0.08 troy ounces)
Edge	Reeded

Other features of the 1951 Roosevelt dime

Like all Roosevelt dimes from the early years, those minted in 1951 are ten-cent coins made of 0.900 silver. The silver content is 2.25 g (0.072 troy ounces), and the total coin weight is 2.50 g (0.08 troy ounces). Each dime is thick 1.35 mm (0.053 inches) and has a reeded edge and diameter of 17.91 mm (0.705 inches).

Related Posts: 17 Most Valuable Dimes Worth Money

What makes a 1951 Roosevelt dime rare?

Error dimes minted in 1951 are typically insignificant and abundant, and the only rarities in the set are specimens with Full Bands. When such coins are in high grades, you can count on setting aside serious money to get one.

Which 1951 Roosevelt dimes are worth a lot?

• In January 2014, a collector purchased the 1951 PR 68 dime (DCAM) for $23,500 at Heritage Auctions
• In January 2009, a collector purchased the 1951 D MS 68 dime (FB) for $8,337 at Superior Galleries
• In February 2007, a collector purchased the 1951 S MS 68 dime (FB) for $6,038 at Bowers & Merena
• In January 2003, a collector purchased the 1951 S MS 68 dime for $4,830 at Bowers & Merena
• In January 2009, a collector purchased the 1951 MS 68 dime for $4,600 at Superior Galleries
• In August 2017, a collector purchased the 1951 MS 68 dime (FB) for $4,465 at Heritage Auctions
• In January 2007, a collector purchased the 1951 PR 69 dime (CAM) for $2,990 at Heritage Auctions
• In March 2011, a collector purchased the 1951 D MS 68 dime for $2,185 at Stack’s Bowers
• In March 2021, a collector purchased the 1951 PR 69 dime for $1,500 at eBay
• In October 2021, a collector purchased the 1951D/D MS 66 RPM dime (FB) for $129 at eBay
• In July 2021, a collector purchased the 1951 D/D MS 66 RPM dime for $95 at eBay

How much is 1951 No Mint mark Roosevelt dime worth?

You can count on a price of about $2 for 1951 Roosevelt dimes produced in Philadelphia that spent years in circulation. The untouched and perfect specimens can be costly, and their value goes up to $1,500  for the best-rating ones.

What are the most costly Roosevelt dimes?

Type 1, silver dime

• 1951 PR 68 Roosevelt dime – $23,500
• 1956 PR 69 Roosevelt dime (DCAM) – $19,975
• 1950 PR 68 Roosevelt dime – $18,800
• 1949 MS 68 Roosevelt dime (FB) – $13,200
• 1946 MS 69 Roosevelt dime – $12,650
• 1964 SP 66 SMS SP Roosevelt dime – $10,200

Type 2, clad dime

• 1975 No S PR 68 Roosevelt dime – $456,000
• 1968 No S PR 68 Roosevelt dime – $48,875
• 1999 D MS 65 Roosevelt dime – $14,375
• 1966 SP67 SMS SP Roosevelt dime – $12,499.99
• 1983 No S PR 70 Roosevelt dime – $10,560