United States | |
| Value | 10 cents (0.10 U.S. dollar) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 2.268 g |
| Diameter | 17.91[1] mm (0.705 in) |
| Edge | reeded[2] |
| Composition | 1965–present: 75% Cu, 25% Ni clad over copper core 1946–1964: 2.5 grams, 90% Ag and 10% Cu |
| Silver | Collectors' versions in silver. 1992–2018: 0.900 fine, 0.0803 troy oz From 2019: 0.999 fine, 0.082[2] troy oz |
| Years of minting | 1946 to present |
| Mint marks | P, D, S, W. Located from 1946 to 1964 on the lower reverse to the left of the torch, since 1968 on the obverse above the date. No mint mark used at Philadelphia before 1980 or at any mint from 1965 to 1967. |
| Obverse | |
 | |
| Design | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Designer | John R. Sinnock |
| Design date | 1946 |
| Reverse | |
 | |
| Design | Torch with branches of olive and oak |
| Designer | John R. Sinnock |
| Design date | 1946 |
The Roosevelt dime is the current dime, or ten-cent piece, of the United States. Struck by the United States Mint continuously since 1946, it displays President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the obverse and was authorized soon after his death in 1945.
Roosevelt had been stricken with polio, and was one of the moving forces of the March of Dimes. The ten-cent coin could be changed by the Mint without the need for congressional action, and officials moved quickly to replace the Mercury dime. Chief Engraver John R. Sinnock prepared models, but faced repeated criticism from the Commission of Fine Arts. He modified his design in response, and the coin went into circulation in January 1946.
Since its introduction, the Roosevelt dime has been struck continuously in large numbers. The Mint transitioned from striking the coin in silver to base metal in 1965, and the design remains essentially unaltered from when Sinnock created it. Without rare dates or silver content, the dime is less widely sought by coin collectors than other modern U.S. coins.