A peculiar 10-cent coin featuring the image of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was recently offered for sale by GreatCollections, a specialized California auction house, at a price of $506,250.
The first “Roosevelt dimes” entered circulation in 1946, exactly one year after the U.S. leader’s death. Designed by engraver John R. Sinnock and engraved with the words “Liberty” and “In God We Trust,” the coins would bear one-letter marks indicating the city in which they were produced: D for Denver, S for San Francisco, and so on.
Although minting is a highly automated process, errors do occur from time to time. The GreatCollections website notes that since 1968 the San Francisco Mint has produced a total of six coins that do not bear the signature S. The one sold by GreatCollections was one of them.
According to the auction house, the coin was produced in 1975. It was not intended for circulation, but was part of a proof series to celebrate the country’s 200th birthday. In addition to Roosevelt, the presidential-themed series also included an Abraham Lincoln penny, a Thomas Jefferson nickel, a George Washington quarter, a John F. Kennedy half dollar, and a Dwight Eisenhower dollar.
At the time, the six-coin set sold for $7. It was purchased by a California collector in 1977. Recognizing its value, the latter submitted it for authentication by ANACS, a society that determines the authenticity and condition of rare coins. Over the decades, the object depicting Roosevelt’s face had several owners, with its value continuing to rise as the years passed.
In recent times, the coin had been owned by an Ohio man. Upon his death, his three sisters found it in the family vault at a local bank and had it authenticated by GreatCollections.
