DC-10c-1964D-02R Die Chip

Description

Documented by the Cuds on Coins research team, this 1964-D Roosevelt Silver Dime exhibits a die chip on the reverse — a small raised bump created when a fragment of the hardened steel die surface broke away, leaving a cavity that filled with metal during each strike. The 1964 Denver Mint Roosevelt Dime holds a singular position in American numismatic history as the final year of 90% silver dime production before the Coinage Act of 1965 transitioned U.S. dimes to copper-nickel clad composition. Denver struck an extraordinary 1.357 billion dimes in 1964 — the highest silver dime mintage in history — as the Mint raced to produce coinage amid the coin shortage crisis of the early 1960s. This massive production volume pushed dies to their limits, and the intense striking pressures accelerated die deterioration including the formation of chips. Die chips typically begin as stress fractures in the die steel that propagate with continued use until a small piece separates, and the resulting raised feature on struck coins grows progressively larger as the cavity in the die deepens through wear. While no specific cross-reference number has been assigned beyond the Cuds on Coins catalog designation DC-10c-1964D-02R, the variety is part of a broader documentation effort to catalog die deterioration features across all Roosevelt Dime dates and mintmarks.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Joel Narva
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References