My uncle has a roll of Unc 1955 Roosevelt dimes he bought from a dealer in the early 1960’s, knowing that was a low mintage year (12.45 million). He transferred them to a plastic tube and they have remained BU. About 1/2 of the roll has two different obverse die cracks. A slight one at the top of Roosevelt’s head, the other is more pronounced at the back of his head. The rest of the roll has no die cracks. An example of all 3 are shown below. We cannot find these 2 die cracks mentioned except in an old CT thread which did not shed much light. Otherwise no mention of them that we could find. We have several questions for you dime collectors. Do the die cracks add value? Do any of these qualify as Full Torch or Full Bands? Would ANACS put “Die Crack” on the label. Would they put “Full Torch”, or “Full Bands” on the label if they qualify? Would you have any of them graded knowing that our Club batch submittal to ANACS would mean total cost per coin would be around $15. My inexpert guess is that all 3 would grade MS62-64. Thanks in advance for your input! Die Crack On Top Of Head Die Crack At Back Of Head No Die Crack
Very nice but die cracks don't really add any value. Looking at the torch I don't see a FT or Full Bands. They all appear to be struck from worn dies. Looks like they have a pale blue color to them which adds to the appeal. Not sure about the TPGs labeling but it might not hurt to pick out 3 of the best, 1 of each, and submit if you can do so at $15.00 per.
Thanks for the feedback. I have heard die cracks don’t add value with the exception of the more sexy & notorious ones like the Delaware Spitting Horse quarter or the Sacajawea Wounded Eagle to name a few. I agree with worn dies, and that’s consistent with the die cracks I suppose. These are the best 3 my uncle picked out, but he didn’t have a high power magnifier and admits his eyes aren’t what they used to be. Think I’ll ask him to get a loupe and see if he has any better ones with a stronger strike. He wants to get at least one of each of the 3 graded, so we will pursue that. Thanks!
In the first coin the IGWT is weak and not a good choice for grading. On the second Dime it's better but the torch is weaker than the first. The 3rd choice is the best of these three. I would check the rims carefully as they appear to be MAD strikes. It's late and my eyes are tired so I'm off to bed. This is my opinion but wait for others. You know how we are. Lol
IMO the 3 coins you've shown are not worth sending in for grading. I'm posting a link to the PCGS price guide and you can see a 1955 Dime is not worth the cost unless it grades at least MS 66+ FB or MS 67+ No FB. https://www.pcgs.com/prices/detail/roosevelt-dime/98/most-active Hope you find a few that can grade that high. Happy hunting. EDIT. I'm sure you're aware a price guide is just that, a guide.
Thanks Thomas. A local dealer agrees these coins are not worth grading. I talked with my uncle and he verified these 3 were the best in the roll. So we decided not to pursue the grading any further.
Still cool finds. These die cracks that run from the bust to the rim are sometimes called "Spiked Heads." I do not see them listed on http://cuds-on-coins.com/. Perhaps you could contact the site owners and get them listed!
