I found this Roosevelt dime can anybody help me with what the error is and what it might be worth

Discussion in 'Error Coins' started by the40yogamer, Jun 9, 2026 at 5:51 PM.

  1. the40yogamer

    the40yogamer New Member

    I found this Roosevelt dime can anybody help me with what the error is and what it might be worth
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    It's corroded. Exposure to acids or the elements tends to etch away nickel faster than copper, leaving that coppery color behind. We see it frequently here, especially on coins that are metal-detected in the ground.

    Welcome to CoinTalk!
     
  4. Michael K

    Michael K Well-Known Member

    Use full size when posting a photo.
    There's no error. Sometimes you can find a coin that is missing a clad layer but that will be 1 side only, and you can weigh the coin. (That's a valuable error.) Your coin is "rusty" from environmental damage. What Jeff said.
    If this coin was in the ground, the metals react to acids, pollutants in the soil, rain, etc. and it comes out looking like this.
    It's a dime and can be spent as such. There is way too much false information on the net/ social media about "error" coins. True error coins are rare, and there is a lot of information/ education about them.
    I do metal detecting and I find coins like this every week for the last 11 years.
     
  5. paddyman98

    paddyman98 I'm a professional expert in specializing! Supporter

    Hello and welcome to CoinTalk.

    Your Dime is composed of Cupronickel. It's a mixture of nickel and copper. When it becomes exposed for a long time to the elements such as dirt, soil, sand and brackish water the Cupronickel clad will tone a darker color. That is what occured to your Dime. It's not a mint error of any kind unfortunately.

    I am also a metal detectorist and have plenty of examples of toned Cupronickel clad coins and Nickels which are also composed of Cupronickel.

    20190316_113034-1.jpg 20190519_144911-1.jpg 20190519_144934-1.jpg 20201213_144501(1).jpg 20201213_144519(1).jpg 20210620_080840(1).jpg 20210620_080912(1).jpg PhotoCollageMaker_20240506_003627427.jpg 20180804_125456-1.jpg 20190504_174319-1.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2026 at 6:57 PM
  6. paddyman98

    paddyman98 I'm a professional expert in specializing! Supporter

    Also, a good suggestion..
    There are many ways coins can become altered and damaged after they leave the US Mint. Just because they look different, strange or weird does not automatically make them Mint Errors.

    First find out what occurred. Learn about the minting process. Learn about true error and varieties and how they occur. Worry about premiums afterwards. Unfortunately, most true errors you will find in circulation have very little or no value at all.

    I have 40+ years collecting, studying and attributing Mint Errors so I am here to help together with many other great CoinTalk members with a lot of knowledge on the subject.
     
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2026 at 7:08 PM
    Spark1951, SensibleSal66 and AdamL like this.
  7. the40yogamer

    the40yogamer New Member

    Thanks so much for your guys knowledge I really appreciate it. The one thing I would say is that the coin wasn't found underground, and it does seem more shiny than the other examples that are shown could it be that the clad wasn't put on both sides? And someone said to put a full-size image but I'm not sure how to do that I'm new here
     
  8. Michael K

    Michael K Well-Known Member

    Well I spend a lot of the coins I find, so they end up in circulation.
    Almost impossible to be missing both clads as all you will have is a copper core which will be super thin and super light. And the pressure from the minting will give you a distorted image. 99.9999999% of coins missing a clad layer is only on one side.
     
  9. Pickin and Grinin

    Pickin and Grinin Well-Known Member

    Very rare to nearly impossible for the inspector of the line to miss the clad layer on both sides, can it happen? Yes, what is the weight?
     
  10. the40yogamer

    the40yogamer New Member

    ok thanks so much i did try, and I weighed it it was less than a gram on my scale, but it's not made for coins it does feel much lighter than a normal dime
     
  11. the40yogamer

    the40yogamer New Member

    Here's a picture of it next to another dime and a penny
     

    Attached Files:

    SensibleSal66 likes this.
  12. the40yogamer

    the40yogamer New Member

    It seems to weigh less than a normal dime, but my scale, even when I put it on G, which I guess is a gram doesn't show it or a dime as weighing anything but it feels lighter than a normal dime heres a pic of it with a dime from the side. The dime does seem to have some imprints, kind of like the markings on the side of a coin on Roosevelt's neck
     

    Attached Files:

  13. Michael K

    Michael K Well-Known Member

    It would be much thinner than that if all you had was a copper core.
    And the design elements on both sides would not be so crisp and easy
    to see. Copper is soft and the pressure from minting a copper core would not give you a coin that you have there.
    I am incredibly skeptical of the weight you posted.
     
  14. the40yogamer

    the40yogamer New Member

    I'm just using a scale for eBay I don't have a scale that can measure such small weights accurately maybe I should get one is there one you recommend that's not super expensive
     
  15. the40yogamer

    the40yogamer New Member

    my brother thought maybe it was burnt. Could super high heat cause it to look that way?
     
  16. Spark1951

    Spark1951 Accomplishment, not Activity

    Not burnt. High heat will cause bubbling and warping of the surfaces to go along with discoloration. Yours is only discolored/corroded due to environmental damage.

    Environmental damage includes, but is not limited to, exposure to air, being buried or immersed in damaging liquids (like soda pop, coffee or tea).

    Welcome to Coin Talk.
     
    SensibleSal66 likes this.

Share This Page