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The Roosevelt Dime was rolling right along in 1953, when America was booming with young families building lives in the suburbs during the years after World War II but under the shadow of the ongoing Cold War. The U.S. economy was experiencing a mild recession in 1953, but it was nothing that destabilized the country’s overall forward momentum as millions of Americans were making major purchases such as new homes, new cars, new televisions, and – yes – having children at a pace that has not been seen in the U.S. since. These young baby boomers were helping shape an American culture we’ve come to know and embrace today, ranging from fun breakfast cereals and action-oriented toys to the rise of amusement parks, television cartoons, and even the popularity of the emerging rock and roll scene.
Another trending craze in the mid-1950s was coin collecting, a hobby that was enjoyed by millions. Americans from sea to shining sea checked their change for coins old and new, including the waning presence of highly worn Indian Cents and Barber coinage still in circulation and a plethora of already obsolete but still-common types such as Buffalo Nickels, Mercury Dimes, Standing Liberty Quarters, and Walking Liberty Half Dollars. Contemporary coinage of the mid-1950s would have looked familiar to many Americans even today, with the Roosevelt Dime seeing mintages well into the hundreds of millions each year.
Mintages were a little soft for Roosevelt Dimes in 1953 due to the mild recession, but they remained common enough for millions of Americans to land them in circulation. Philadelphia produced 53,490,120, Denver struck 136,433,000, and San Francisco emitted 39,180,000 dimes that year. And, in the most basic sense, 1953 Roosevelt Dimes remain common today, with well-worn examples going for roughly their silver spot price. Ordinary Mint State examples up to MS66 are also easy to come by, with most selling for relatively nominal premiums over melt prices.
It’s above MS66 1953 Roosevelt Dime prices become more complicated. Roosevelt Dimes grading PCGS MS66 or higher go for serious prices, with only the 1953-S still widely accessible in MS67 at a price of about $35. Both the Philadelphia and Denver issues are $100+ coins in MS67. Tack on a coveted Full Bands (FB) designation, and you could be dropping some serious money on buying 1953 Roosevelt Dimes. The Philadelphia strike sells for over $1,000 in MS67FB, while the Denver and San Francisco coins exceed $150 and $300 in a similar grade. All three business-strike issues of the 1953 Roosevelt Dime can be had in MS68FB, though retail levels for such specimens reach as high as $10,000. Surely those pursuing a Roosevelt Dime PCGS Registry Set will be busy chasing down the few specimens that grade in such numismatically lofty territory, but what gorgeous coins those are.