Proofcoinsinc Dime

In 1792 the "Coinage Act" passed that authorized the minting of the "dime" A dime was one tenth the silver weight, and value of a dollar. The composition was set at 89.24% silver and 10.76% copper. In 1792 a small amount of these coins were minted, but they never made it into circulation. Some of these coins were struck in copper, suggesting that they were pattern coins. The first dimes that were minted for circulation didn't show up until 1796 due to a lack of interest and problems in the minting.

The dime has gone through 6 major changes since the 1792 dime. The first in 1796 was the Drape bust. It featured the same design as all coins of the time, with a small eagle design. It was the first dime to be in regular circulation. The second was the Capped bust design in 1809. This had an extensive design change with an eagle grasping three arrows on the reverse. Third was the Seated Liberty, which had the words "LIBERTY" and "ONE DIME" on the design.

The fourth dime that was minted was named after the designer that created it. Charles E. Barber was Chief Engraver of the U.S. mint from 1879 to 1917 and his dime, created in 1892, was called the "Barber" dime. It shared it's design with the quarter and half-dollar of that period.

The fifth design that appeared in 1916 was the "Winged Liberty Head" dime, or more commonly known as the "Mercury" dime. Even though this dime is referred to as mercury dime it has nothing to do with the Roman messenger god. The obverse is in fact a dipiction of the goddess Liberty wearing a phrygian cap. This is a classic sign of liberty and freedom. The reason that the cap was shown as having wings was a symbol of freedom of thought. This coin is thought by many to be one of the most beautiful coins ever struck.

The sixth, and current, dime is the "Roosevelt" dime and came on the scene in 1946. Shortly after his death in 1945 legislation was passed to replace the mercury dime with a dime that bore the image of Roosevelt. Due to a limited amount of time to design the coin, the job was given to a mint employee. It was the first regular-issue U.S. coin to be designed by a mint employee in more then 40 years. Part of the reason Roosevelt was chosen to be on the dime was because of his efforts in founding the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which is better known as the "March of Dimes" The original purpose was to raise money for polio research and to help victoms and families. The people were asked to send in one dime to the foundation. Before Roosevelt's death, the fund was already popularly known as the March of Dimes.

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