Several coins on the 100 Greatest United States Modern Coins list are errors, making them rare and more desirable to collectors. This next entry from the fourth edition fits that exact mold. Authors Jeff Garrett and Scott Schechter clue us in on why this missing element to the coin possibly and occurred and why it seemingly happened several times leading up to it.
#41 – 1983, No S, Roosevelt Dime, Proof
It is very surprising that a No S error could occur due to the steps involved in the minting process of coins at the United States Mint. Several different inspections happen with many people involved, but somehow by the time the 1983 Proof Roosevelt dime was minted, it had already happened at least three times. No one during any of the steps recognized the 1983 ten-cent denomination was missing the key ‘S’ mint mark.
Since its discovery in a Proof set in the middle of 1983, a little over 800 No S Roosevelt dimes have been certified by both PCGS and NGC. During the manual process of polishing and sandblasting dies to ensure high quality during the Proof striking process, the die examination step that involves refreshing or discarding if too worn was not properly conducted. Again, several individuals missed that the dime did not in fact have the mint mark.
Since its first appearance (#36), the dime has moved five spots in this fourth edition.