Owner Comments:

The Proof 1970 No S dime is said to be the most common of all the No S Proof coins, although this by no means makes it common: far fewer than 500 examples are known. Since 1968, all Proof versions of circulating coinage have been struck at San Francisco and included an S mintmark. In at least five instances, the S mintmark was mistakenly omitted from the dies, creating these highly desirable varieties. First discovered in an original Proof set in early 1971, the 1970 No S Roosevelt dime was officially confirmed by the Mint. They also acknowledged that they had made 2,200 examples, which were then packaged among the more than 3.2 million Proof sets for that year. In one sense, the small likelihood of finding one of these coins makes it surprising that so many have been found. They are easy to identify, though, and their value makes searching them out worthwhile. These coins are often in very good, attractive condition, and examples will frequently show mild cameo contrast. Professional authentication is recommended to avoid spurious coins made from business-strike 1970 dimes that have been altered to look like Proofs. Proof coins are struck twice from specially prepared dies and have crisp detail and sharp, squared rims. Fortunately, if ever in doubt about a coin’s authenticity, it’s possible to acquire a regular S mint-mark Proof example for comparison, as these are readily available. The first No S dime was made in 1968 (see number three), the first year the Proof dimes included the S mint-mark. That first coin is incredibly scarce, with just a few dozen known, compared with a few hundred for this coin. But if this is the most common No S dime, there is still some debate over which is the rarest. In 1978, two Proof 1975 No S dimes were discovered and confirmed by prominent numismatists. Since that time, no other discoveries have been made of the 1975 variety and no example has ever been certified by a major grading service. This variety is now starting to be dropped from published resources and reverting to unconfirmed status—many specialists now doubt its existence entirely. If it does exist, the 1975 No S dime is one of the great rarities of the 20th century and will assume a vaunted position on the list of 100 Greatest U.S. Modern Coins—likely the number one spot. But until it’s confirmed, it remains off the list.

Garrett, Jeff; Schechter, Scott. 100 Greatest US Modern Coins (Kindle Locations 2591-2595). Ingram Distribution. Kindle Edition.