All right, so in this article we’re going over dime errors worth a fortune. And you’re going to want to find these before they’re banned forever.
Can Some US Currency Be Illegal to Own?
Now, you might be thinking, banned forever? Well, the question is, can some US currency be illegal to own? Why do the US Secret Service and the Mint consider some of the wildest errors on this list stolen government property? And why were they never supposed to leave the building?
Look, the reality is, if you find some of these coins, you can get them sold as long as you didn’t do anything wrong. If you’re not the person illegally taking these things out of the US Mint, and you are a standard citizen wanting to sell these coins, you’re likely fine. But these could be completely banned one day.
1. 2018-D Roosevelt Dime Struck on a Foreign Planchet: $240
Now, let’s start off with this one coin here that sold for 240 bucks. It’s a 2018 Denver-issued 10 cent Roosevelt dime. This coin was graded by PCGS at a Mint State 60.
Now, the grading scale goes from 1 all the way up to 70. And from 60 to 70 means the coin can get a Mint State grade. As soon as you go below 60, then the price can drop quite a bit.
What makes this coin so unique and rare is that it was struck on a foreign planchet. The planchet is 98% iron. It weighs 1.5 grams, and it sold for 240 bucks.
2. 1971-D Roosevelt Dime, Double Struck 35% Off Center: $4,800
Now, this coin sold for $4,800. It is a 1971 Denver-issued 10-cent Roosevelt dime. It has a double strike, with the second strike being 35% off center. PCGS graded it at a Mint State 62.
If you come across a coin that looks like this one, whether this was intentional or not, we’ll never really know. But it still sold for a staggering $4,800.
3. 1965 Roosevelt Dime, Transitional Alloy on a 90% Silver Planchet: $12,600
$12,600 bucks for this 1965 10-cent Roosevelt dime. This coin was graded by PCGS at an AU58. A coin like this would just fly completely under the radar. Not many people would know that this coin is so incredibly rare.
This is a transitional alloy coin struck on a 90% silver planchet. Planchet just means the piece of metal the coin is struck on. You can see the weight of the coin is 2.56 grams. And that is why we recommend using a scale to weigh your coins, to see how much they truly weigh. If there is a big difference in the weight of your coin, then it might actually be worth something quite significant. This one sold for $12,600.
4. Another 1965 Transitional Alloy Dime on a 90% Silver Planchet: $14,400
Here’s another one. 1965, struck on a 90% silver planchet. It is a transitional alloy coin. It should have never gotten struck on this piece of metal. NGC graded it at a Mint State 62. It sold for $14,400.
5. Undated Roosevelt Dime Struck on a Nail: $42,300
Now, this thing is just so, so cool. Every time I see it, I’m quite blown away. It sold for $42,300. This is an undated 10-cent Roosevelt dime struck on a nail, graded by PCGS at a Mint State 65.
Yeah, there’s not much to really say about this coin just because it is so freaking cool to see. And look, the reality is something like this simply does not happen on accident. Definitely on purpose, definitely illegal, should not be happening.
You know, the US Mint sees something like this out in public and they lose their mind, because they’re like, “How did this happen? This should have never happened.” It makes them look like they don’t know what they’re doing. The Secret Service might get involved and want to get their hands on it to make sure there’s no complete fraud going on.
Look, the reality is bad people will get in trouble for doing bad things like this. This is not some fun game where people can just play around with government-controlled and owned machines, and you’re dealing with US federal currency. So there are a lot of big red flags when you see something like this out in public.
Now, if there is some rare occurrence where you find something as extreme as this, you’ve got to contact someone that knows what they’re doing. Don’t go to a pawn shop. They’re going to rip you off. You can get our free coin ebook down below if you want. That’s a good starting point. But this coin sold for $42,300 bucks.
6. 2001-D Lincoln Cent Muled with a Dime Reverse Die: $60,000
$60,000. Now, you’re looking at the front of this coin and you might be thinking, “Hey, James, how much is this 2001-D coin worth? It’s a Lincoln penny. What’s the big deal? Why did it sell for $60,000?” And also, this is an article about dime coins. Why are you talking about a cent coin in this article?
Well, I’ll tell you right now. It’s because this coin was muled with a dime reverse die. So the back of the coin looks just like a Roosevelt dime, but it’s struck on a penny coin. Such a cool error here. Some people will call this a double denomination error, because you’ve got a cent coin on the front and a dime on the back. Some people even call this an 11 cent coin, but it sold for $60,000.
Now, we do hope you enjoyed the article.