1964 Dime Value: Silver Melt, 1964-D, Varieties and SMS

A 1964 dime is 90 percent silver and worth about $4.20 for its metal as of October 2026, with silver near $58 an ounce. Both the 1964 and 1964-D were made by the billion, so a circulated one is worth its silver and no more. Value above melt comes only from top uncirculated grades, the 1964-D doubled die reverse and the rare 1964 Special Mint Set dime.

The 1964 dime is the last silver Roosevelt dime made for circulation. From 1965 the Mint switched to copper-nickel clad, which is why the 1964 date matters to anyone sorting a jar of change.

Quick answer

• Each 1964 or 1964-D dime holds 0.0723 troy ounces of silver, about $4.20 at $58 silver, as of October 2026.
• Ordinary uncirculated coins sell for little above melt; MS68 examples are valued at about $1,550-1,900 (1964) and $2,600-3,250 (1964-D) in Greysheet's retail guide.
• Full Bands coins in MS68 carry guide values of about $5,000-6,250, though NGC MS68 Full Bands 1964 dimes have sold at Heritage for about $1,400.
• The 1964-D doubled die reverse is valued at about $525 in MS65 and $725 in MS66.
• A genuine 1964 SMS dime, of which only a couple dozen or so may exist, is valued at about $8,000 in MS67.

How do you value a 1964 dime, step by step?

Confirm it is silver, find the mint mark, then decide whether it is anything more than a silver coin.

1. Check the edge. A silver dime has a solid silver-colored edge. A clad dime from 1965 on shows a copper stripe. A 1964 dime with a copper stripe is either a misread date or an altered coin.
2. Weigh it if you can. A 1964 silver dime weighs 2.50 grams. A clad dime weighs 2.27 grams. Our guide on how to tell if a coin is silver covers the tests.
3. Find the mint mark. On 1946 to 1964 Roosevelt dimes it is on the reverse, to the left of the base of the torch. D means Denver. No letter means Philadelphia.
4. Decide whether it is circulated. Look at the hair above Roosevelt's ear and his cheekbone, and at the torch and leaves on the reverse. Any flat spots or dull gray surfaces mean circulated, and the coin is worth melt.
5. On uncirculated coins, look at the torch bands. The horizontal bands across the torch are split into an upper and lower pair. If both pairs are fully separated with no break, PCGS and NGC may add Full Bands (FB), which raises the value sharply in high grades.
6. Check the reverse lettering for doubling, especially on a 1964-D. A clear, rounded second image of the letters points to one of the listed doubled die reverses.
7. If the coin has a satin finish and razor-sharp detail, consider the SMS question. See the section below before getting excited.
8. Price from sold results for the exact date, grade and designation.

What is a 1964 dime worth?

Silver sets the floor. Grade and variety set everything above it. Figures are as of October 2026.

Retail figures are Greysheet CPG values. The upper figure in each MS68 range is for a coin with a CAC sticker. Note how steep the top is: a 1964 dime in MS67 with Full Bands sells for about $120 to $160, while an MS68 with Full Bands is a condition rarity with guide values in the thousands.

How much is the silver in a 1964 dime worth?

About $4.20 at $58 silver. Each dime weighs 2.50 grams and contains 0.07234 troy ounces of pure silver. The math is simple: multiply 0.0723 by the silver spot price. Each $10 move in silver changes the melt value by about 72 cents.

Dealers usually buy circulated silver dimes by face value rather than one at a time. Ten dimes are $1 face, which holds about 0.72 ounces of silver (dealers often use 0.715 to allow for wear), so $1 face is worth about $41.50 at $58 silver. Expect a dealer to pay somewhat under that figure, and compare two offers. Our guide to silver coin value covers how dealers price 90 percent silver.

What is the 1964 SMS dime?

A small number of 1964 dimes, along with the other denominations, were struck with an unusual satin finish and very sharp detail, unlike either normal business strikes or mirror proofs. They are called the 1964 Special Mint Set, or SMS, coins. Nobody knows exactly why they were made. One suggestion is that they were trial strikes for the Special Mint Sets the Mint sold from 1965 to 1967. Greysheet's catalog notes that a couple dozen or so SMS Roosevelt dimes were apparently struck, and according to Numismatic News the finest known PCGS-graded 1964 SMS set, with the dime in MS68, sold privately for $151,200 including commission.

The honest answer for almost everyone is that their dime is not one of these. Common confusions:

• 1965, 1966 and 1967 Special Mint Sets were sold to the public by the million and are clad. Their dimes are worth little.
• 1964 proofs have mirror fields and frosted devices and came in proof sets. They are common.
• Sharp, lustrous business strikes can look special but have the normal satin-and-luster surfaces of a regular strike.

Only PCGS or NGC can attribute a 1964 SMS coin, and they examine it against known examples. If your dime came from a 1964 proof set, it is a proof.

What 1964 dime varieties and errors are worth money?

The 1964-D doubled die reverse is the variety worth checking. Greysheet lists several, catalogued as FS-801, FS-802 and FS-803, with doubling visible in the reverse lettering. Retail values reach about $525 in MS65 and $725 in MS66, with circulated and lower mint state coins selling for far less. Sales are thin, so a single coin can move the range. Greysheet also lists two doubled die reverses on the Philadelphia 1964, FS-801 and FS-802.

Other errors on 1964 dimes include off-center strikes, clipped planchets and the rare transitional coins struck on clad blanks meant for 1965. Off-center 1964 dimes in mint state sold for about $180 to $230 at Heritage in October 2026, depending on how far off center. A 1964 dime that weighs 2.27 grams is more likely an altered or misread date than a transitional error, but it is worth showing to a specialist.

One historical note helps explain the huge mintage. A September 1964 law, Public Law 88-580, required coins struck after it passed to keep the 1964 date until coin supplies were adequate, so the Mint went on striking 1964-dated silver dimes well into 1965 while the switch to clad was prepared. Many 1964 dimes were actually made the following year.

A worked example

Say you inherit a coffee can of dimes and sort out 50 silver ones, all with solid silver edges. Twenty-two are 1964 or 1964-D, the rest are older Roosevelt and Mercury dimes. All are worn.

Fifty silver dimes are $5 face value. At $41.50 per $1 face, that is about $207 in silver. A dealer might offer a little under that. The 1964 dates add nothing extra in worn condition, so the whole lot is priced as silver. Before selling, you check the Mercury dimes for a 1916-D and the worn 1964-D dimes for doubled reverse lettering under a loupe. Nothing turns up, so the can sells as silver. Our Mercury dime value guide covers what to check on the older coins.

Common mistakes

• Expecting a 1964 date to be rare. More than 2.2 billion were made. The date is valuable only in top grades.
• Calling a 1965 SMS dime silver. It is clad. Check the edge.
• Paying for "1964 SMS" from a listing. Real ones are attributed by PCGS or NGC and sell at major auctions.
• Assuming Full Bands from a photo. A single nick across the bands costs the designation.
• Cleaning silver dimes. It does not raise melt value and destroys any numismatic premium. See should you clean old coins.

How WorthPic reads 1964 dime photos

WorthPic runs on the newest and most capable AI model available, tuned for exactly this kind of identification. From photos of both sides it reads the date and mint mark, judges wear on Roosevelt's hair and the torch, looks at the torch bands and checks the reverse lettering for doubling. It then gives an honest value range in US dollars with a most likely figure, based on silver at the current price, and says which close-up would settle the question. It cannot weigh the coin, cannot confirm silver content from a photo alone, cannot judge a satin SMS finish reliably, and cannot prove the bands are complete. It identifies and estimates. It does not authenticate, grade or appraise.

What to photograph

• The obverse and reverse straight on in even light.
• The edge, which shows solid silver or a copper stripe.
• The torch close up, straight on, for the bands.
• The reverse lettering close up on any 1964-D.
• The coin on a scale reading to 0.01 grams if you have one.
• The original packaging if it came in a set.

When to get it looked at in person

Worn 1964 dimes do not need an expert. Sell them as silver to a coin dealer or bullion buyer, ideally after comparing two offers. Uncirculated coins that look flawless, with full torch bands, might be worth grading by PCGS or NGC, but most come back MS64 to MS66 without the designation and are not worth the fee. Possible 1964-D doubled dies, possible SMS coins and anything that looks like a transitional error belong with PCGS or NGC for attribution. For a quick sort of a whole jar, see what dimes are worth money.

Sources

• Greysheet: 1964 dime, MS: mintage, 0.0723 oz silver content and MS68 retail values.
• Greysheet: 1964-D doubled die reverse dime: MS65 and MS66 retail values.
• Greysheet: 1964 SMS dime: MS67 and MS68 retail values and the couple dozen or so estimate.
• Numismatic News: 1964 SMS goes for $151,200: the private sale of the finest PCGS set.
• Public Law 88-580 (78 Stat. 908): the 1964 act that kept the 1964 date on coins struck after its passage.
• Kitco silver price: silver spot near $58 an ounce on October 19, 2026.