1952-S

The 1952-S Roosevelt dime is the San Francisco issue of the date, with 44,419,500 pieces produced in a year that the West Coast facility raised its output 40% from the 31,630,000 of 1951. The 1952-S figure is the lowest of the three 1952 facilities but still well above the typical 20-million-piece S-mint range that characterized the 1950 production year, reflecting the sustained Korean War uplift across all three Mint locations. San Francisco struck Roosevelt dimes continuously from 1946 through 1955 before withdrawing from circulating-dime work entirely, placing the 1952-S in the middle stretch of that final S-mint silver-era run. The "S" mintmark appears on the reverse to the left of the torch base, in the Sinnock-designed branch-mint position used since 1946. The obverse carries Roosevelt's left-facing portrait with IN GOD WE TRUST and LIBERTY, the small "JS" initials at the bust truncation, and the reverse pairs the vertical torch with an olive branch and an oak branch.

The 1952-S follows the silver-era specifications: 2.5 grams, 17.9 mm diameter, 90% silver and 10% copper, with a reeded edge. Authentication on a circulation San Francisco strike begins with the weight check at roughly 2.45 to 2.55 grams in any reasonably preserved example, followed by careful examination of the "S" mintmark for clean punching without remnant of another letter beneath it. Added-mintmark fakes built from 1952 Philadelphia base coins are not a meaningful concern at common grade tiers but warrant a closer look at MS-67 FB and above where premium structure invites manipulation. Strike quality at San Francisco in 1952 is generally strong, with the Full Bands (FB) designation more readily achieved than on the 1950-S because die maintenance at the facility held up consistently through the production run.

The 1952-S is classified Regular in the Roosevelt series and trades at modest premiums over silver melt through circulated grades and lower Mint State tiers. PCGS and NGC populations are healthy through MS-66 FB and thin at MS-67 FB, the registry-set step-up tier. MS-68 FB is the genuine ceiling for the issue. For broader context, see the Roosevelt Dime series history.