1955-S

The 1955-S Roosevelt dime is the final San Francisco circulation strike of the denomination, with 18,510,000 pieces produced before the Mint suspended dime production at the West Coast facility. San Francisco would not return to dime work until 1968, and even then only for proof issues, so the 1955-S marks the closing chapter of a circulation tradition that began with the 1946-S inaugural year. The decision to halt circulating-coin production at San Francisco was part of a broader Treasury consolidation that placed routine coinage at Philadelphia and Denver while reserving the West Coast plant for assay, refinery, and later proof-only work. The "S" mintmark appears on the reverse to the left of the torch base, in the same Sinnock-designed branch-mint position used since 1946. The 1955-S has the highest mintage of the three 1955 issues but is still a low figure by Roosevelt standards.

The 1955-S follows the silver-era specifications: 2.5 grams, 17.9 mm, 90% silver and 10% copper, reeded edge. Authentication on a circulation 1955-S includes the standard weight check at roughly 2.45 to 2.55 grams, examination of the "S" mintmark for clean punching without remnant of a different letter beneath it (added-mintmark fakes are a higher concern on this date because the "final S circulation dime" historical hook attracts altered-piece interest from unscrupulous sellers), and inspection of the reeded edge. Strike quality runs from average to strong, with the Full Bands (FB) designation requiring fully separated horizontal lines on the torch's central band. Saved-roll examples are common because the historical bookend status drew hoarders even in 1955.

The 1955-S is classified Regular in the Roosevelt series but holds clear historical significance as the closing San Francisco circulation date. PCGS and NGC populations are healthy across all grades thanks to early hoarding activity, with MS-65 and MS-66 the most commonly traded condition tiers. The coin sits as the final entry in any San Francisco-only Roosevelt subset, and that historical position drives demand among collectors of West Coast issues. For broader context, see the Roosevelt Dime series history.