In a recent auction, a rare U.S. dime hidden away for over 40 years fetched an astounding $506,250! This dime, minted in 1975 in San Francisco, is one of just two known coins missing the distinctive “S” mint mark that usually identifies coins from that city.
Ohio Family Inherits Rare Coin, Nets $500K in Thrilling Auction Bid
Three sisters from Ohio inherited this rare dime after their brother’s passing and chose to keep their identity private. Their brother and mother had bought the dime back in 1978 for $18,200, which would be worth about $90,000 today.
The family, who ran a dairy farm, saw this rare coin as a potential financial cushion for the future. After discovering its current value, the sisters put it up for auction, and it sold in an online sale handled by GreatCollections, a company specializing in rare coins.
This particular dime wasn’t the first to make headlines. The other known 1975 “no-S” dime was sold in 2019 for $456,000 before being resold days later to a private collector for $516,000. Since the late 1970s, collectors have been aware of these two rare coins, but no one knew where they were until they resurfaced recently.
Ian Russell, president of GreatCollections, mentioned that while finding such rare dimes is rare, anyone with old coin collections—especially 1975 proof sets—should take a look. These proof sets, initially sold for just $7, contained six coins, and the “no-S” dimes were only discovered years after their release.
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So, if you’ve got any proof sets stashed away at home, it might be worth checking! You never know—one of these ultra-rare dimes could be hiding in plain sight.