Rare 1913 Dime Errors (List & Pictures)
A fifteen-percent off-center Barber dime sold for $431.25 in January 2004. The broader group of 1913 dime errors includes modest metal flaws and more dramatic striking problems, with estimated whole-coin values of $20–$1,500.
Use this guide to inspect the visible feature and understand which examples have documented records and which remain reported candidates.
| Category | Main inspection area | Estimated value |
|---|---|---|
| Lamination | Boundary of separated metal | $30–$250 |
| Struck-through material | Depression or missing detail | $20–$300 |
| Crack or cud candidate | Raised line or rim-connected lump | $20–$500 |
| Doubled front design | Related repeated outlines | $40–$600 |
| Repunched S candidate | Mintmark below wreath bow | $75–$1,000 |
| Off-center strike | Unstruck crescent and displaced design | $150–$1,200 |
| Strike through a die cap | Distorted design formed through a barrier | $250–$1,500 |
1. 1913 Dime Lamination or Peeling Alloy Error
An auction listing describes a 1913 dime graded ICG MS62 with a lamination flaw. That grade indicates an unworn coin, but it does not tell us where the metal separated.
Lamination begins with a weakness within the alloy. A thin portion may stay attached like a flap or come away and leave an irregular shallow patch.
How to Identify
Follow the separation into the surrounding original surface and look for design remaining on the lifted metal. Sharp scraping through an already finished design calls for a different explanation.
A normal Barber dime weighs 2.50 grams and measures 17.91 millimeters across. Missing metal can reduce the weight, while a retained flap may leave it near normal.
The listing title has no mint suffix, so the reverse should confirm the mint identity. Do not assume that the flaw is beside Liberty or on the wreath without seeing the actual coin.
What It’s Worth
Comparable modest Philadelphia laminations have estimated whole-coin values of $30–$250. Condition, the clarity of the separation, and remaining original surfaces affect the comparison.
A June auction listing records a $100 winning floor bid for the ICG MS62 dime. That is the bid amount, not an assumed total including buyer fees.
2. 1913 Dime Struck-Through Debris or Filled Detail Error
A hollow in the surface and a weak letter are different starting points for inspection. Solid material between the die and blank can leave an impression, while grease filling a recessed letter in the die can prevent that letter from forming.
Both types appear in year reports for 1913. Those reports do not establish one shared specimen, location, or foreign object.
How to Identify
For a depression, examine the sides for cutting marks or metal pushed up by a later impact. For weak detail, compare the affected area with nearby letters and high points.
A localized interruption surrounded by sharp design deserves a closer look. Broadly flattened details may simply show circulation wear, and the missing detail alone cannot identify grease.
What It’s Worth
Confirmed localized filled-detail effects on Philadelphia coins have estimated values of $20–$100. More distinctive debris impressions have a comparison range of $40–$300.
These are whole-coin estimates rather than premiums for each weak letter. A San Francisco dime also needs its normal date-and-condition value taken into account.
3. 1913 Dime Reported Die Cracks and Rim Breaks Error
A raised line may trace a crack in the steel die. If a larger piece breaks away at the die’s edge, the resulting rim-connected raised patch is called a cud.
The 1913 reports do not establish a particular crack path or rim position. Treat an offered example as a candidate until its physical feature supports the description.
How to Identify
Change the lighting to confirm that the line rises above the surface. A scratch can have a raised lip beside its hollow, so inspect both sides of the suspected ridge.
A proposed cud must connect to the rim. An isolated lump, solder, or metal squeezed upward by an impact does not meet that description.
What It’s Worth
Genuine small cracks on Philadelphia coins have estimated whole-coin values of $20–$150. A clear cud supports a conditional comparison range of $100–$500.
These ranges use comparable Barber-dime features rather than a verified sale of a specific 1913 break. The scarcer San Francisco issue requires a separate normal-coin comparison.
4. 1913 Dime Reported Doubled Front Design Error
The date and LIBERTY headband provide useful places to examine a doubled-front candidate. If the die itself carried repeated design edges, each coin it struck could reproduce that pattern.
The supplied 1913 report does not establish a numbered variety or precise doubling direction. Thick-looking letters alone cannot supply those missing details.
How to Identify
Compare related features under magnification, looking for rounded extra outlines or split corners. Keep a full front photograph alongside close-ups so that the repeated details remain in context.
A flat, lowered shelf can result from movement during striking. Reflections can also imitate a second edge, so change the light before deciding that several features repeat consistently.
What It’s Worth
An identified minor Philadelphia doubled-front variety has an estimated whole-coin range of $40–$600. This is a comparison estimate, not a confirmed sale for the reported 1913 candidate.
Clear separation and preserved lettering improve the usefulness of a comparison. The ordinary value of a high-grade dime should not be presented as a premium caused entirely by doubling.
5. 1913 Dime Reported Repunched S Mintmark Error
The small S beneath the reverse wreath bow identifies San Francisco. A repunched mintmark would show a remnant of another S position caused when the letter was punched into the die more than once.
A 1913-S example has been discussed in a year-specific report, but no securely matched variety number is established. The actual extra stroke must carry the identification.
How to Identify
Trace the main S and any smaller curved stroke around it. The extra feature should make sense as part of another S, rather than a scratch or the normal shape of the letter.
Compare the outline under several lighting directions with a securely identified example when one is available. A wide mintmark or low, flat shelf is not enough to confirm a repunched punch position.
What It’s Worth
A conditional whole-coin estimate is $75–$1,000 for an identified repunched-S example. The 1913-S already has collector value in ordinary form, so condition and the underlying date value remain essential.
A tentative curved stroke does not justify the price of an established, sharply visible variety. No precise catalog attribution or sale is supplied for this reported candidate.
6. 1913 Dime Off-Center Strikes Error
Two documented descriptions show why displacement and direction should stay attached to individual coins. A Philadelphia PCGS AU58 dime is ten percent off center toward nine o’clock, while a separate ANACS AU50 example is about fifteen percent off center toward one.
A further ten-percent coin was described as cleaned. Reports of twenty-five- and fifty-percent examples do not establish their mintmarks or directions.
How to Identify
Find the unstruck crescent and the design that runs beyond the blank on the opposite side. Both faces should be examined, since a sideways shift of one die can make an uneven rim without producing the same two-sided displacement.
Keep the readable date, mintmark area, and original surfaces visible in photographs. An off-center strike can retain all of its original metal, so it need not be underweight.
What It’s Worth
Genuine dated examples have estimated values of $150–$1,200. The fifteen-percent ANACS AU50 dime sold for $431.25 in January 2004.
The AU50 grade indicates light wear with substantial design remaining. Larger displacement does not automatically outweigh cleaning, poor surfaces, or differences in the date and mint visibility.
7. 1913 Dime Reported Strike Through a Die Cap Error
A dime with one unusually soft or distorted face may invite a capped-die explanation. This occurs when a coin remains attached to a die and acts as a barrier as later blanks are struck.
The later coin is the recipient of the distorted impression, not necessarily the cap itself. The 1913 report does not establish the affected face or the cap’s stage of development.
How to Identify
Compare how both faces formed, including the edges of the weakened design. Grinding, polishing, and ordinary wear can all soften detail without any die cap being involved.
Photograph the date and reverse mintmark area with the affected design. A vague portrait on a worn coin is insufficient evidence for this striking sequence.
What It’s Worth
A conditional estimated range is $250–$1,500 for an ordinary-strike 1913 dime identified as struck through a cap. This uses comparable silver-dime errors rather than a confirmed auction result for the reported example.
Recognizable distortion and the contrast with unaffected detail help establish the process. Prices for special collector issues should not be transferred automatically to an ordinary-strike candidate.
Conclusion
For a 1913 Barber dime, establish the mint and condition before judging an unusual feature. A normal San Francisco coin already deserves a different price comparison from a common worn Philadelphia example.
Then document what is actually present: a separated layer, raised line, repeated letter, or displaced design. Preserve fragile metal and use clear photographs of both faces when asking a specialist to assess a reported error.
