Rare 1903 Dime Errors (List & Pictures)
Small date remnants produced a documented $748 sale in July 2013, while the more dramatic 1903 dime errors include a second strike with a backward impression. Estimated whole-coin values span $30–$4,000.
Inspect the outline and major surface impressions first, then use the mintmark to select the correct date comparison.
| Observation | Error or variety | Estimated value |
|---|---|---|
| Missing design beside unused metal | Off-center strike | $150–$1,500 |
| Complete design with outward expansion | Broadstrike | $200–$1,200 |
| A sunken backward picture overlaps earlier design | Second strike with partial brockage | $1,500–$4,000 |
| Another curved outline beside O | Repunched mintmark | $30–$800 |
| Earlier numeral pieces in the date | Repunched date | $35–$3,500, depending on mint |
1. 1903 Dime A small displacement leaves design off the coin: Off-Center Strike Error
The recorded Philadelphia dime shifted only 3% toward eight o’clock, yet its design placement still showed the error. A blank outside the intended striking position can lose part of the picture at one edge while metal opposite that area remains unstruck.
Heritage described this example as PCGS XF45, a worn coin retaining much detail. Its modest percentage and specific direction belong to that specimen.
How to Identify
Compare both faces within the same outline. A displaced blank affects their design placement together, while a misaligned obverse die may leave the reverse centered.
Examine the boundary between the struck picture and unused metal, retaining the complete date in view. A large blank area without a readable date cannot establish the same year.
Check the edge for cutting or filing that removed finished design later. Original dimensions of about 17.90 millimeters and 2.50 grams offer context for an accessible Barber dime, allowing for wear and altered shape from the strike.
What It’s Worth
The estimate is $150–$1,500, from minor worn offsets through larger attractive examples with readable dates. The 3% PCGS XF45 sold for $195.50 at Heritage in June 2005.
A different-year 1902 off-center dime graded ANACS AU50 brought $561.20 in June 2026. Its lighter wear makes it a separate comparison, not another 1903 result.
Stronger displacement and better surfaces can matter together. A percentage alone does not fix the coin’s position in the range.
2. 1903 Dime The metal spreads around a complete design: Broadstrike Error
A genuine broadstrike keeps the full design while expanding beyond the normal outline. The collar, the ring that controls width, did not restrain the blank normally during the strike.
The reported Philadelphia example was described as AU Details, indicating slight wear and a condition problem. That description does not supply a completed sale for the coin.
How to Identify
Inspect all outer design elements before measuring the width in several directions. Missing design requires considering an off-center strike rather than accepting any wide border as a broadstrike.
Check the edge for incomplete or missing normal grooves that may accompany abnormal collar contact. Weight can remain close to the original amount because expansion redistributes the existing metal.
Later hammering may widen a dime while crushing its design, and filing removes metal. Look for those effects across the faces and edge before assigning the spread to minting.
What It’s Worth
The estimated range is $200–$1,200 for genuine 1903 broadstrikes. A clear expansion and original surfaces support a stronger comparison.
A 1900-S broadstrike graded NGC VF30 is indexed at $342 in March 2026. That is a different-year coin with wear and clear remaining detail.
The figure supplies context for the same general error. It is not a sale price for the reported 1903 AU Details example.
3. 1903 Dime A backward sunken picture overlays the first design: Second Strike with Partial Brockage Error
The reported dime received a second blow involving contact with an already struck coin. That contact pressed a backward, recessed image into part of the design left by the first strike.
The transferred image is called a brockage. Fred Weinberg’s inventory described the combined error as affecting about 40% of the obverse on a PCGS AU58 example.
The second strike and partial brockage belong to one coin. They are neither ordinary doubled lettering nor two separately priced specimens.
How to Identify
Compare the affected area with the normal raised design that survives elsewhere. The transferred picture should read backward and sit below the surface rather than appearing as another raised outline.
Move the light across the impression to judge its depth. Retain both faces in photographs so the overlapping first and second strike evidence remains in context.
Later pressure between coins can also make a sunken image, so inspect the opposite face and edge for crushing or flat pressure marks. Expert error authentication is useful when distinguishing that treatment from overlapping mint strikes.
Record actual width without expecting perfect symmetry. Handle the altered outline carefully and preserve the remaining edge evidence.
What It’s Worth
The supplied estimate is $1,500–$4,000 for a dated Barber dime with this combination in comparable worn condition. A clear reversed impression and readable earlier design both support comparison.
The Spring 2016 Weinberg price list offered the PCGS AU58 at $1,800. AU58 indicates only slight wear, and the listed amount was a dealer’s asking price.
No completed sale at $1,800 is established here. The estimate allows for differences in condition and market interest without converting the offering into an auction result.
4. 1903 Dime A second arc appears beside O: Repunched Mintmark Error
The reported New Orleans feature is an extra curved outline beside the O below the wreath. An earlier mint-letter punch position remained in the die and could be reproduced on later coins.
The supplied report does not establish a reliable direction for that remnant. Its actual position must be determined from the example rather than borrowed from another year’s O/O variety.
How to Identify
Start with a full reverse photograph, then magnify O under light from opposite sides. A real curved remnant remains in the metal as reflections move.
Look for a shape that resembles part of another O, not merely a thick or irregular letter. Corrosion, contact damage, or an added mintmark can complicate the outline.
Inspect the letter’s base for a joint or disturbed surrounding surface. Keep the direction of any claimed repunching tied to visible evidence on that coin.
What It’s Worth
The estimated whole-coin range is $30–$800 for worn through lower-grade unworn examples with readable repunching. Much of the upper value reflects the underlying New Orleans dime’s condition.
An ordinary 1903-O graded NGC MS63 is indexed at $636 in March 2026. It was unworn with noticeable marks but was not identified as a repunched-O sale.
Use that result for date-and-mint context. The extra arc still needs independent identification before assigning any variety interest.
5. 1903 Dime Earlier numeral strokes sit beside the date: Repunched Date Error
The label FS-301 does not identify the same numeral at both mints. Philadelphia’s version has a repeated 1, whereas New Orleans’ FS-301 concerns a repeated 3.
NGC’s variety catalog also lists a Philadelphia 1903-over-3 and a New Orleans repeated full date. Those entries require their own image comparisons.
The shared process was repeated entry of the date punch into a die. The retained strokes differ among the individual tools and should not be assembled into one universal 1903 pattern.
How to Identify
Establish the mint before choosing a close-up reference: no letter indicates Philadelphia, while O identifies New Orleans. Compare the exact affected numeral or full-date arrangement from that variety.
The extra pieces should resemble earlier numeral strokes in the proper positions. A flat shelf around unrelated letters and design elements may instead reflect movement during striking.
Keep all four digits in view while evaluating a small remnant. A generic description of a “double date” loses the mint and pattern information needed for attribution.
What It’s Worth
Estimates are $35–$900 for Philadelphia and $40–$3,500 for New Orleans, covering worn through attractive unworn whole coins. Clear date remnants and surface preservation matter within each group.
PCGS records $748 for the Philadelphia AU50 sold at GreatCollections in July 2013. AU50 indicates light wear.
That historical result is neither a current minimum nor a price for New Orleans’ different pattern. Choose the matching variety and comparable condition before applying it.
Conclusion
Whole-coin shape distinguishes broadstrikes from offsets, while a recessed reversed picture requires a more detailed assessment of striking history. For smaller features, mint and exact numeral pattern guide the comparison.
The $30–$4,000 estimates combine several error classes and condition levels. Keep the $1,800 brockage offering as an asking price, and keep ordinary-date or different-year sales separate from confirmed records for the feature being evaluated.
