1930 Dime Error List with Pictures

An ordinary 1930-S dime in exceptional condition sold for $7,800 in March 2026. Its price was for preservation, not a reported error.

The 1930 dime errors below have estimated values of $25–$1,800. Look for peeling metal, a diagonal mark on the back, or a small extra curve left of the S.

Read on to compare those features with the larger mistakes that change the coin’s outline.

1. 1930 Mercury Dime Lamination (Estimated Up to $400)

A flap or narrow split can show metal separating inside a dime. This is called a lamination.

The silver-copper mixture did not hold together properly. A layer may lift while remaining attached, or break away and expose metal underneath.

The 1930 year guide reports this category without identifying a recurring position or mint. Each coin needs to be examined on its own.

Mercury dimes use silver and copper mixed throughout the blank. They do not have the separate outer sheets of modern clad dimes, so this flaw should not be described as missing cladding.

Estimated Value

Estimate $25–$400 for circulated through modest unworn examples, depending on the size and clarity of the separation. A tiny flaw often adds less than an enlarged photograph might suggest.

A different-year 1921-D reverse lamination graded NGC VG8 sold for $74 at Heritage in 2013. VG8 describes heavy circulation wear.

That coin is also a scarce date. Its price offers a general error comparison, not a direct valuation for an otherwise different 1930 dime.

How to Identify

Examine the opening with a 10× magnifier and look for a thin layer continuing into the surrounding silver. Bright metal alone can also appear inside a recent gouge.

Do not lift any flap. Follow its boundary toward the grooved edge instead.

A scale reading may stay near 2.50 g if all the metal remains attached, or fall if some has detached. Calipers across the sound outline should be compared with the normal 17.90 mm diameter.

Smooth scoops, scattered pits, or pushed-up metal suggest other causes. The direct clue is a connected layer splitting from the coin’s body, rather than just a shiny patch or a low weight.

 

2. 1930 Mercury Dime Obverse Doubling (Estimated Up to $500)

A seller described a Philadelphia 1930 dime as having a doubled date. That report does not establish a named, professionally cataloged variety.

A die is the steel tool that stamps the design. If its design is doubled, a coin can receive two close, rounded outlines in a single strike.

Movement during the strike can instead flatten metal into a lower shelf beside a number. These effects may look alike in a small photograph.

The date, lettering, and portrait edges are places to examine. No precise direction or repeated pattern should be assumed from the seller’s description alone.

Estimated Value

An estimated $30–$500 covers clearly identified minor doubling from circulated condition through modest unworn coins. Flat shelves caused during striking generally belong with ordinary coin prices.

A recognized 1929-S doubled die graded ANACS MS66 Full Bands sold for $1,410 in 2017. That coin had no circulation wear, few marks, and sharply separated central reverse bands.

It is another year and variety at a high grade. Its price cannot be assigned to an unconfirmed 1930 doubled-date report.

How to Identify

Set a normal 1930 dime beside the candidate under the same light. A 10× magnifier can reveal whether the main number keeps its full width beside a rounded extra outline.

A flat shelf that seems to shave down the original stroke points to movement during striking. Examine lettering and portrait edges too, while moving the lamp to separate actual raised shapes from reflections.

Check the normal 17.90 mm diameter with calipers, the 2.50 g starting weight with a scale, and the grooved edge. These measurements do not prove doubling.

The useful visual test is a stable, rounded repeated design shape, rather than a flat ledge or an edge that disappears with the light.

 

3. 1930 Mercury Dime Reverse Struck-Through Error (Estimated Up to $600)

A diagonal mark crosses the back from about one-thirty to seven-thirty in the catalog description. The reported coin was graded Fine, meaning noticeable circulation wear.

Material between the blank and the stamping tool blocked part of the normal design. The compressed object could leave a hollow where it interrupted the strike.

That explains the term struck through. It describes the obstruction, not a second impression of the entire back.

A long, narrow mark does not prove the object was wire. Its path and effect on the design can be described without guessing what caused the obstruction.

Estimated Value

Estimate $25–$600 for genuine examples, from faint interruptions on worn coins through conspicuous marks on attractive pieces. A long mark does not automatically mean a large premium.

An indexed sale records $59.99 for a different-year 1929 dime described as struck through and graded ANACS MS63. MS63 means no circulation wear, with noticeable marks.

That offers a modest same-series comparison. The 1930 coin’s Fine grade describes its wear, not an established selling price for the diagonal mark.

How to Identify

Hold the back upright and follow the diagonal from one-thirty toward seven-thirty. Use a 10× magnifier to examine its edges and any design remaining inside it.

A strike-through should suppress normal detail where the object blocked the tool. A groove with rough tool tracks or pushed-up lips may be later damage.

Check the coin with calipers and a scale against the normal 17.90 mm diameter and 2.50 g weight. A small impression may change neither measurement noticeably.

Inspect the grooved edge and surrounding undamaged details too. The immediate clue is normal design fading or stopping along the hollow’s path, rather than silver scraped away with ridges beside it.

 

4. 1930-S Mercury Dime Repunched Mintmark (Estimated Up to $850)

Look left of the S for part of an earlier S. This is the direction described for 1930-S WRPM-001, also listed as CONECA RPM number 1.

The mint letter was punched into the stamping tool by hand. An earlier punch position remained partly visible after the final S was added.

Coins made with that tool copied both pieces of the letter. The effect stays in the small mintmark area on the back.

It is different from doubled lettering on the front. A nick that simply distorts the S also needs to be distinguished from a curved earlier letter shape.

Estimated Value

For 1930-S, estimate $35–$850 from worn examples through attractive coins without circulation wear. At the higher end, overall preservation and a sharp strike matter greatly.

A dealer lists a different-year 1929-S/S in Extremely Fine condition for $30. That grade means light to moderate wear, and the amount is an asking price.

The comparison shows that a repeated mint letter can remain affordable. Clear matching extra detail may add interest, but the whole coin still determines the price.

How to Identify

Find S beside the lower part of the bundle on the back. Compare its left edge with Wexler’s 1930-S photograph using a 10× magnifier.

Trace the earlier curved piece beside the main S. A flat shelf does not have the same rounded shape, and corrosion can distort an ordinary letter.

Check nearby silver for signs of an added mintmark. The surface should not show a disturbed patch where the letter was attached.

A scale and calipers can compare a loose dime with 2.50 g and 17.90 mm; inspect its grooved edge too. The quick target is the earlier S curve immediately left of the dominant mintmark.

 

5. 1930 Mercury Dime Broadstrike (Estimated Up to $1,500)

A broadstrike keeps the whole design while spreading wider than a normal dime. The metal ring around the blank, called the collar, failed to contain the silver during striking.

Without that support, metal flowed outward past its usual boundary. The edge may also lack its normal grooves.

The 1930 guide explains this type but does not identify a named, certified example from the year. The actual coin must show the expected shape.

A wide or uneven rim alone is not enough. Hammering, an off-center strike, and partial support from the collar can change the outline in different ways.

Estimated Value

Estimate $100–$1,500 for a genuine 1930 broadstrike from circulated condition through attractive unworn examples. Different-year Mercury dime sales provide the comparisons.

A 1941-S NGC MS63 broadstrike sold for $228 at Heritage in September 2025. A 1945 NGC MS64 Full Bands brought $2,040 in the same sale.

Both were unworn, but the second had fewer marks and sharply separated reverse bands. The difference shows why condition and strike quality matter alongside the name of the error.

How to Identify

Measure the widest and narrowest spans with calipers against the normal 17.90 mm diameter. Then trace the outer design on both faces to see whether every part remains on the metal.

Weigh a loose coin with a scale against 2.50 g. Silver can spread without being lost.

With a 10× magnifier, follow the design into the wide border and inspect the edge for missing normal grooves. Flattened details and compression marks may reveal later hammering.

A sealed coin can be assessed from recorded measurements and clear edge photographs. The useful combination is genuine outward spread with complete, normally struck designs, rather than a widened disc whose details were crushed afterward.

 

6. 1930 Mercury Dime Off-Center Strike (Estimated Up to $1,800)

A blank crescent and a shifted design belong together on an off-center dime. The blank sat partly outside the correct position when the stamping tools closed.

Some silver received no design, while some intended detail missed the metal entirely. This changes what is visible on both faces.

The 1930 year guide reports the category without measuring one confirmed example. Its possible percentages describe different amounts of shift, not a single known coin.

A readable date is especially important. If the last digit disappeared beyond the edge, a visible 193 alone would not prove the coin was made in 1930.

Estimated Value

A 1944 dime struck 10% off center and graded PCGS AU58 brought $360 in December 2025. AU58 means only slight wear.

A 1920-D PCGS MS62 with the same percentage sold for $1,020 that September. That example had no circulation wear but noticeable marks.

Both are different-year comparisons for an estimated $150–$1,800 range for genuine 1930 examples. Wear, readable date details, and the amount of shift matter, so a small worn offset need not approach the upper end.

How to Identify

Read every digit of 1930 before using the coin as a year-specific example. Do not guess a missing final number from the surviving 193.

Turn it over and compare the struck and blank areas. With a 10× magnifier, look where raised detail meets original untouched silver on both faces.

A shift limited to one face can come from a moved stamping tool. Matching displacement on both sides is stronger evidence that the blank itself was misplaced.

Use a scale and calipers against the normal 2.50 g and 17.90 mm references, allowing for wear and spread. The direct check is missing design opposite a natural blank crescent, without grinding marks replacing the original surface.

 

Conclusion

Estimated values for these 1930 errors range from $25 to $1,800. The earlier S to the left of the main mintmark gives a specific small target, while the diagonal strike-through needs a different surface check.

For wider outlines, determine whether any design is actually missing. Keep the exceptional ordinary coin’s $7,800 sale separate from error estimates, and compare each candidate’s visible feature and condition together.