Rare dime sells for nearly $2M at auction in Tampa Associated Press By TAMARA LUSH 2016.01.08
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Whatever disparaging cliche you've heard about the lowly dime — dime a dozen, nickel and dimed, dime's worth of difference — it's not true of this dime.
No, this particular coin that went to auction Thursday evening in Tampa sold for just under $2 million.
The 1894-S dime was struck at the San Francisco Mint. Only 24 were made, and only nine likely still exist.
"There's a couple of iconic rarities in the rare coin market," said David Hall, co-founder of Professional Coin Grading Service of Santa Ana, California. "A couple of coins have been known among the rarest of the rare for 100 years and this is one of those numismatic icons."
Hall said so few of those dimes were made at the San Francisco Mint because the country was in a recession that year and more dimes weren't needed.