Celebrating the 80th Anniversary of the Roosevelt Dime – with an Unexpected Twist!
As the Roosevelt dime comes up to what would be its 80th anniversary, collectors and history enthusiasts are marking the milestone with mixed emotions. While this dime has been a constant in American pockets since 1946, its iconic design won’t quite make it to 80… at least, not without interruption.
Instead, 2026 is ushering in a dramatic – albeit temporary – change to our change.
A one-year redesign for the 250th U.S. Anniversary
This year, the long-running Roosevelt dime is being replaced with a special, one-year-only design celebrating the U.S.A.’s 250th birthday. This is one of many coin designs debuting for 2026. As it stands now, though, our classic Roosevelt dime is planned to return in 2027!
This new design is known officially as the Emerging Liberty dime, and it marks the first major update to the dime since Roosevelt’s portrait debuted in 1946.
Liberty Emerges
On the obverse, a determined portrait of Liberty faces right, with the winds of revolution wafting through her hair. She wears a liberty cap featuring the stars and stripes on her head.
The reverse design depicts an eagle in flight bearing arrows in its talons.
Traditional Roosevelt design
Photo courtesy of: March of Dimes Foundation
Following the passing of America’s 32nd president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1945, new dimes bearing his likeness were hurried into production to coincide with the 1946 March of Dimes fundraising campaign.
Putting FDR’s image on the dime was a choice with great significance. Roosevelt, who became paralyzed below the waist as an adult, had established the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis in 1938 to find a cure for polio. Its first fundraising campaign asked the public to send dimes to President Roosevelt and was called the “March of Dimes” – which became part of the foundation’s name.
Among the researchers working on a cure for polio was Dr. Jonas Salk of the University of Pittsburgh. A safe and effective polio vaccine was finally developed and administered to children nationwide beginning in 1955.
A milestone worth celebrating
Even though this year’s design change means the Roosevelt dime will miss reaching its 80th anniversary intact, the shift is sure to be popular with collectors. The original design has a strong legacy, and its classic design is going to be welcomed with open arms (and album pages) next year.
