The U.S. Mint made the first dimes in 1796. The original 10-cent pieces were small silver coins and the earliest designs showed Liberty on one side and an eagle on the reverse. In 1837, the eagle was replaced with a wreath design. Between 1916 and 1945, the U.S. Mint produced the Mercury design (so named because it resembled the Roman god Mercury). It was created by Adolph A. Weinman. It featured a profile of Liberty wearing a cap with wings on one side (representing freedom of thought) and a fasces (a bundle of rods tied around an axe) with an olive branch on the reverse (together representing military readiness and a desire for peace). On January 30, 1946, the U.S. Mint introduced the Roosevelt dime, which was created to honor President Franklin D. Roosevelt shortly after his death. The design, which features Roosevelt’s profile on one side and the torch, olive branch, and oak branch on the reverse to represent liberty, peace, and strength, is still in use today. Notably, the U.S. Mint removed the silver from the dime in 1965 and updated the coin to utilize a copper-nickel composition instead, but the Roosevelt design itself remains unchanged.
