2001-S Proof

San Francisco delivered 3,184,606 standard cupronickel-clad proof Roosevelt dimes in 2001 for inclusion in the regular annual proof set, a modest 3 percent step up from the 2000-S clad figure as State Quarters proof-set subscriber numbers held steady. The mintage continued the elevated post-1999 baseline produced by the State Quarters program. The S mintmark sat sharp above the date, dies were hand-polished to mirror finish, and the clad planchet was struck at higher pressure on a slower press to produce the squared rims and frosted devices that distinguish proof from circulation finish. Production protocol stayed unchanged from prior years.

Authentication on a 2001-S clad proof rests on the standard finish diagnostics. Mirrored fields under 10x magnification show the deep reflective surface produced by hand-polished dies, the rim profile runs at a sharp ninety-degree transition to the field rather than the rounded business-strike profile, and frosted devices appear on examples that earn Cameo and Deep Cameo designations from PCGS and NGC. Cameo, the third-party grading designation that mirrored fields and frosted relief show clear contrast, and Deep Cameo, the same effect at heavier frost depth, carry the premium pricing at PR69 and PR70. Weight should read 2.268 grams on a calibrated scale; the 2.50-gram silver-proof companion is the principal composition-level distinction.

The 2001-S clad sits at the high end of the early-2000s clad-proof Roosevelt mintage range and trades at routine modern-proof pricing. PR69 DCAM is available at modest price levels, and PR70 DCAM forms the meaningful condition-rarity step where PCGS and NGC populations thin to registry-relevant levels. The 3.18-million-piece mintage carries no fundamental base-grade scarcity. Most surviving examples remain in original 2001 proof-set packaging alongside the five State Quarters dies and the Sacagawea dollar; intact original packaging carries collector preference for set-context reasons. Collector demand for the dime concentrates on the PR70 DCAM tier and on full Cameo-DCAM date sets. For the early-2000s San Francisco proof program, see the Roosevelt Dime series history.