2009-S Proof

San Francisco delivered 1,482,502 standard cupronickel-clad proof Roosevelt dimes in 2009 for inclusion in the regular annual proof set, a 5 percent step up from the 1.406-million 2008-S clad figure as proof-set subscriptions held steady through the recession year. The 2009 proof set was an unusually rich collector vehicle, carrying the four-design Lincoln Bicentennial cent program, the six-coin DC and Territorial Quarters, the Native American Dollar launch, the Westward Journey nickel, and the Roosevelt dime in a single package. 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.

Authentication on a 2009-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 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 between this issue and the 2009-S Silver Proof.

The 2009-S clad sits in the lower-middle tier of the late-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 1.48-million-piece mintage carries no fundamental base-grade scarcity. Most surviving examples remain in original 2009 proof-set packaging alongside the Lincoln Bicentennial cents and DC/Territorial Quarters; intact original packaging carries strong collector preference for the year's unusually rich companion-content mix. Collector demand for the dime concentrates on the PR70 DCAM tier and on full Cameo-DCAM date sets running through the modern era. For the late-2000s San Francisco proof program, see the Roosevelt Dime series history.