2010-S Proof

San Francisco delivered 1,103,815 standard cupronickel-clad proof Roosevelt dimes in 2010 for inclusion in the regular annual proof set, a 26 percent pullback from the 1.482-million 2009-S clad figure as proof-set subscriptions edged down from the multi-program 2009 high. The 2010 proof set carried the America the Beautiful Quarters program's launch-year five-coin set, the Native American Dollar, the Lincoln Shield Reverse cent, 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 2010-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 2010-S Silver Proof.

The 2010-S clad sits in the lower 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 1.10-million-piece mintage carries no fundamental base-grade scarcity. Most surviving examples remain in original 2010 proof-set packaging alongside the America the Beautiful Quarters launch set and the Lincoln Shield cent; intact original packaging carries collector preference for the launch-year companion content. 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 and early-2010s San Francisco proof program, see the Roosevelt Dime series history.