Three Sisters Inherit a Dime Kept in a Bank Vault for More Than 40 Years, Then Discover It's Worth a Fortune

While serious coin collectors have long known about the existence of these two rare dimes, their whereabouts had remained a mystery since the late 1970s.

Three sisters from Ohio who inherited a dime kept in a bank vault for more than 40 years knew it had some value. But they had no idea just how much until just a few years ago.

While serious coin collectors have long known about the existence of these two rare dimes, their whereabouts had remained a mystery since the late 1970s. The sisters from Ohio who inherited one of those two dimes after the recent death of a brother want to remain anonymous given their sudden windfall, Russell said.

The dime was struck in 1943 at the San Francisco Mint, and features a large “S” mint mark on the reverse. But unlike most dimes struck that year, which feature a silver wartime composition, this coin is made of copper-nickel.

Russell, whose company is based in Irvine, California, said their brother reached out to him about seven years ago and eventually told him about the coin. He too kept the secret.

“He called me up and said, ‘I have something I want to show you. I don't want to tell you what it is, but I want you to come over here and I'll show it to you,’” Russell recalled.

“I went over there and he pulled out this coin, and he goes, ‘What do you think?’ And I looked at it for a second and I said, ‘Well, I think you're holding about a half a million dollars in your hand.’”

The coin was eventually sold at auction in 2020 for $630,000, setting a record for the most expensive dime ever sold.

The other known 1943-S copper-nickel dime was discovered in 1979 by a 10-year-old boy in Pennsylvania, and was later sold for $100,000. It now belongs to a private collector.

Coin collectors believe that the two dimes were created by mistake, as the San Francisco Mint was supposed to be striking only silver dimes that year to support the war effort.

The mint mark on the dime inherited by the Ohio sisters is slightly doubled, which adds to its rarity and value, Russell said.

“The mint mark on the coin is slightly doubled, which is a result of the die being used to strike the coin being slightly misaligned,” he explained.

“This doubling is visible to the naked eye, and it adds to the coin's rarity and desirability among collectors.”

The sisters, who live in Toledo, Ohio, are now planning to use the money to pay off their debts and help their children.

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