The Roosevelt dime, first minted in 1946, was issued to honor the memory of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who died in 1945. The only American president elected to serve four terms, he led the nation during some of the most trying times in America's history - the Great Depression and World War II.

Though originally struck in .900 fine silver, by 1964 the rising price of the precious metal forced the mint to alter the dime's composition. Starting in 1965, the US mint began issuing dimes made from a clad material containing only copper and nickel.