JS (John R. Sinnock)

How to read it

The Mint first issued the Roosevelt dime in 1946, releasing it on January 30, Roosevelt’s birthday. PCGS identifies the JS as the initials of John Ray Sinnock, chief engraver of the Mint, and says every dime struck since 1946 has carried them on the obverse. CoinWeek places the letters just below the edge of the neck, parallel to it, to the left of the date. The Mint’s 1948 announcement of the Franklin half dollar, also Sinnock’s work, says the initials on its obverse “are those with which Mr. Sinnock signed his coin and medal designs”. For 2026 the Mint replaced the Roosevelt design with an Emerging Liberty design; the Mint says Roosevelt returns to the dime in 2027.

Also searched as: JRS, JS on coin, JS on dime.

Does JS stand for Joseph Stalin?

No. The letters are Sinnock’s initials. CoinWeek, the American Numismatic Association and Numismatic News all say that after the dime came out, a rumour spread that JS stood for Joseph Stalin; Numismatic News calls it a product of the Red Scare and the Cold War. The ANA’s newsletter says the government tried to convince the public that the letters were the designer’s. PCGS says the Mint ran a public relations campaign to explain them, which “did not go far”, and that the legend lasted long afterwards.

JRS on the Franklin half dollar

PCGS says Mint officials tried to put the rumour to rest by signing Sinnock’s Franklin half dollar of 1948 with JRS, his full initials. Sinnock had died in May 1947; the Mint’s 1948 announcement calls him “the late John R. Sinnock, Engraver of the Mint”.