History Main / NumberOneDime

Compare and contrast with IconicItem, which has the same meaning but is ''unique'' rather than generic; and the ArtifactOfAttraction, which is of interest to many characters. If the item is food, that's either TrademarkFavoriteFood or (less specifically) ObsessedWithFood. If the character falsely believes the item to be the source of a skill or power, it's a MagicFeather. It may also be a SignatureInstrument.

In any case, should the item be damaged or lost, it is likely to trigger a HeroicBSOD or a RoaringRampageOfRevenge, which [[DisproportionateRetribution sometimes leads]] to an ArsonMurderAndJaywalking moment. If dropped, they will do an IndyHatRoll to retrieve it. Merely being separated from the item is also likely to make them utterly distraught. However, some characters may at one point entrust the item to someone they know and hold in high regard, leading to a PrizedPossessionGiveaway.

** While the First Dime has sentimental value for Scrooge in Don Rosa's run, it actually has a power of which he is not aware. Magica de Spell tries to use it to empower her magic (or give her the Midas' Touch, depending on the writer). It's noted both in Carl Barks and Don Rosa's stories, however, that the first dime is technically not necesarry. She just needs ''a'' coin touched by the world's richest man (or duck). The First Dime would simply have more power due to having been touched more.

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** Ichigo has her hairclip, which to her symbolizes her bond with Hiro, who gave it to her as kids. It gets lost during one episode, but Goro replaces it with an identical clip he'd been holding onto for years - symbolizing a turning point for both of them and their relationship.

* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'': Ryo Takiguchi, a minor character from the same series, is implied to be this way about his harmonica. [[spoiler: This makes the fact that it gets destroyed during his brutal, undeserved beat-down rather [[TearJerker heartbreaking]]]].

* ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}'': Captain Haddock almost gets himself killed over his sailor's cap in ''Prisoners of the Sun'': who'd want to live without their NiceHat?
* The above number one dime was parodied in issue 102 of ''ComicBook/TheSimpsons'' ''Uncle Burn$'', with Mr. Burns's lucky number one penny. Burns used the penny to earn his fortune during the gold rush, by [[AbnormalAmmo loading it into a gun]] and rob miners. Bart, in revenge for Burns cutting his rope to get the penny when it fell off, uses it to get the floating key of Strobl away from the volcano.

** In the [[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl first film]], he treats his [[ChekhovsGun flintlock pistol]] the same way - it only carries one shot, and he has no extra shots or powder. He [[LeaveBehindAPistol was marooned with it]] ten years ago and others note that [[DesignatedBullet the only person he'll use it on is the one that marooned him]]. While he threatens others with it, it's clear that he won't actually fire it until the proper time.

* ''Literature/{{Dortmunder}}'': In ''What's the Worst That Could Happen?'', Dortmunder's partner May inherits a cheap shiny ring from her horse-playing uncle, who always swore the ring brought him luck. On an impulse, Dortmunder puts the ring on before going out on his next job: burgling the supposedly empty beach house of a billionaire. Dortmunder is caught by the billionaire, who--[[EvilIsPetty in an act of sheer pettiness]]--claims the ring is his and takes it off Dortmunder before handing him over to the police. The superstitious Dortmunder escapes fro, the police and is now convinced that the ring is lucky and that he won't have any good luck until he gets it back. What follows is a string of jobs aimed various properties owned by the billionaire. Ironically, these jobs keep scoring Dortmunder and his accomplices bigger and bigger profits but not the ring. When Dortumunder finally retrieves the ring, May is able to persuade him that maybe the ring is only lucky if he doesn't wear it, and to just leave it in his drawer from now on.

** In another episode, [=SpongeBob=] accidentally gets paint on Krabs' First Dollar earned, which he has framed and hanging on his home.

** While it was the first coin that Scrooge ever earned, because it was an American coin and Scrooge lived in Scotland at the time, the person that gave it to him was screwing him out of payment. That incident is one of the things that made Scrooge decide to become the richest duck in the world, and he originally kept it to remind himself that there are always people that will try to cheat you. If anything, it started as a symbol of bad luck. However, in "The New Laird of Castle [=McDuck=]" it unexpectedly [[ChekhovsGun saves his life]] when he [[ArmoredCoffins falls into a castle moat wearing a suit of armor]] and nearly drowns until he's able to use the coin to loosen the bolts. After that incident you can forgive him for never wanting to part with it again.

** While it was the first coin that Scrooge ever earned, because it was an American coin and Scrooge lived in Scotland at the time, the person that gave it to him was screwing him out of payment. That incident is one of the things that made Scrooge decide to become the richest duck in the world, and he originally kept it to remind himself that there are always people that will try to cheat you. If anything, it started as a symbol of bad luck.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Mako almost always wears a simple red scarf that had previously belonged to his dead father, and snaps when a waiter tries to take it off of him during his [[TheMakeover makeover]] at Kuang's Cuisine in the episode "The Voice in the Night".

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Mako almost always wears a scarf that had previously belonged to his dead father, and snaps when a waiter tries to take it off of him during his [[TheMakeover makeover]] at Kuang's Cuisine in the episode "The Voice in the Night".

The Number One Dime is an item that is in and of itself of little to no interest or value, but to its owner: it is [[LawOfDisproportionateResponse ridiculously over-important]] in a purely sentimental way. It might be the token sealing a ChildhoodMarriagePromise, a SecurityBlanket, a MementoMacGuffin (particularly an OrphansPlotTrinket or FatalFamilyPhoto) or a CompanionCube, but the overlap with {{MacGuffin}}s at large is fairly minimal.

* In ''Film/RichieRich'', BigBad Lawrence Van Dough forces the Riches to open the family vault, where he expects to find the family fortune. Instead, it contains keepsakes precious to them but not particularly valuable to anyone else -- not being idiots, [[RealityEnsues they have their material wealth invested in bank accounts, stocks, real estate, etc.]]

In any case, should the item be damaged or lost, it is likely to trigger a HeroicBSOD or a RoaringRampageOfRevenge, which [[DisproportionateRetribution sometimes leads]] to an ArsonMurderAndJaywalking moment. If dropped, they will do an IndyHatRoll to retrieve it. Merely being separated from the item is also likely to make them utterly distraught.

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'', of course, has the TropeNamer dime as described above in the ComicBooks section. In the cartoon it's given more of a vaguely mystical nature, since on the occasions when it does go missing, Scrooge's fortune starts to fall apart.

* Similarly to the ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' example below, Lothar from ''Webcomic/ExterminatusNow'' will go [[BerserkButton utterly friggin' berserk]] if you touch his NiceHat.
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' Jägers appear to have this relation with their {{Nice Hat}}s. One of them gives their hat away. Some of them get together and made a ridiculously huge, flame-spewing metal hat for someone they respect a lot.

* Linus' security blanket in ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}''.

** Luffy's straw hat, given to him by his idol Shanks. His epithet is ''Straw Hat Luffy'' for a '''reason'''. He is so fond of it that when he gives it to someone for safekeeping, it qualifies as a sign that he has [[ThisIsUnforgivable had enough]] of this season's villain. However, after [[spoiler: the death of his brother Ace, Luffy has a HeroicBSOD so bad he doesn't notice he dropped his hat]]. A later chapter even reveals this hat is even more significant than what it looks: [[spoiler:it once belonged to Gold Roger, none other than the Pirate King himself, who passed it on to Shanks, one of his cabin boys at the time]].

** Luffy's straw hat, given to him by his idol Shanks. He is so fond of it that when he gives it to someone for safekeeping, it qualifies as a sign that he has [[ThisIsUnforgivable had enough]] of this season's villain. However, after [[spoiler: the death of his brother Ace, Luffy has a HeroicBSOD so bad he doesn't notice he dropped his hat]]. A later chapter even reveals this hat is even more significant than what it looks: [[spoiler:it once belonged to Gold Roger, none other than the Pirate King himself, who passed it on to Shanks, one of his cabin boys at the time]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'', Lilo has a photograph of her parents who were killed in an automobile accident, and it holds priceless sentimental value for her.

** And Brook with his hair, though his case is more justified than others. His FunnyAfro is the only part of him that did not decay before he became a skeleton man. Without it, his friend Laboon wouldn't recognize him, and since Brook is now a skeleton, his hair wouldn't grow back in case it was cut, so he's fiercely protective of his afro.

[[folder:Film]]

* In ''Film/RichieRich'', BigBad Lawrence Van Dough forces the Riches to open the family vault, where he expects to find the family fortune. Instead, it contains keepsakes precious to them but not particularly valuable to anyone else -- not being idiots, they have their material wealth invested in bank accounts, stocks, real estate, etc.

* In ''Film/{{Casper}}'', the villainous Carrigan inherits [[HauntedHouse Whipstaff Manor]] and, after reading a scrap of parchment suggesting it contains buried pirate treasure, hires the movie's human protagonists to get rid of the ghosts so she can access the treasure. At the end, it turns out that the treasure is just some cherished family keepsakes (namely, a baseball glove and a couple of cards), and the parchment Carrigan found was just part of a pirate game that Casper (when he was alive) used to play with his dad.