diff --git a/core_utils/serialization.py b/core_utils/serialization.py
index 88c9a33..e7136ec 100644
--- a/core_utils/serialization.py
+++ b/core_utils/serialization.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import traceback
 from enum import Enum
+from numbers import Number
 from typing import (
     Any,
     Iterable,
@@ -213,6 +214,7 @@ def deserialize(
         return type_value[value]  # type: ignore
 
     else:
+
         # Check to see that the expected value is present & has the expected type,
         # iff the expected type is one of JSON's value types.
         if (
@@ -220,8 +222,17 @@ def deserialize(
             or (any(map(lambda t: t == type_value, (int, float, str, bool))))
             and not isinstance(value, checking_type_value)
         ):
+            fail = False
+            # exception: encoded a number into a string; attempt trivial decoding to avoid failure
+            # JSON will encode numbers that are dictionary keys as strings
+            # so that it can make them compliant as objects.
+            if issubclass(checking_type_value, Number) and isinstance(value, str):
+                try:
+                    value = type_value(value.strip())
+                except ValueError:
+                    fail = True
             # numeric check: some ints can be a float
-            if (
+            elif (
                 float == type_value
                 and isinstance(value, int)
                 and int(float(value)) == value
@@ -233,6 +244,9 @@ def deserialize(
             # but in general we just identified a value that
             # didn't deserialize to its expected type
             else:
+                fail = True
+
+            if fail:
                 raise FieldDeserializeFail(
                     field_name="", expected_type=type_value, actual_value=value
                 )
diff --git a/tests/test_custom_serialization.py b/tests/test_custom_serialization.py
index 56565bf..46e1813 100644
--- a/tests/test_custom_serialization.py
+++ b/tests/test_custom_serialization.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import json
 from dataclasses import dataclass
-from typing import Tuple, NamedTuple, Mapping, Sequence
+from typing import Tuple, NamedTuple, Mapping, Sequence, Dict, List
 
 import numpy as np
 import torch
@@ -149,3 +149,23 @@ def check(*, actual, expected):
 
     _roundtrip(mnt, custom_serialize, custom_deserialize, check)
     _roundtrip(mdc, custom_serialize, custom_deserialize, check)
+
+
+def test_nested_array_dict_int_keys(custom_serialize, custom_deserialize):
+    N = 4
+    M = 3
+
+    def check(*, actual, expected):
+        assert isinstance(actual, type(expected))
+        assert len(actual) == N
+        for xs in actual:
+            assert len(xs) == M
+            for i, arr in xs.items():
+                assert isinstance(i, int)
+                _check_array_like(actual=arr, expected=np.ones(i))
+
+    m: List[List[Dict[int, np.ndarray]]] = [
+        [{i: np.ones(i)} for i in range(M)] for _ in range(N)
+    ]
+
+    _roundtrip(m, custom_serialize, custom_deserialize, check)
diff --git a/tests/test_serialization.py b/tests/test_serialization.py
index dfc0880..9ca297b 100644
--- a/tests/test_serialization.py
+++ b/tests/test_serialization.py
@@ -3,7 +3,18 @@
 from collections import namedtuple
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from enum import Enum, IntEnum
-from typing import NamedTuple, Sequence, Optional, Mapping, Set, Tuple, Union, Any
+from typing import (
+    NamedTuple,
+    Sequence,
+    Optional,
+    Mapping,
+    Set,
+    Tuple,
+    Union,
+    Any,
+    List,
+    Dict,
+)
 
 from pytest import raises, fixture
 import yaml
@@ -580,3 +591,21 @@ def test_serialized_nested_defaults_advanced():
 
     s = serialize(nested)
     assert nested == deserialize(NestedDefaultsMixed, s)
+
+
+def test_serialize_dict_with_numeric_keys():
+    d1: Dict[int, List[str]] = {
+        i: [x for x in "hello world! how are you today?"] for i in range(10)
+    }
+    s1 = serialize(d1)
+    assert deserialize(Dict[int, List[str]], s1) == d1
+
+    j1 = json.dumps(s1)
+    assert deserialize(Dict[int, List[str]], json.loads(j1)) == d1
+
+    d2: Dict[float, List[str]] = {float(i): xs for i, xs in d1.items()}
+    s2 = serialize(d2)
+    assert deserialize(Dict[int, List[str]], s2) == d2
+
+    j2 = json.dumps(s2)
+    assert deserialize(Dict[int, List[str]], json.loads(j2)) == d2