1988-P 10C, FB MS65FB Certification #12502950, PCGS #85174

Charles Morgan

The 1988-P Roosevelt Dime

The 1988-P Roosevelt Dime (#5174) was the first dime issue since 1967 to exceed a mintage of one billion, representing a 35% increase over the 1987 production figures.

To accommodate this surge, the United States Mint hired 478 new employees, 196 of whom were stationed at the Philadelphia facility. Concurrently, four new high-speed coin presses and an advanced press-feeding system were installed. Philadelphia also embraced the digital age in 1988, installing five local area networks (LAN), a CD-ROM storage facility, and an upgraded electronic customer database that increased order processing speeds ten-fold. This era also marked the Mint's official adoption of email.

The addition of the new presses, plus other upgrades, ensured both high volume and high quality. Like many modern issues, the 1988-P is typically well-struck with sharp details. High-grade examples in PCGS holders are frequently sourced from original Uncirculated Coin Sets. The Mint sold 1,646,204 of these sets for $7 each; today, they remain affordable, typically trading between $6 and $10.

While very few examples have met the criteria for a PCGS MS68 grade, collectors should have no difficulty finding specimens with exceptional eye appeal just one grade lower, and for significantly less money. Given the substantial price spread between the two grades, there is a clear incentive for an entrepreneurial collector to comb through original Mint sets in search of additional Top Pop pieces.

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