1976

The 1976 Roosevelt Dime came out of the Philadelphia Mint at 568,760,000 pieces, a standard mid-1970s production figure that ran independently of the much-publicized Bicentennial coinage program. The cent, nickel, and dime kept their standard dates and designs throughout 1975 and 1976; the dual-date 1776-1976 inscription and Bicentennial reverses appeared only on the quarter, half dollar, and dollar. The 1976 dime is therefore a routine clad-era issue: Sinnock obverse, torch-and-branches reverse, no mintmark on Philadelphia, copper-nickel clad on a copper core, 2.268 grams, 17.91 millimeters, reeded edge. Bicentennial-year collector enthusiasm did spill into the dime denomination through increased mint set sales, which means a larger-than-typical share of the Philadelphia output ended up preserved in original 1976 mint set packaging.

Authentication is routine. Weight and dimension should hold to standard, the reddish copper-core edge should be visible under magnification at the rim, and Full Bands (FB) on the torch reverse remains the diagnostic that separates premium examples from ordinary ones. Both horizontal torch bands must be sharply struck and fully separated, with no fusion or partial filling. Strike quality on 1976 Philadelphia dimes runs about average for the era, and bag marks across Roosevelt's cheek along with handling friction from roll and shipment remain the typical condition limiters at the upper Mint State grades. No major business-strike varieties of consequence are documented for this date.

Circulated 1976 dimes trade at face. Mint State material is widely available through bank rolls and original Bicentennial-year mint sets, and grades through MS66 are common at modest premiums. MS67 begins to climb meaningfully, MS67FB is the registry-collector target, and MS68FB pieces are scarce enough to bring real money at major sales when properly certified with clean original surfaces. The enlarged 1976 mint set program has kept lower Mint State material plentiful but has not significantly improved the supply of top-end FB strikes, which remain limited by die-state and striking pressure rather than by survival. For broader context on the Bicentennial-period Philadelphia clad production, see the Roosevelt Dime series history.