Rare 1988 Dime Errors (List & Pictures)
A 1988-D dime missing its obverse outer layer sold for $360 in June 2024. Estimated values for 1988 Roosevelt dime errors span $5–$1,000, covering small die marks through multiple strikes and backward impressions.
Compare the edge and actual metal before interpreting color, then trace any extra or interrupted design.
| Visible clue | Possible error | Estimated range |
|---|---|---|
| Gap in the outline | Clipped blank | $20–$350 |
| Stepped edge | Partial collar | $10–$200 |
| Expanded coin with full design | Broadstrike | $25–$400 |
| Unused crescent beside incomplete design | Off-center strike | $25–$500 |
| Distinct overlapping designs | Repeated strikes | $60–$700 |
| Sunken backward obverse image | Brockage with broadstrike | $100–$1,000 |
| Exposed copper with missing metal | Missing obverse clad layer | $150–$750 |
| Copper color with normal layers | Reported copper wash | $15–$200, conditional |
| Local weak reverse detail | Strike-through | $10–$250 |
| Raised line or rim patch | Die crack or cud | $5–$450 |
| Opposite-face traces | Die clash | $5–$150 |
| Repeated letter outlines | Doubled die | $15–$300 |
A normal 1988 dime weighs 2.268 grams and measures 17.91 millimeters across a reeded edge. Both ordinary and Proof dimes of this date use copper-nickel outer layers bonded to a copper center.
1. 1988 Dime An Opening in the Edge: Clipped Blank Error
A blank cut from an incomplete part of the metal strip can reach the press with a shortage. Its rim and lettering then form around the missing section.
Reports include both 1988-P and 1988-D clips without establishing every shape or number of openings. A particular curved or straight clip needs its own photographs.
How to Identify
Inspect the rim at each end of the opening for natural striking flow. Fresh cutting or filing can imitate the silhouette while slicing through finished detail.
Weakness opposite the gap can support a clip but cannot replace the boundary check. Compare sensible weight loss with intact spans of the outline.
What It’s Worth
Genuine clips are estimated at $20–$350. Shape, extent, remaining identification and preservation guide the comparison.
A 1997-P nickel with a 20% clip sold for $124 in March 2025. That different denomination and date do not establish an exact 1988 dime price or clip shape.
2. 1988 Dime Two Levels Around the Edge: Partial Collar Error
A blank only partly contained by the collar can spread beyond the ring at one level while receiving normal reeds at another. A tilted blank can leave a step that changes height around the edge.
One 1988-P example is graded ICG MS65. A separately offered tilted partial collar is ANACS MS63.
How to Identify
View the edge directly and follow the transition between reeded and expanded metal. On the tilted type, expect the ledge height to vary rather than form a uniform shelf.
Inspect for battered rims and flattened reeds from later pressure. The original edge relationship matters more than a wide-looking face photograph.
What It’s Worth
Ordinary and tilted partial collars are estimated at $10–$200. A small step can remain inexpensive even on an unworn coin.
The ICG MS65 example sold for $11 in December 2008. The separate ANACS MS63 offering does not share that recorded result.
3. 1988 Dime A Complete Design in a Wider Outline: Broadstrike Error
A broadstrike spreads beyond the collar’s normal restraint while retaining the intended design. Philadelphia examples and a separate Denver listing are reported.
Some Philadelphia coins also received repeated strikes. A dealer’s piece described as larger than a cent with a shallow obverse cup is one combined-error example, not the expected shape of every broadstrike.
How to Identify
Measure several spans and follow the full design on both faces. Missing detail beyond a solid unused crescent calls for an off-center comparison.
Inspect the expanded border and reduced edge reeds for original metal flow. Later impacts can widen a dime while crushing already formed detail.
What It’s Worth
Ordinary original broadstrikes are estimated at $25–$400. Additional strikes belong to one overall valuation.
The closely overlapping double strike below sold for $80.50 and also broadstruck on its second blow. A different multiply struck piece’s $32 dealer minimum bid was not a completed transaction.
4. 1988 Dime A Displaced Design Beside Solid Metal: Off-Center Strike Error
The documented 1988-P ANACS MS62 dime is 10% off center toward 1:30. A separate Denver ANACS MS64 example is reported 45% off center toward 1 o’clock.
Each blank missed the intended center of the press. Their percentages, directions and grades belong to separate coins.
How to Identify
Read the date and mintmark, then compare both faces. Original unused metal should accompany design that missed the blank.
A centered face opposite a shifted one can indicate a misplaced die instead. Check the boundary and edge for cutting or erased detail from later alteration.
What It’s Worth
Genuine 1988 off-center dimes are estimated at $25–$500. Displacement, readable identity and surfaces all affect their appeal.
The Philadelphia 10% MS62 example sold for $39 in August 2021. That result is not the sale of the Denver 45% coin.
5. 1988 Dime Separate Impressions Near the Rim: Repeated Strikes Error
A PCGS MS65 Philadelphia example has two closely overlapping strikes without rotation. Its second blow expanded the metal and left a slight cup shape.
A separate Philadelphia coin has a second strike 95% off center, recorded as one-sided. These pieces are also distinct from the dealer’s larger-than-cent multiply struck example.
How to Identify
On the close-overlap type, trace the earlier impression near the reverse rim. Its displaced detail must be distinguished from a narrow flat shelf beside a letter.
For the 95% second strike, examine the small area reached by the later blow. Do not require the other specimen’s cup shape or assign it the same lack of rotation.
What It’s Worth
Comparable repeated strikes are estimated at $60–$700. The separation and readability of the impressions matter alongside preservation.
The MS65 close-overlap dime sold for $80.50 in May 2005. Its expanded second strike is already included in that whole-coin price.
6. 1988 Dime Backward Detail Pressed into the Front: Brockage Error
The reported 1988-P NGC MS66 example combines obverse brockage with broadstriking. Another struck coin pressed a sunken mirror image into it while its metal also spread beyond normal restraint.
The description establishes no coverage percentage. A wide outline alone cannot identify the backward transfer.
How to Identify
Find a recognizable backward letter or design and confirm that it lies below the surface. Raised extra outlines have a different explanation.
Compare the other face and expanded edge for original striking behavior. Later squeezing of finished coins can produce deceptive impressions and surrounding crushing.
What It’s Worth
Genuine brockage-and-broadstrike combinations are estimated at $100–$1,000. The strength of the mirror image and condition affect the comparison.
The MS66 coin appeared at GreatCollections in January 2023, but no final amount is used here. A 2001-P partial brockage with clash marks sold for $79 in November 2014 as a different combination.
7. 1988 Dime Roosevelt on Exposed Copper: Missing Obverse Clad Layer Error
The recorded 1988-D NGC MS65 coin weighs 1.9 grams and lacks its front copper-nickel outer layer. Roosevelt’s design appears on exposed copper.
The missing layer is not pure nickel, and the reverse does not automatically share the defect. Color must agree with actual metal loss.
How to Identify
Compare both faces and inspect the edge where remaining layers meet. Look for an original struck surface rather than metal stripped away afterward.
Use the documented 1.9-gram reading as this specimen’s measurement, not a target for every copper-colored dime. Keep certified coins in their holders and use recorded data.
What It’s Worth
Comparable genuine Denver missing-front-layer dimes are estimated at $150–$750. Preservation and clear original exposed metal support the comparison.
The NGC MS65 example sold for $360 in June 2024. Later coatings or chemical color changes do not qualify for that valuation merely from a similar photograph.
8. 1988 Dime Copper Color on Both Faces: Reported Copper Wash Error
A dealer described a 1988-P dime as having a heavy copper wash on both sides. The phrase describes appearance rather than proving a solid copper blank.
The report establishes neither coating composition nor when it formed. Normal bonded layers can remain under a surface color change.
How to Identify
Inspect both faces and the edge for an added film, pooled material or peeling coating. Intact ordinary layers differ from an absent outer layer.
Photograph the uncleaned surface under neutral light and record actual measurements. Later plating and chemical changes can imitate the color, so original Mint involvement needs confirmation.
What It’s Worth
An established Mint-related copper wash has a conditional estimate of $15–$200. Neither a later coating nor color alone supports this range.
A recognized heating-related 2005-P error sold for $74 in April 2015. That comparison does not prove annealing or any other cause for the reported 1988 dime.
9. 1988 Dime A Local Weak Area on the Reverse: Strike-Through Error
The reported 1988-P example has blocked reverse detail. Material filling the die can prevent raised elements from forming normally.
The affected letters and substance are not specified. The report also does not establish material still attached to the coin.
How to Identify
Compare the weak area with adjacent original detail and usual high points of wear. General softness from low pressure or circulation is not automatically a filled die.
Inspect the transition for pits, scratches and scraped metal. The boundary should support a local interruption during striking rather than later loss of finished detail.
What It’s Worth
Genuine blocked-design examples are estimated at $10–$250. A clear localized area offers a stronger comparison than one vaguely weak letter.
No documented sale is assigned to the reported Philadelphia coin. An unidentified blocking substance does not receive a separate added value.
10. 1988 Dime Raised Lines and Rim Patches: Die Cracks and Cuds Error
A crack in a die can fill with metal and leave a raised line. A larger missing section at the tool’s edge can produce a rim-connected patch called a cud.
The 1988 reports establish no single mint or required route. These features are copied from tool damage, rather than necessarily indicating a split through the coin.
How to Identify
Check the line’s relief under side light to separate a ridge from a scratch. For a cud, establish the patch’s continuous connection to the rim.
Inspect nearby edge reeds for an impact that pushed metal onto the face. A raised struck feature must be distinguished from later displaced metal.
What It’s Worth
Estimated values span $5–$450 from minor original cracks to conspicuous rim breaks. Size, clarity and preservation guide the comparison.
No specific 1988 cud auction is attached to the general report. A dramatic nickname cannot establish the cause or premium of a scratched line.
11. 1988 Dime Faint Parts of the Opposite Design: Die Clash Error
When dies meet without a blank, they can damage each other with traces of their designs. Later coins may reproduce those faint extra shapes.
Both Philadelphia and Denver 1988 clashes are reported. No required location or single transferred fragment is established.
How to Identify
Compare a suspect outline with the opposite face, allowing for the designs’ normal relationship. A recognizable fragment is more useful than an isolated bright streak.
Separate unrelated parallel lines and scratches from transferred shapes. The name clash requires a plausible connection to the opposite design.
What It’s Worth
Minor genuine clash marks are estimated at $5–$150. Stronger recognizable outlines can attract more interest.
A 1993-P dime with both clash marks and a shifted obverse sold for $63 in April 2021. Its different year and combined features prevent treating it as a 1988 clash-only result.
12. 1988 Dime Repeated Letter or Numeral Contours: Doubled Die Error
A die prepared with repeated detail can transfer two outlines in one normal strike. That differs from the entire coin moving for an additional blow.
The general 1988 report provides no mint, finish or specific catalog variety. It should not inherit a famous attribution from another year.
How to Identify
Inspect a clear letter’s corners, then compare neighboring features for a consistent pattern of raised separation. Flat shelves from movement during striking and random dents have other causes.
Record the actual mint and finish before choosing reference photographs. A precise recognized pattern matters more than the word double in a listing.
What It’s Worth
Genuine identifiable varieties are estimated at $15–$300. Strength of the repeated detail and condition affect demand.
The broad report establishes no specific variety auction record. Mechanical shelf doubling should not automatically receive the same premium.
Conclusion
A 1988 dime’s copper color can reflect actual missing metal or a surface change whose cause remains uncertain. The edge structure and original strike help decide which explanation is supported.
For displaced or repeated designs, compare both faces and keep each documented specimen’s direction, grade and measurements separate. Treat combined errors as one whole coin, preserve original surfaces and distinguish minimum bids from prices actually realized.
