Is A 1988 Dime Worth Money Today? Which 1988 Dimes Are The Most Valuable?

1988 U.S. Dime Values

Many people have asked me about the value of their 1988 Roosevelt dimes.

I think it’s because these older dimes are getting harder to find in pocket change than they once were. But are they really valuable?

In this article I’m going to show you how to tell the difference between a rare and valuable 1988 dime that’s worth a lot of money… and one you can safely spend because it’s only worth face value.

Why Would Some 1988 Dimes Be Worth More Than Face Value?

While the vast majority of worn (circulated) 1988 dimes you find in pocket change are worth just 10 cents, there are some that are worth much more.

There are several reasons that a 1988 dime could be worth a lot of money. They have to do with:

• The condition of the coin
• The quality and completeness of the strike and details
• The presence of any errors or varieties on the coin

Let’s discuss these and other things that may enhance the value of your 1988 dimes.

Does A Certain Mintmark On A 1988 Dime Add Value?

The mint letter stamp, or mintmark, on your 1988 dime tells you where that coin was struck.

The mintmark on a 1988 dime is located just above the date on the head’s side (obverse) of the coin — and every 1988 dime has one of these 3 mintmarks:

• P – Philadelphia Mint
• D – Denver Mint
• S – San Francisco Mint

Chances are, if you pulled your 1988 dime from pocket change or a coin jar, it will have either a “P” or “D” mintmark.

That’s because only the Philadelphia and Denver mints struck circulating Roosevelt dimes in 1988. In fact, those two mints combined struck nearly 2 billion (that’s right — 2 billion, with a “B”) dimes in 1988 alone! So there are still plenty of them turning up in spare change today.

So, what about the 1988-S dimes… Where can you find those?

The San Francisco Mint struck dimes only for collectors in 1988. These special 1988-S proof dimes were sold directly to the public in proof sets.

Some of these 1988-S proof dimes have been cracked out of their display cases and spent as regular money. But for the most part you can’t really expect to find 1988-S dimes in circulation.

If you want a 1988-S dime for your collection, you can buy them individually from a coin dealer — usually for a couple bucks each.

It’s actually easy (and cheap!) to build a proof Roosevelt dime collection.

So, the bottom line regarding mintmarks adding value to the coin…

You could say the “P” and “D” mintmarks don’t add value to a 1988 dime, but the “S” mintmark generally does for this coin.

A List Of 1988 Dimes Worth Money Today

As I mentioned above, the condition, strike completeness, and presence of errors or varieties are the main contributing factors to the value of a 1988 dime.

How so? Let’s explore…

1988 Uncirculated & Proof Dimes

While worn 1988 dimes are usually worth just 10 cents, uncirculated specimens (those that have no circulation wear whatsoever) are usually worth somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 cents to $1.

Meanwhile, proof 1988-S dimes are worth $2 to $5 each.

But that’s not all… Some uncirculated 1988 dimes are worth much more than just a buck!

If a 1988 dime shows all of the necessary detail in the horizontal cross bands, it could be worth a ton more — it’s called a Full Bands dime.

1988 Full Bands Dimes

Do you see the flaming torch on the reverse (tail’s side) of the 1988 dime?

Look closer… See those 2 horizontal cross bands — one near the top and another near the bottom?

If the horizontal line inside each of those bands is complete from side to side without interruption, then your 1988 dime could possess what collectors call Full Bands details.

A 1988 Full Bands dime is worth some serious money.

Why? Because complete lines indicate a full strike — which is considerably scarce on the regular-issue Roosevelt dimes that were produced for circulation.

Both the 1988-P dime and the 1988-D dime are rare and valuable with the Full Bands detail!

Check out the record prices for 1988 Full Bands dimes:

• Most valuable 1988-P Full Bands dime: $1,560 (here’s the info)
• Most valuable 1988-D Full Bands dime: $1,080 (see the details)

What about the 1988-S Full Bands dime value?

There’s actually no special Full Bands designation for 1988-S proof dimes — because all proof dimes are supposed to have full details.

Speaking of rare… Here’s a list of Rare U.S. Dimes By Year.

1988 Error Dimes

Some 1988 dime errors are worth well over $100 apiece!

Let’s look at a few such pieces that are worth some real cash money…

• One 1988-P dime with a broadstrike error sold for $103.40 in a 2014 auction!
• Here’s a cool error… A 1988-P dime that was double struck with the second strike 75% off-center! This piece sold for $129.25 in a 2015 auction.
• I’ve talked a lot about off-center errors before, because they’re just so neat — and sometimes quite valuable! That’s the case with this 1988-D dime struck 45% off-center. It sold for $89 in a 2022 auction.
• OK, one more… And I think I saved the best valuable 1988 dime error for last. This 1988-P dime was double struck —with both strikes off center! (One strike is 65% off center and the other is 95% off center — It’s wild!) This 1988 dime error sold for $376 in 2016.

READ NEXT: Tips For Collecting Roosevelt Dimes + Why More People Don’t Collect Dimes