1996-W Roosevelt Dime

The 1996-W dime was struck to mark the 50th anniversary of the Roosevelt dime design and is notable for carrying the 'W' mintmark of the West Point Mint, which does not normally strike circulating dimes. It was never placed into circulation and was instead packaged exclusively inside that year's official US Mint Uncirculated Coin Sets.

Because it was a one-time commemorative inclusion rather than a regular-issue coin, the 1996-W has become a popular target for collectors wanting a modern dime with genuine, limited-purpose mint significance.

In 1996, the US Mint celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Roosevelt dime by producing a special West Point strike and adding it to that year's uncirculated mint set as a bonus coin, alongside the regular Philadelphia and Denver dimes normally included. It was sold only as part of the set and was not available separately or through circulation.

The idea mirrored other special mint-set inclusions the Mint has occasionally used to boost interest in annual set sales, giving collectors an accessible but genuinely limited modern coin.

The design is identical to the standard clad Roosevelt dime: Roosevelt's portrait facing left on the obverse with LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST, and a torch between olive and oak branches on the reverse with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and ONE DIME.

The distinguishing feature is the 'W' mintmark on the reverse, to the left of the torch, rather than the 'P' or 'D' used on regular circulation dimes of that year. The coin is standard copper-nickel clad composition, not silver, with a reeded edge and the usual 17.9mm diameter.

Because it was only distributed inside uncirculated mint sets rather than through circulation, the 1996-W has a mintage far smaller than a typical annual dime issue, though it is not considered rare in an absolute sense since a meaningful number of sets were sold. Individually extracted, problem-free examples trade at a modest but reliable premium over face value, with the premium rising for coins graded in top uncirculated condition.

Value is driven mainly by its status as a one-year special issue rather than by true scarcity, so it remains an affordable entry point for collectors interested in modern mintmark varieties.