Hey all, I just bought a medal detector and went out on my first hunt. I found a 1968 dime with no s. Its been beat up a bit. i was just wondering if any one can give me some info on this coin. I have done some research but am still uncertain if its the rare 1968. i have attached photos. Thanks for the help.
A little clarity. coins minted in Philadelphia did not get a "P" Mintmark until 1979. The Lincoln Cents still do not get a P mintmark but everything else does. In 1968, proof set production was resumed by the US Mint with the San Francisco Assay Office being the point of manufacture. As a result, every Proof Coin received an "S" Mintmark. However, someone screwed up somewhere in the production of the Proof Dies and forgot to put that Mintmark on the die. The net result was that for the Roosevelt Dime, some of the Proof coins were manufacutred WITHOUT the mintmark and these have a hefty premium associated with them. Newcomers often get confused with these "no mintmark" coins and this particular question gets asked at least once a month. Keep in mind, that a "proof" coin has actual mirror surfaces due to the method used in manufacturing the coin. Not a shiney surface nor a clean surface but an actual reflective mirror surface. If you get a chance, visit a local coin store and look at some "proof" coins. It'll then be crystal clear.
More likely a Philadelphia business strike die accidentally got shipped out with the S marked dies to be polished and was then used to strike proof coins.
Except for 2017, and I'm sure we'll have people showing up asking about the strange P they found on a cent.
