1991-D

Denver delivered 601,241,114 Roosevelt dimes in 1991, the lowest D-mint output since the 1986-D pullback and a sharp 28 percent drop from the 1990-D figure. The reduction reflected the same early-1990s recession that pulled Philadelphia output down that year, with Denver bearing a proportionally larger share of the Federal Reserve order cutback. The D mintmark sat above the date in its established position, the clad sandwich kept the 2.268-gram, 17.91-millimeter cupronickel-on-pure-copper specification, and strike quality across the year held to the clean Denver standard of the period. As a year, 1991 is the second-lowest D-mint production in the 1986-to-1991 stretch and pairs with 1986-D as the bookends of the lower-volume early-decade and recession-era Denver dime output.

Authentication on the 1991-D follows the standard clad-dime checklist: 2.268 grams on a calibrated scale, D mintmark sharp above the date under 10x magnification, and Full Bands evaluation across the central torch. Full Bands, the third-party grading designation that the two parallel torch bands at the midpoint show complete separation, is reasonably available on 1991-D from original Mint sets and bank-wrapped rolls. The FB premium concentrates at MS67 FB and finer where PCGS and NGC population reports thin enough to support registry-grade competition; MS68 FB material sits thin enough to support meaningful condition-rarity premiums at the high end. No major business-strike die varieties carry Cherrypickers attribution at the principal level.

The 1991-D survives in heavy quantity through MS66 and trades at standard type-coin pricing at and below that grade. The condition-rarity tier opens at MS67 FB where PCGS and NGC population reports thin to registry-relevant levels; MS68 FB examples reach four-figure territory at public auction when certified by a major service. The lower production figure relative to other early-1990s D-mint years has not translated into base-grade premiums, since 601 million pieces is still well above any meaningful scarcity threshold for modern clad coinage. Original Mint sets and bank-wrapped rolls remain the practical hunting ground for upgrade-grade material, and the 1991-D pairs with the 1991-P as a matched recession-era Roosevelt date set entry. For Denver's role across the late 1980s and early 1990s, see the Roosevelt Dime series history.