1997-D

Denver delivered 979,810,000 Roosevelt dimes in 1997, a measured step down from the 1.4-billion-piece 1996-D figure and the first sub-billion Denver dime output since 1993. The 1997-D and 1997-P came in within roughly twelve million pieces of each other, producing one of the most balanced P-D allocations of the modern Roosevelt run. The D mintmark sat above the date in its established position, the clad sandwich kept the 2.268-gram, 17.91-millimeter cupronickel-on-copper specification, and strike quality across the year ran clean on most working presses with no documented die-break or hub-anomaly issues at the principal level.

Authentication on the 1997-D follows the routine clad-dime workflow: 2.268 grams on a calibrated scale, D mintmark sharp above the date under 10x magnification, and Full Bands evaluation across the two parallel bands at the torch midpoint. Full Bands, the grading designation that the two central torch bands show complete separation, is reasonably available on 1997-D from original Mint sets and bank-wrapped rolls because Denver's strike quality across the year held up. The FB premium concentrates at MS67 FB and finer where PCGS and NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company, population reports thin to registry-relevant levels. The date carries no recognized RPM or doubled-die premium variety at Cherrypickers' principal listing.

The 1997-D circulates in heavy quantity at every base grade and trades at standard type-coin pricing through MS66. The condition-rarity tier opens at MS67 FB where the certified population thins enough to support genuine premiums, and MS68 FB examples reach low four-figure territory at public auction when certified by a major service. Original Mint sets and bank-wrapped rolls remain the practical hunting ground for upgrade-grade material; the bulk of just under a billion pieces entered circulation rather than collector hands. The 1997-D classifies as regular at every tier, and collector interest concentrates on FB designations and registry-set competition rather than on date scarcity. For Denver's mid-1990s output trend and the broader modern Roosevelt context, see the Roosevelt Dime series history.