1887

Philadelphia delivered 11,283,939 dimes in 1887, the highest single-year output of the closing decade for the parent mint and the second-largest Philadelphia run of the entire Seated Liberty Dime series. The figure reflects the recovery in working-stock demand that had built across the 1880s after the Specie Resumption Act took effect, and it gave the parent mint its biggest delivery year between the 1860 obverse transition and the 1892 Barber redesign. The same-year San Francisco 1887-S contributed an additional 4,454,450 pieces, pushing the combined dime output for the year well above any previous post-1875 year. The coin is a Legend, No Arrows issue under the 1873 weight standard of 2.50 grams, with no mintmark on the reverse and wreath placement unchanged from the 1860 obverse layout.

Strike characteristics on the year follow the standardized late-Legend Philadelphia pattern, with full head detail on Liberty, sharp shield rivets, complete wreath veining on the reverse, and even rim definition. Survival is very broad. Most examples cluster through Very Fine and Extremely Fine, where the coin did its working life through the 1890s and into the early 20th century alongside the Barber dimes that replaced the design, and About Uncirculated coins are available at routine intervals. Mint State examples surface in genuine quantity through MS-64, with MS-65 a common enough grade for collectors and MS-66 and above the realistic ceiling for routine purchase. The high mintage means the coin is a low-cost circulated fill even by Seated standards, and the date functions as the workhorse Philadelphia anchor for the late 1880s. Authentication is straightforward: the 2.50-gram weight, 17.9-millimeter reeded edge, and absence of any mintmark on the reverse confirm the Philadelphia origin.

For a date-and-mint Seated Dime set, the 1887 is the cheapest single fill in the closing decade and a comfortable Mint State target through MS-65 with original surfaces. The Regular classification fits the issue accurately, and collectors focused on the 1880s Philadelphia sub-run will find the date routine at any grade. The contrast with the same-year 1887-S, which despite its 4.45-million-piece run trades at a meaningful premium because S-mint demand from set-completion buyers exceeds the supply, is the recurring branch-mint price lesson of the closing decade. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the 1892 Barber Dime transition, and the series' production arc, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.