1888-S

San Francisco struck 1,720,000 dimes in 1888, the second-largest S-mint dime delivery of the closing decade behind the 4,454,450-piece 1887-S that preceded it. The figure sits well above the three S-mint Key years of 1884-86 (564,969, 43,690, and 206,524 pieces respectively) and marks the second consecutive year of routine-volume branch output after the bullion-driven contractions of the early 1880s. The coin is a Legend, No Arrows issue under the 1873 weight standard of 2.50 grams, with the S mintmark inside the wreath on the reverse, below the bow, in the standard placement used continuously across the post-1856 San Francisco dime program. The same-year Philadelphia 1888 at 5,496,487 pieces is the higher-volume parent-mint counterpart.

Strike quality on the year runs at the standard branch-mint baseline of the late series, with most examples showing reasonable central detail on Liberty's head and the upper shield, and clean wreath veining on the reverse. Survivors cluster through Very Fine and Extremely Fine, where the coin did its working life on the West Coast through the late 1880s and 1890s, with About Uncirculated examples available at routine intervals and Mint State coins present in usable quantity through MS-63 and MS-64. MS-65 is the realistic upper tier for collectors, and the higher MS grades thin out in the way typical of working-issue branch dimes of this period. Authentication relies on the 2.50-gram weight, 17.9-millimeter reeded edge, and the S mintmark placement and shape; counterfeits exist (an S added to a Philadelphia 1888), but the modest premium over the parent mint dampens fraud pressure compared with the 1884-86 S-mint Keys.

For a date-and-mint Seated Dime set, the 1888-S is one of the easier S-mint fills of the closing decade, with circulated examples through Very Fine routinely available and Mint State coins reachable at moderate cost. The Regular classification fits the issue accurately. A small premium over the parallel Philadelphia 1888 persists in the market from set-completion demand that runs broader than the 1.72-million-piece figure might suggest, but the date does not approach the Key tier and trades comfortably for collectors with no special budget constraints. 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.