Ron Guth
In 1877, Dime production at the Philadelphia Mint fell by more than four million coins, setting off a downward trend that reached new lows in 1879, 1880, and 1881. Nonetheless, the mintage in 1877 remained substantial at 7,310,000 coins. Numerous Mint State examples exist, mostly in MS63, but also with plenty of representatives at the MS62, MS64 and MS65 levels. Only in grades above MS66 does the 1877 Dime become rare. None have been graded finer than MS67.
As in 1876, this year includes both Type I and Type II reverses. Researcher Gerry Fortin has identified nine different Type I varieties and fifteen different Type II varieties. According to Fortin's list of varieties, only one die pair was used to strike Proofs, and that one was a Type II.
#1 MS67 PCGS grade