1964 Dime Pattern - P-5335, INCO

Coin Details

Description

An experimental clad dime pattern cataloged by Andrew Pollock as P-5335, struck using standard Roosevelt dime dies on an experimental alloy planchet produced by the International Nickel Company (INCO) at their facilities in cooperation with the Medallic Art Company. This piece belongs to the extensive series of test strikes commissioned by the United States Treasury Department during 1964 as part of a crash program to identify viable replacements for the traditional 90% silver alloy used in American dimes, quarters, and half dollars. The global silver shortage of the early 1960s had driven the metal's market price toward the point where the bullion value of silver coins would exceed their face value, threatening to drive them from circulation entirely. President Lyndon Johnson established the Treasury Silver Study in 1964 to evaluate alternative compositions, and INCO — already the world's leading producer of nickel and a major supplier of coinage alloys to foreign mints — became a central participant. This Pollock-numbered piece represents one of the specific alloy formulations tested on Roosevelt dime dies, allowing Treasury officials to evaluate how the experimental composition performed under striking pressure, how it wore, and whether its electromagnetic signature would be compatible with existing vending machine mechanisms. The Pollock catalog number places this within the broader framework of modern U.S. pattern coinage documentation.

Rarity Notes

R-7. INCO experimental patterns were produced in extremely limited quantities for Treasury evaluation purposes and were never intended for public distribution. Surviving specimens are institutional rarities that only occasionally appear on the numismatic market.

Cross References

Pollock P-5335. Part of the INCO/Medallic Art Company experimental clad coinage program for the U.S. Treasury, 1964.