1964 Dime Pattern - RB-2035, INCO

Coin Details

Description

The final entry in the INCO experimental clad dime series, RB-2035 represents the last dime-denomination composition tested in the RB-2000 sequence. As the highest-numbered dime pattern in the series, this piece may embody the most refined formulation that INCO's metallurgists developed specifically for the thin, small-diameter dime planchet. The progression from RB-2000 to RB-2035 encompassed at least seven distinct alloy compositions, each evaluated for its suitability as a silver replacement in the ten-cent denomination. The ultimate success of the copper-nickel clad composition adopted under the Coinage Act of 1965 validated INCO's fundamental approach — the company's experimental series demonstrated that a properly engineered clad alloy could replicate the critical functional properties of silver coinage while costing a fraction of the price. The Roosevelt dime became the first U.S. coin struck in the new clad composition when production began in late 1965, making these 1964-dated experimental pieces the direct ancestors of every clad dime struck since. RB-2035 thus occupies an important position as one of the final experimental steps before the transition from laboratory testing to mass production, documenting the culmination of INCO's dime-specific alloy development program.

Rarity Notes

R-7 to R-8. As the terminal entry in the dime series, production quantities was especially limited. Specimens are significant both numismatically and as artifacts of industrial metallurgy.

Cross References

RB-2035 (Robinson-Breen catalog). INCO/Medallic Art Company experimental clad coinage program, 1964. Final entry in the RB-2000 dime test series.