PCGS still falsely grades coins as "first strikes" (NGC has since changed their practice and terminology to read "first releases"). 

PCGS FIRST STRIKE COINS ARE NOT FIRST STRIKES!

As a collector, dealer, and numismatic enthusiast, I have seen my share of scams, hypes, and mass hysteria in the coin industry.  We need look no further than the new Washington dollar to find dozens of examples of this.  Perhaps most shocking today is that one of the most if not the most "respected" third party grading services (TPG's), PCGS (the same company that grades baseball cards under PSA), still erroneously grades coins as "first strikes".  More disheartening, is that if you look at recent sales data for these coins with this designation, they are selling for huge premiums above their non first-strike counterparts.  A premium that is entirely built by fraud, deception, and unscrupulous labeling practices by PCGS. 

First, let me delve into why collectors might be interested in "first strikes".

1. In the olden days (prior to modern technological advances), coins were minted with dies until the die literally and figuratively "gave out", thus coins minted at the beginning of the process were more clearly struck and had much better eye appeal than coins struck with worn dies later in the process.  THIS IS NO LONGER TRUE TODAY.  The US mint constantly changes their dies throughout the minting process, so that coins minted near the end of the run are just as beautiful as those minted at the very beginning.
2. Collectors want the very first coins issued in a series, for a date, or for an issue.  This is entirely reasonable, however, the US mint does not track or inventory which coins are struck first, or which coins are struck last.  You might be surprised to know that every single Washington dollar was already minted at the time of their release to the public--and this is true for most US mint issues.  Therefore, the public and the third party grading services have absolutely no idea which coins were struck first or last, and the shipping date on a label, box, or roll means absolutely nothing.  That is the release date, NOT the striking date!
3. Collectors assembling "first strike" sets, either for their own collection or for a registry set will want to continue to acquire "first strike" coins to complete their sets, regardless if the first strike designation means anything or not.
4. Dealers, realizing the public's misconception regarding first strike labels, purchase these in bulk and get them graded with the designation with the hopes of profiting on YOUR ignorance.  They know people pay premiums for these, and they are taking advantage of it, at your expense of course.

Does the US Mint ever release official "first strikes"?

YES!

For example, on April 4th, the US mint released a limited 50,000 production run of the Washington dollar FIRST DAY ISSUE COVERS.  These covers contain coins minted on the very first day of production.  These first day issues are the only genuine way to obtain legitimate "first strike" Washington dollars.  The US mint issued similar first day covers for the nickels and state quarter series.  Sadly, companies like PCGS will not designate these as "first strikes" unless you submit them in bulk quantity, 200 coins per submission!  Essentially, PCGS does not care what a coin is, they only care about what they LIE and say it is, based on how much business you generate for them!  This is a scandal of heavenly proportions, but nobody dares rock the boat.  Why?  Because collectors want to believe this myth, especially those that have already WASTED their hard earned money on these coins, and continue to waste more.  Dealers need this myth because they profit exponentially on these bogus "first strike" designations.  The only way to obtain a genuine first strike coin is when the US Mint officially releases one!  And they have, with first day covers.  If you are interested in purchasing plastic holders (PCGS slabbed pedigrees), then ignore this fact.  If you are interested in numismatics and coins, then toss your "first strike" PCGS slabs into the garbage and save yourself some money and buy a legitimate first strike coin directly from the mint.

Here is what the US Mint has to say about slabbed "first strike" coins--the US mint is the last word on the subject!

"The United States Mint has received inquiries from consumers regarding use of the term "first strike." The term has appeared in connection with the advertising and grading of 2005 and 2006 silver, gold, and platinum proof and bullion American Eagle Coins, and the new 2006 24-karat proof and bullion American Buffalo Gold Coins. Currently, there is no widely-accepted and standardized numismatic industry definition of "first strike." Coin dealers and grading services may use this term in varying ways. Some base its use on dates appearing on United States Mint product packaging or packing slips, or on the dates of product releases or ceremonial coin strike events. Consumers should carefully review the following information along with each dealer’s or grading service’s definition of "first strike" when considering a purchase of coins with this designation.

The United States Mint has not designated any 2005 or 2006 American Eagle Coins or 2006 American Buffalo Coins as "first strikes," nor do we track the order in which we mint such coins during their production. The United States Mint held a launch ceremony for the 2006 American Buffalo Gold Coin on June 20, 2006, two days before its release on June 22, at which two proof coins and two uncirculated coins were ceremonially struck. However, those coins were not individually identified and were put in regular inventory after the ceremony. The United States Mint did not hold any striking ceremonies for the 2005 or 2006 American Eagle Coins.

The United States Mint strives to produce coins of consistently high quality throughout the course of production. Our strict quality controls assure that coins of this caliber are produced from each die set throughout its useful life. Our manufacturing facilities use a die set as long as the quality of resulting coins meets United States Mint standards, and then replace the dies, continually changing sets throughout the production process. For bullion American Eagle and American Buffalo Coins, the United States Mint makes an average of about 6,000 coins from one die set. For proof versions of the 2006 American Buffalo Coins, the yield is an average of about 1,500 coins per die set. For proof versions of the American Eagle Coins, the yield is an average of about 300-500 coins per die set. This means that coins may be minted from new die sets at any point and at multiple times while production of a coin is ongoing, not just the first day or at the beginning of production. To put this in context, in 2005 the United States Mint produced approximately 356,500 one-ounce gold, 8,891,000 silver, and 6,300 one-ounce platinum American Eagle Bullion Coins.

American Eagle and American Buffalo Coins are not individually numbered and the United States Mint does not keep track of the order or date of minting of individual bullion or proof coins. The United States Mint begins production several weeks before these coins are scheduled to be released. By the release dates for 2005 and 2006 bullion coins, the United States Mint had already minted approximately 50% of the projected sales numbers for these coins. Any dates on shipping boxes containing uncirculated bullion coins sent to Authorized Purchasers are strictly for quality control and accounting purposes at the United States Mint at West Point. The date on the box represents the date that the box was packed, verified as 500 ounces and sealed, and the date of packaging does not necessarily correlate with the date of manufacture. The date on shipping labels and packing slips for proof coins, which are sent directly to United States Mint customers from our fulfillment center, is the date the item was packed and shipped by the fulfillment center. The other numbers on the shipping label and packing slip are used to track the order and for quality control."