The 1982 Dime Value Guide: From Face Value to $2,185

The 1982 No P Strong dime stands as the first business-strike coin ever accidentally released from the U.S. Mint without its intended mint mark. Beginning in 1980, Philadelphia dimes carried a "P" — but in 1982, one obverse die escaped the punching station without it. The omission was not caught during quality inspection, and the die entered production.

Visually, the Strong variety is distinguished by a sharp, fully formed strike with a clear and measurable gap between the final "2" of the date and the coin's inner rim. Collector Clyde Englehardt — who handled more than 1,500 examples — confirmed the coins are physically thicker than normal dimes: only 47 to 48 fit in a standard 50-coin tube, compared to the usual 50 or 51 weakly struck examples.

Strong strikes can qualify for the Full Bands (PCGS) or Full Torch (NGC) designation when the torch's horizontal bands show complete, unbroken separation — a combination that commands the highest premiums. The record auction price for this variety is $2,185 for a PCGS MS-68 example sold at Heritage Auctions in May 2004, the highest price ever achieved by any 1982 Roosevelt dime. Approximately 8,000 to 10,000 Strong-strike examples were discovered near Sandusky, Ohio, where they had circulated through Cedar Point Amusement Park.

The Weak variety shares its missing mint mark with the Strong, but was produced under very different conditions. Experts believe it was the earlier of the two error varieties: a mint employee may have noticed the softly struck coins and increased striking pressure, accidentally producing the sharper Strong variety in the process. The Weak variety originates from an over-polished or insufficiently pressurized die.

The defining diagnostic of the Weak variety is its characteristically soft, "mushy" date, particularly the final "2," which sits so close to the rim it appears to partially merge with it. Outer design elements — the torch flame, oak leaves, and peripheral lettering — show reduced definition. Because the die could not impart enough pressure to form the torch bands, Weak-strike examples can never qualify for the Full Bands or Full Torch designation.

Despite trading at a discount to the Strong variety, the Weak strike carries remarkable scarcity in high grades: only one example has ever been graded MS-67 by any major grading service, making gem specimens extraordinarily rare. A hoard of 3,000 to 5,000 Weak-strike examples was traced to Pittsburgh in August 1983, distributed through the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Additional pieces later surfaced in the Boston area. The variety is designated FS-502 in the Cherrypickers' Guide.

The 1982-P Full Bands variety is not a mint error but a strike-quality designation that dramatically elevates value. Philadelphia produced 519,475,000 dimes in 1982, yet the absence of official Mint Sets — a cost-cutting decision that year — means pristine gem examples had to survive decades in bank rolls or dealer hoards rather than being preserved in protective government packaging.

The Full Bands designation (called Full Torch by NGC) requires complete, unbroken separation of the horizontal bands crossing the torch's handle on the reverse. These bands are the first area to show weakness on an under-struck die, making fully struck examples genuinely rare among the millions produced. Grading service population reports show that coins in MS-67 Full Bands grade are dramatically scarcer than MS-67 standard examples.

The record for a 1982-P Full Bands dime is $1,499.42 for a PCGS MS-67+FB example sold on eBay in September 2018. Heritage Auctions sold a PCGS MS-67FB for $720 in 2024. Standard MS-66 with Full Bands typically brings $47 to $75, while the Full Bands premium at MS-67 can multiply the standard coin's value by five or more. Collectors targeting the 1982-P in high grade should prioritize certified FB or FT examples.

The 1982-D Full Torch variety surprises many collectors who assume Denver dimes from this era are as common as their Philadelphia counterparts. While 542,713,584 Denver dimes were struck — the highest mintage of the three 1982 issues — the same conditional scarcity created by the missing Mint Sets applies here: gem pieces had to be saved from circulation rather than preserved in government packaging.

Dealers deliberately accumulated 1982-D rolls in the early 1980s, aware that the absence of Mint Sets made these coins future conditional rarities. This intentional hoarding gave the 1982-D a slight survival advantage over the 1982-P at the MS-65 to MS-66 level, but in MS-67 Full Torch or MS-68 Full Torch grades the Denver coin becomes extraordinarily scarce. The Greysheet CPG lists the 1982-D MS Full Torch at up to $3,750, representing Greysheet's top-tier estimate for this issue.

The record auction for a 1982-D Full Torch dime is $1,410 for a PCGS MS-67 FB at Heritage Auctions in April 2014. An NGC MS-68 FT example set a later record of $1,140 at Heritage in August 2018. A second MS-68 FT sold for $513 in 2023. The NGC population for MS-68 FT is extremely thin, making this the premier "sleeper" in the 1982 Roosevelt dime series for advanced registry-set collectors.

The 1982-S Proof dime was struck exclusively at the San Francisco Mint for inclusion in 1982 Proof Sets — none were ever released into circulation. San Francisco produced 3,857,479 proof dimes that year using specially polished dies and carefully selected planchets, resulting in the sharp contrast between frosted design devices and mirror-like background fields that defines the proof finish.

The most desirable examples carry the Deep Cameo (DCAM) designation from PCGS or Ultra Cameo (UCAM) from NGC, indicating a strong contrast ratio between the frosted portrait, torch, and branches and the brilliant mirror fields. By 1982, the Deep Cameo appearance had become relatively consistent on San Francisco proofs, meaning a high percentage of 1982-S dimes qualify — but the finest examples at PR-70 remain elusive and command the highest prices.

Values for 1982-S proof dimes range from about $3 at the PR-60 end to roughly $20 to $30 for gem Deep Cameo examples in top grades. A PCGS PR-70 standard (non-Deep Cameo) sold for $90 in November 2022. Survival rate is approximately 81%, reflecting the careful handling collectors typically give proof sets. The 1982-S is an accessible entry point into proof Roosevelt dime collecting, with most specimens readily available from dealers and auction platforms.