1982 Roosevelt Dime Errors: Value Guide & Rare Varieties

In 1982, a Mint worker forgot to punch the "P" mintmark into at least one Philadelphia dime die — accidentally creating one of the most celebrated errors in modern U.S. coinage. To compound the rarity, the Mint also suspended its official Mint Sets that year, sending every 1982 dime directly into circulation and making high-grade survivors genuinely scarce. If you're holding a 1982 dime with no mintmark at all, you may be sitting on something valuable. Use the error guide below, or start with our complete 1982 Roosevelt Dime value guide for baseline pricing.

1982 Roosevelt Dime: Specifications & Mintage

Before hunting errors, know what a standard 1982 dime looks like. These physical specs are your first authentication tool — any coin that falls outside the weight tolerance deserves closer inspection.

For standard pricing by grade and mint on non-error coins, see our full 1982 Roosevelt Dime value guide.

1982 Roosevelt Dime: Quick Error Checks

1982 Roosevelt Dime Errors: Value Table

1982 Roosevelt Dime: Valuable Error Varieties In Depth

1982 "No P" Roosevelt Dime — Strong Strike

Left: Normal 1982-P dime with the P mintmark above the date. Right: Genuine No P dime showing a smooth, clean field where the P is absent.

Origin & Background

Before 1980, Philadelphia dimes carried no mintmark — the absence was the identifier. In 1980 the Mint added a "P" to all Philadelphia coins except the Lincoln cent. Critically, in 1982 mintmarks were still manually punched into individual working dies by hand. At least one die worker skipped the punch step. That die was hardened, installed in a press, and struck thousands of coins that technically reverted to the pre-1980 no-mintmark appearance — now a genuine error. The coins were first identified near Sandusky, Ohio (near Cedar Point) in late December 1982, sparking national attention.

How to Identify (Strong Strike)

• The field (background) where the P should be is smooth, lustrous, and perfectly level with the surrounding area — uninterrupted metal flow lines with no ghosting or pitting.
• Date "1982," the word LIBERTY, and IN GOD WE TRUST are crisp and deeply impressed; Roosevelt's portrait shows good relief.
• Compare directly to a known 1982-P dime under 10× magnification to confirm the P's absence is clean.

False Positives to Avoid

Grease-filled die: The area looks rough, pitted, or blobby, and surrounding details (date, LIBERTY, Roosevelt's forehead) are also weak — grease rarely fills only one letter. Worth $5–$10. Altered coin: Look under magnification for scratch marks, tooling lines, or a bright-spot depression where the P was physically scraped away and polished.

Market Values

• AU50–AU58: $50–$80
• MS60–MS63: $140–$180
• MS64: $225–$250
• MS65: $330–$400
• MS66: $600–$800
• MS67 / MS67+: $1,000–$1,500+
• Full Bands (FB/FT) premium at MS66–MS67: +50–100%

1982 "No P" Roosevelt Dime — Weak Strike

Strong strike (left) with crisp, sharp lettering versus Weak strike (right) showing mushy, flattened peripheral details near the rim.

Origin & Background

Weak-strike specimens are believed to come from the same die as the Strong strikes, but produced much later in that die's service life. After roughly 75,000 strikes, die metal erodes and loses the fine detail needed for crisp impressions — explaining the mushy peripheral lettering. Some numismatists also theorize grease accumulation contributed to the deteriorating appearance over time.

How to Identify

• No P mintmark, but the overall strike shows a general lack of definition — lettering near the rim appears mushy, flattened, or obliterated.
• The mintmark area must still be smooth and clean; a rough or pitted surface indicates a grease error, not a Weak No P.

False Positives to Avoid

The Weak Strike is the hardest No P classification to authenticate because it closely resembles a grease-filled die. If the mintmark area surface is rough or blobby rather than smooth, it is almost certainly a grease error worth only $5–$10. Professional authentication (PCGS or NGC) is especially critical for Weak Strike specimens before any transaction.

1982 Roosevelt Dime — Missing Clad Layer

Missing clad layer error (right) showing the exposed copper core face versus a normal silver-colored dime (left).

Normal dime edge (top) with the copper stripe visible between two nickel layers. Missing clad error (bottom) with one outer layer absent.

Origin & Background

Dimes are made from a clad strip — sheets of copper-nickel bonded under high pressure to a pure copper core. If the bonding fails or the strip is rolled incorrectly, a planchet missing one outer layer enters the coin press. The struck coin looks copper-colored on the affected face but otherwise carries the full Roosevelt dime design at the correct 17.91 mm diameter.

How to Identify

• One face is copper-colored rather than silver-gray. The exposed copper often tones to dark chocolate or red-brown.
• Weigh the coin: a single missing clad layer produces a weight of approximately 1.8–2.0 g versus the standard 2.268 g (tolerance ±0.091 g).
• Inspect the edge — the copper sandwich should have one outer layer visibly absent on the affected side.

False Positives to Avoid

Environmental toning or chemical reactions can darken a coin's surface, but the weight remains normal at ~2.27 g. A coin weighing close to 2.27 g is definitively NOT missing a clad layer. Always use a precision digital scale before claiming this error.

Market Values & Comparable Auction Records

• Typical range: $150–$300
• MS65+: $500–$1,000+

Comparable results: $1,140 for a Roosevelt dime missing clad layer at MS65+ (other date); $129 for a 1981-P Roosevelt dime missing obverse clad layer (PCGS auction data, 2013). For a 1982 example in attractive condition, collectors should expect to pay in the $150–$300 range.

1982 Roosevelt Dime — Off-Center Strike

Off-center strike with roughly 50% displacement. The date '1982' remains visible — essential for maximum collector value.

Origin & Background

Off-center strikes occur when a planchet (blank coin disc) is not properly seated in the coining collar when the dies come together. Metal flows into the die faces but covers only part of the planchet, leaving a crescent-shaped unstruck area. The more off-center the shift, the more visually dramatic — and the more valuable — the coin.

How to Identify

• Both obverse and reverse are shifted in the same direction by the same amount — the hallmark of a true off-center strike.
• A crescent-shaped blank area is visible at the edge.
• The date "1982" must be fully visible for maximum value — an undatable coin is worth significantly less.
• Estimate the percentage: a coin with roughly half its surface unstruck is approximately 50% off-center.

False Positives to Avoid

A Misaligned Die (MAD) error shows only one side off-center while the other is normally centered — very common, worth only $1–$5. Post-mint damage like bent or dryer-damaged coins can produce a shifted appearance but will show deformation marks under magnification.

Market Values

• 10–20% off-center: $10–$30
• 50%+ off-center with full date: $50–$100+

1982 Roosevelt Dime: Common Traps & Pseudo-Errors

These are the most common disappointments for 1982 dime hunters. Each looks promising at first glance but has a simple, non-valuable explanation — and knowing them saves you from paying a premium for a damaged or common coin.

⚠️ Grease-Filled Die (The No P Imposter)

What You See:

A 1982-P dime with no visible P mintmark — or a very faint ghost of one. Under magnification the empty spot looks rough, pitted, or blobby rather than smooth.

Why It Happens:

Machinery lubricants mix with metal dust and accumulate in die recesses. When this sludge plugs the recess of the P on the die, coins strike without a visible mintmark — but the P is still there on the die, just clogged.

How to Tell It's NOT Valuable:

• Surface under the missing P is rough or blobby, not smooth and lustrous
• Surrounding details (date, LIBERTY, Roosevelt's forehead) are also weak — grease spreads beyond one letter
• A genuine No P has a completely uninterrupted clean field; a grease fill does not

Genuine No P (left) with smooth clean field versus grease-filled die (right) showing rough, pitted surface and weak surrounding details.

Value: $5–$10 only.

⚠️ Machine Doubling (Mistaken for a Doubled Die)

What You See:

Letters and numbers that appear doubled — a faint offset second set of digits or letters alongside the primary design.

Why It Happens:

Loose dies rattle slightly during the strike. The die hits the coin, bounces minutely, and smashes the sides of letters flat — creating the illusion of doubling without any true die error.

How to Tell It's NOT Valuable:

• Machine Doubling (MD) looks flat, shelf-like, or stepped — not rounded
• It subtracts from letter width rather than adding a distinct second image at full relief
• There are no major recognized Doubled Die varieties for the 1982 Roosevelt dime — all MD carries zero numismatic premium
• A genuine Doubled Die (DDO/DDR) shows split serifs like a snake's tongue, with secondary images at the same height as the primary design

Machine doubling (left) shows flat, stepped letters. True doubled die (right) shows rounded split serifs at full relief.

Value: No premium above face value.

⚠️ Heat Blisters (Post-Mint Damage)

What You See:

Bubbling, boils, or raised domes on the coin's surface — sometimes covering a large irregular area.

Why It Happens:

Extreme post-mint heat (commercial dryer, fire) causes gas trapped between the copper core and clad layer to expand, pushing the outer layer up into a hollow bubble. Dimes are copper-nickel, not zinc — surface bubbles on dimes are almost exclusively heat damage, not corrosion.

How to Tell Blister from a Genuine Die Cud:

• Heat blisters are hollow — gently pressing may cause them to depress or feel spongy
• Blisters are not connected to the rim and sit in irregular locations on the field
• A genuine Die Cud is solid metal, always connected directly to the rim, and cannot be depressed — caused by an actual piece of the die breaking off

Heat blister (left): hollow bubble not connected to the rim — post-mint damage worth $0. Die Cud (right): solid raised metal at the rim — a genuine mint error worth $10–$50+.

Heat blister value: $0 (damaged). Die Cud value: $10–$50+.

⚠️ Altered Coins (P Mintmark Physically Removed)

What You See:

A 1982 dime with no P mintmark that appears otherwise normal — perhaps with unusually clean-looking fields.

Why It Happens:

Someone physically removes the P from a common 1982-P dime using a tool or abrasive, then polishes the area, attempting to pass it off as the rare No P error to an unsuspecting buyer.

How to Tell It's NOT Genuine:

• Scratch marks, tooling lines, or irregular surface texture in the mintmark zone under 10× magnification
• A bright spot or slight depression where the field dips — removing metal leaves a concave area
• A polished area that disrupts how light reflects across the field compared to surrounding surfaces
• On a genuine No P, the entire field is completely flat and consistent — no surface interruption whatsoever

Under magnification, an altered coin reveals scratch marks and a slight depression where the P mintmark was physically removed and polished.

Value: $0 (altered/damaged coin).

1982 Roosevelt Dime: Grading Guide

Grade is the single biggest driver of a No P dime's value — the difference between MS65 and MS67 can be triple the price. Because no Mint Sets were produced in 1982, virtually every dime entered circulation, making high-grade survivors genuinely rare rather than merely relatively scarce.

Grade	Description	What to Expect on 1982 Dimes
AU50–AU58	About Uncirculated	Slight friction on cheekbone and torch; some luster still visible in protected areas. Most roll-hunt and change finds land here.
MS60–MS63	Uncirculated (baggy)	No wear, but heavy contact marks from bulk canvas-bag handling. This is the typical look for 1982 Mint State coins.
MS64–MS65	Choice / Gem	Fewer marks, strong luster, good eye appeal. The most liquid investment grades. MS65 is genuinely difficult to find for this date.
MS66–MS67	Superb Gem	Exceptional eye appeal, very few marks. True anomalies for 1982. Prices climb exponentially at this level — MS67 can be triple an MS65.

Full Bands (PCGS FB) and Full Torch (NGC FT)

For Roosevelt dimes, the torch on the reverse (back of the coin) is the definitive test of strike sharpness. On the torch design, there are horizontal bands at the top and bottom.

• PCGS Full Bands (FB): The upper and lower pairs of horizontal bands must show complete separation — an unbroken dividing line between each band pair is required.
• NGC Full Torch (FT): A more demanding standard — both pairs of bands must be fully separated AND the vertical lines of the torch itself must be well-defined.
• Why 1982 Is Hard: Dies were often overused in 1982 to cut costs, eroding the fine detail needed to impress crisp band separation. A No P dime with Full Bands status is a rarity within a rarity.
• Value Multiplier: At MS66 and MS67, the FB/FT designation adds 50–100% to the price. An MS67 without FB might be approximately $800, while an MS67 FB can reach $1,300–$1,500+.

Full Bands (left): complete, unbroken separation between the torch band pairs. Not Full Bands (right): bridged, indistinct bands with no clear dividing line.

1982 Roosevelt Dime: Authentication & Certification

1982 Roosevelt Dime Errors: Frequently Asked Questions

1982 Roosevelt Dime: Sources & Methodology

Values in this guide reflect retail market estimates as of September 2025, synthesized from the following primary sources. All external links reference specific authoritative pages, not generic homepages.

• PCGS CoinFacts — 1982 No Mintmark Strong FB (coin #85162) — population data, auction records, variety attribution standard
• NGC — Face Value: 1982 Dimes — price guide, Full Torch designation standards, Strong/Weak classifications
• NGC — Double Dies vs. Machine Doubling — diagnostic guidance for doubling identification
• CoinWeek — A Collector's Guide to the 1982-P Roosevelt Dime — historical context, variety analysis, Sandusky discovery
• CoinWeek — 1982 No P Dime at GreatCollections — $1,080 MS67 FT auction record (May 2023)
• RooseveltDimes.net — 1982 No P Roosevelt Dime — physical specifications, die life estimates, strike classification detail
• Error-Ref.com — Blistered Plating — clad error and heat blister diagnostics

Heritage Auctions realized prices (September 2025) referenced for current market benchmarks. All certified coin values represent PCGS/NGC slabbed examples; raw coins typically sell for less due to authentication uncertainty.