Valuable 1982 Dimes Found Locally

SELLERSVILLE, Pa. -- Dimes bearing the face of Franklin Roosevelt but missing a vital mintmark – the erroneously made 1982 coins could be worth $1,000 each – have been found in Bucks County.

“I currently do not own any, but quite a few people in Bucks County have come across them,” said Michael Leven, owner, Bucks County Rare Coin in Sellersville, noting about 150,000 total had been struck at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. “It is a very niche market of collectors who are interested in them. Being so close to the Philadelphia mint, plenty have been discovered in Bucks County.”

The dimes are worth more than their face value, he said.

“Most of the dimes would be valued sub $100 if picked out of circulation today,” said Leven. “But up to $1,000 if it was a superb gem uncirculated.”

He said a coin dealer found more than 1,500 of them.

Said Leven: “As more are found, the market will slowly dilute.”

Word went out earlier this month about the series of dimes missing a small P to the right of the dime’s date, and authorities indicated that a good number of No-P Dimes are still in circulation.

“The internet can be very misleading on real world coin values,” said Leven. “I’ve seen these coins sell for upwards of $1,000. It would have to be a certified superb gem. If a 1982 dime was found today, I’d expected it to have significant wear. Which could bring the value down to sub $100. Still quite a valuable find.”

The Philadelphia mint in 1982 produced the small quantity of dimes without a mintmark, the first such error to occur on a coin made for circulation. The cause, it was learned, was the fault of a Mint employee who failed to add the mintmark to an obverse die. Mint employees traditionally punch the mintmark into working dies, which are then inspected for any flaws or omissions. In this case, the omission went unnoticed and thousands of the dime escaped the Mint and went into circulation.

(Have you checked your pockets and coin jar?)

Check your change for a 1982 dime.Photo byPiggyBankonUnsplash