In Donna Pope’s second year as head of the US Mint, people paid more attention to special coins made of gold and silver.
People all over the country paid a lot of attention to the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Before the Games, Congress and people who backed the Olympics came up with a lot of great ideas for events that would happen over more than one year and use more than one coin.
Dave Provost has written a lot of pieces for CoinWeek that break down the Los Angeles Olympics coins from 1983 to 1984.
Don’t waste your time reading these. There were different styles for silver dollars and gold $10 coins, which were the first U.S. gold coins since 1933. In conclusion, the real program could have been much bigger and worse for the new special coin program.
More than one mint made these coins. The gold coins were made with help from the West Point Bullion Depository. For this and other reasons, the Mint put off making its set of Uncirculated coins every year for a second year. This meant that coin fans couldn’t find Mint State copies of all of 1983’s money in one place.
People who buy and sell coins had to go about their business as usual to get coins. In this case, it’s not a wonder that regular coins usually have worse strikes than Uncirculated coins.
Because of this and the fact that the hub design was becoming less strong by 1983, it is not common to find strongly struck 1983 Roosevelt Dimes that have been saved. The okay coin market needs this very much.
How much is a 1983-P Roosevelt dime worth?
The “notional” value of a 1983-P Roosevelt Dime is around $1. The word “notional” is used because a coin dealer probably won’t pay more for used coins than their face value. They probably wouldn’t buy Mint State versions either.
To find the circulated value, we looked at a number of eBay deals from the last year. In Mint State, coins that have been checked by one of the three best grading services cost more than $6 each.
The prices for these change based on the grade and quality of the hit. The most expensive ones are Superb Gems that are rated MS67 or higher.
A coin shop in Erie, Pennsylvania, recently held an auction where they sold some 1983 Roosevelt Dimes and other coins that had been slabbed by NGC. These coins were kept in black core cases with pieces of “mint bags” attached to the labels in a way that makes them look like “game worn jersey” sports cards. Coin fans will find this interesting, but it doesn’t make the coin more valuable.
Modern coin populations that have been checked are too small, say most experts, to really show how rare or common a piece is. But there is a clear difference between the graded 1983-P Roosevelt Dime coins that have and don’t have the important Full Torch mark.
In simple terms, less than 2% of all 1983-P dimes sent in are Roosevelt Dimes with Full Torch. There must be a lot of detail in the straight lines on the back of the torch for something to be Full Torch. During the high-mintage clad era, how sharp the designs were changed from year to year based on the condition of the hubs and dies.
There was something missing from the 1983 Roosevelt Dime wheels. In this case, Roosevelt’s hair is flat, as are the trees and torch on the back. Also, the writing got less clear as the dies got worse, especially LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, E PLURIBUS UNUM, and the date.
Even though it’s not a sure thing that more Full Torch coins won’t come out, it is getting harder to find Mint State rolls that fans have saved and that might have Full Torch coins in them.
The front of the coin has a profile of President Franklin D. Roosevelt facing left that takes up most of the room. The word “LIBERTY” is written inside the smooth edge in front of Roosevelt’s face. Below the chin is the saying “IN GOD WE TRUST” written in smaller letters.
The number 1983 is squished into the space inside the rim and below where the neck is cut off. It is to the right of the designer’s initials, JS, which are just below the neckline and lined up parallel to it. The mintmark P is at the back of Roosevelt’s head, between the date and the end of his neck.
Backwards:
The back of the coin has the words “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and the amount “ONE DIME” written all the way around the smooth edge. Between the two lines, there are dots in the middle of them. In the middle of the picture is a torch that is on fire.
Also See: The 1976 Bicentennial Quarters: Are They Worth More Than Face Value?
There is an oak branch on the right and an olive branch on the left. The words “E PLURIBUS UNUM” are written in a horizontal line across the base of the torch and both branches. There are dots between the three Latin words to make them stand out.
1983-P Roosevelt Dime Coin Specifications
| Country: | United States of America |
| Year of Issue: | 1983 |
| Denomination: | 10 Cents (USD) |
| Mintmark: | P (Philadelphia) |
| Mintage: | 647,025,000 |
| Alloy: | .750 copper, .250 nickel |
| Weight: | 2.27 g |
| Diameter: | 17.90 mm |
| Edge: | Reeded |
| OBV Designer: | John R. Sinnock |
| REV Designer: | John R. Sinnock |
| Quality: | Business Strike |
