1982 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1982

Rising copper prices led the Mint to change the cent from 95% copper to copper-plated zinc partway through 1982, so cents of this year come in both compositions and two date sizes.

How many coins were made in 1982

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 19,458,707,386 coins dated 1982 across 10 issues. That is 18% more than in 1981 (16,520,790,029). In 1983 the figure fell to 18,053,002,618.

No earlier year on our list comes close: it was the largest output up to that point.

By mint: Philadelphia 12,036,105,000 (62%, up from 9,460,164,000) and Denver 7,422,602,386 (38%, up from 7,057,134,029).

1982 coins by denomination

Cents: 16,725,504,368 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Lincoln Memorial Cent, up 30% on 1981. The scarcest is the 1982-D (6,012,979,368) and the most plentiful the 1982 (10,712,525,000).

Nickels: 666,081,544 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Jefferson Nickel, down 35% on 1981. The scarcest is the 1982-P (292,355,000) and the most plentiful the 1982-D (373,726,544).

Dimes: 1,062,188,584 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Roosevelt Dime, down 24% on 1981. The scarcest is the 1982-P (519,475,000) and the most plentiful the 1982-D (542,713,584).

Quarters: 980,973,788 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Washington Quarter, down 17% on 1981. The scarcest is the 1982-D (480,042,788) and the most plentiful the 1982-P (500,931,000).

Half Dollars: 23,959,102 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Kennedy Half Dollar, down 58% on 1981. The scarcest is the 1982-P (10,819,000) and the most plentiful the 1982-D (13,140,102).

Every 1982 circulation issue at a glance

• 1982-P Kennedy Half Dollar: 10,819,000 struck, 48th lowest of 116 in the series, down from 29,544,000 in 1981.
• 1982-D Kennedy Half Dollar: 13,140,102 struck, 53rd lowest of 116 in the series, down from 27,839,533 in 1981.
• 1982-P Jefferson Nickel: 292,355,000 struck, more than 57% of the series' 146 issues, down from 657,504,000 in 1981.
• 1982-D Jefferson Nickel: 373,726,544 struck, more than 63% of the series' 146 issues, similar to 1981.
• 1982-D Washington Quarter: 480,042,788 struck, more than 69% of the series' 144 issues, similar to 1981.
• 1982-P Washington Quarter: 500,931,000 struck, more than 71% of the series' 144 issues, similar to 1981.
• 1982-P Roosevelt Dime: 519,475,000 struck, 71st lowest of 168 in the series, down from 676,650,000 in 1981, a famous date.
• 1982-D Roosevelt Dime: 542,713,584 struck, 73rd lowest of 168 in the series, down from 712,284,143 in 1981.
• 1982-D Lincoln Memorial Cent: 6,012,979,368 struck, more than 83% of the series' 104 issues, similar to 1981.
• 1982 Lincoln Memorial Cent: 10,712,525,000 struck, the highest mintage of the series, up from 7,491,750,000 in 1981, a famous date.

Lincoln Memorial Cent: Aluminum trials, West Point and the zinc switch

Rising copper costs led the Mint to strike about 1.5 million aluminum cents dated 1974 as a test. Congress did not approve them. Nearly all were melted, though a few left the Mint and are not legal to own. Meanwhile, demand kept growing. The West Point facility struck billions of cents in these years with no mint mark, making them indistinguishable from Philadelphia coins.

Proofs struck at San Francisco show Filled S and Clear S varieties in 1979 and 1981. The clear S is the scarcer. In 1982 the Mint changed to copper-plated zinc, lowering the weight from 3.11 grams to 2.5 grams. That year has seven major varieties combining metal (bronze or zinc), date size (large or small) and mint (Philadelphia or Denver). A scale is the easiest way to tell bronze from zinc for 1982.

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Jefferson Nickel: The P mint mark and high output

In 1980 Philadelphia began placing a P on its nickels, the first time since the wartime silver years. The mint mark has been used ever since. Output ranged from a few hundred million to nearly 900 million at each mint, with Philadelphia's 1982 figure of 292 million among the lowest of the decade. San Francisco proofs continued every year. Prestige proof sets from 1983 onward included the nickel.

Collectors grade these coins by how many of Monticello's steps are complete. On dates struck with tired dies a full steps coin can be hard to find. Most coins from this era are common and found in uncirculated condition in rolls and mint sets. Errors such as off center strikes, clipped planchets and struck through debris are popular finds from this high volume period.

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Roosevelt Dime: Mint marks move above the date

In 1968 the mint mark moved to the obverse just above the date. San Francisco began striking proof dimes for collectors the same year. A few proof dies left the Mint without the S, creating the rare no-S proofs dated 1968, 1970, 1975 and 1983. The 1975 is one of the great modern rarities with only two examples known. Proof sets of 1979 and 1981 show two mint mark styles: a filled Type 1 S and a clearer Type 2 S that is scarcer.

Philadelphia added a P mint mark to the dime in 1980. Two years later a Philadelphia die missing its P reached circulation. The 1982 no-P dime became one of the most popular modern errors. Business strike mintages stayed in the hundreds of millions per mint and passed one billion at Philadelphia in 1988. Dimes from these years turn up in change constantly. Only well-struck uncirculated pieces, proof varieties and errors draw real collector interest.

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Washington Quarter: The eagle returns before the state quarters

The eagle reverse came back in 1977. From 1977 to 1979 the West Point facility struck quarters for circulation without any mint mark, so they cannot be told apart from Philadelphia coins. A P mint mark first appeared on quarters in 1980. From then on every circulating quarter shows the mint that struck it.

Mintages of 1982 and 1983 were large, but the Mint issued no uncirculated sets in those years, so few were saved. Well-preserved examples of both years are hard to find. Silver proofs in 90 percent silver returned in 1992 alongside the clad proofs. Mintages climbed past one billion at Denver in 1995. The 1998 quarter was the last with Flanagan's eagle reverse. In 1999 the 50 State Quarters program replaced it with rotating designs.

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Kennedy Half Dollar: Eagle reverse and dwindling demand

The eagle reverse returned in 1977. Halves saw little use in commerce and mintages fell into the tens of millions, then lower. The 1982 Philadelphia issue includes a variety missing Gasparro's FG initials from the reverse. In 1987 no halves were made for circulation; the 2,890,758 coins from each mint went only into uncirculated sets.

Silver proofs in 90 percent silver returned in 1992. A 1998-S matte finish silver half, 64,141 struck, was sold in a set honoring Robert F. Kennedy and is one of the scarcest modern Kennedys. Circulation strikes of this period often show bag marks from handling in large bags. Well-preserved examples of the low mintage dates, such as 1987, are worth seeking. The 1999 Philadelphia run of 8.9 million was also small.

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