Here are the 10 rarest Roosevelt dimes that exhibit Full Torch or Full Bands according to NGC and PCGS. REPOSTED TO ADD TO MESSAGE BOARDS

I am back and forth on how I feel about the Full Torch and Full Band Designations. On one hand, I think these designations can give a buyer a little more confidence that the Roosevelt dime they are purchasing has a good strike -- even though I have seen enough dimes with just average to below average strikes with all of their torch lines clear, well-defined, and uninterrupted. It is rare, but they do exist.

On the other hand, I feel that the FT and FB designations are given out way too generously. If there is even a shred of doubt that any of the vertical lines or either band lines are not clearly defined or interrupted by contact marks, I do not think a dime should receive a FT or FB designation. "Well...maybe" does not cut it for me.

It is important to note, however, that PCGS does not mention the vertical lines at all in their official definition of what constitutes FB. The company says, "The PCGS "Full Bands" designation for Roosevelts requires that both the upper and lower pair of bands on the torch be distinct and show full separation. The line dividing the bands must be complete and unbroken." *

Meanwhile, NGC does include the vertical lines in their official definition. They say, "The designation FT for Full Torch will be applied to Roosevelt Dimes having both upper and lower pair of horizontal bands split as well as the vertical lines of the torch being defined." **

Neither official definition, however, makes any mention of contact marks interrupting the continuity of vertical lines. But, as I said, my opinion is that Roosevelt dimes should not receive FT or FB designations if they have any contact marks through any of the vertical lines.

My strategy when looking for a full torch is to use a 10X power loupe to evaluate the lines, instead of a 16X or 20X power loupe that I would normally use to examine a dime. I figure that if I am confident that all of the torch lines are present and uninterrupted using a less powerful loupe, I am comfortable using the Full Torch label.

But all this is just my opinion. The third-party coin graders are going to do whatever they want. With that said, below are lists of the rarest Roosevelt dimes with full torch lines according to NGC's and PCGS' population reports as of 12/13. The populations below include all MS grades with FT or FB designations from each grading company.

___________NGC ___________________PCGS________

___Year/Mint ~ Total Pop.______Year/Mint ~ Total Pop.____

___1949-S______34__________1949-S______56_______

___1958-P______39__________1958-P______82_______

___1961-P______44__________1953-P______100______

___1957-P______48__________1949-P______106______

___1955-P______57__________1957-P______108______

___1953-P______59__________1963-P______110______

___1963-P______64__________1961-P______111______

___1949-P______65__________1963-D______128______

___1956-P______81__________1956-P______134______

___1963-D______85__________1955-P______135______

Clearly, the 1949-S is the rarest Roosevelt dime with full split bands according to NGC and PCGS. As the key date in the series, this is not surprising.

The 1955 P was actually the lowest mintage for the silver Roosevelt dime series. But the data above supports the long held belief that collectors hoarded 1955 Roosevelts due to low mintage and the fact that 1955 was the last year business-struck Roosevelts were minted in San Francisco.

I have heard that the 1955 dimes were only available through mint sets. However, the data that I have found does not support this. According to MintSetGuide.com, there were only 49,656 business-struck mint sets produced in 1955. (I was unable to find mint set production figures on the U.S. Mint's website, but I am 99% confident that the data from MintSetGuide.com is correct.) Here are the total production figures for comparison:

Year/Mint ~ Total Production

1955-P______12,450,181

1949-S______13,510,000

1955-D______13,959,000

1955-S______18,510,000

In conclusion, I think there should be an industry-wide standard for FT and FB designations on Roosevelt dimes. And I would personally like this standard to be much stricter than current definitions by NGC and PCGS. But alas, I am only one voice among millions.

Regards,

Mr. Smith Guesser

Further Reading:

Roosevelt Dime Attributions: NGC Full Torch "FT" vs. PCGS Full Bands "FB", by Michael Bugeja, CoinUpdate.com, April 16, 2010: http://news.coinupdate.com/roosevelt-dime-ngc-full-torch-ft-vs-pcgs-full-bands-fb-0236/

Has 1955 Roosevelt Dime Price Settled?;, by Paul M. Green, Numismatic News, April 09, 2010: http://numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ArticleId=10023

References:

* http://www.pcgs.com/News/Pcgs-To-Add-Full-Bands-Designation-For-Roosevelt-Dimes

** http://www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?NewsletterNewsArticleID=426

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