What does it take to get Full Torch on dimes?

[Bruceswar]

Is there a set critera or is each coin done case by case? I have tried to look at some auctions with FT or FB... whichever is used... PCGS uses FB and NGC uses FT... anyhow...What does it take to have Full Torch? Can someone post a picture of one. Also what is the market on them? Are they slow? fast? does the extra added value sorta hender thier sales? I seem to hear alot about Full Step Nickels but not too much about the dimes. Am I missing something? Thanks in Advance

[gmarguli]

For a PCGS FB designation, you need the lower band to be split.

 

For a FT NGC designation, you need both upper & lower bands split and the vertical torch lines split.

 

The market is dead for them. It was a marketing stunt by PCGS that fell flat. Too bad because now all teh grading services were pretty much forced to follow and give out this designation that extremely few people care about.

[coinman1794]

The market is generally a little slow for them, but NGC FT coins are almost dead. They do sell for sizeable premiums, and there is interest in them, especially for the PCGS FB designation. For some reason, NGC FT coins, even though its a much tougher designation, are very hard to sell.

[Bruceswar]

Thats all the information I needed... Thx

[TomB]

This is a designation that I dislike very much as it is purely a marketing scheme backed by the TPGs and a few, choice dealers heavy with these coins. I would not pay a premium for what is written on any slab regarding these as the TPGs are fast-and-loose with this designation.

[coinman1794]

The services are pretty tough when I send them in, especially NGC, and, FT/FB dimes do sell at considerable premiums, even if the market for NGC pieces is a little slow right now. I think many people do want the coin with the designation as opposed to the coin without it, regardless of who started the trend.

[Bruceswar]

coinman I was noticing that they seem to be really hard on giving out the desinations. I have one that I think would make it. I will post a pic of it in a bit...

[cladking]

I think one of the biggest things holding these back is that some are prohibitively scarce. This is especially true for most of the clad issues. Many people will simply lose interest when they find that coins in their sets are extremely rare or virtually unavailable. I know of at least a couple people who have given up on these.

[Bruceswar]

Mine would be a 1964.... with some great toning on it.... but I would not think it is scarce... maybe MS66 ... Seems to have good luster.. but the toning is where it is at.... I will photo it and post it later today... and get some opinions.. I know the 1964 is rather common as far as FT or FB goes I would think?... but I will let yall deicde on it see if you think it has a shot at a star and or FT...

[Hoot]

If you are going to seek the attribution, the only one of any worthwhile endeavor is the full torch (FT)designation of NGC. NGC is very tough on this attribution, and as cladking indicated, it is extremely rare to find a FT designation for some of the clad issues.

 

Here are a couple of exerpts from the July, 2005 Coin Values article entitled Roosevelt Dimes Challenge:

 

"Just how difficult is it to assemble a FB or FT set of Roosevelt dimes? Let’s take a look at what NGC and PCGS report for FT and FB pieces, respectively. Somewhat arbitrarily, I considered “key” dates in the silver composition of 1946-1964 to include those date/Mint mark combinations for which less than 30 pieces had been graded, either by NGC (FT) or PCGS (FB). NGC reports sixteen pieces of unique date/Mint mark combinations from 1946-64 that I’d consider “key,” while PCGS reports only three. However, in the clad composition after 1965, there are many keys from both grading services; so many, in fact, that I used “fewer than ten” as my criterion for “key date.” From NGC there are 48 date/Mint mark combinations for which there are fewer than ten designated FT and twenty for which there are none! From PCGS, there are twenty date/Mint mark combinations for which there are fewer than ten pieces designated FB, but zero that report none."

 

"...for a small number of years one can more commonly find FT or FB designated pieces versus those without the designation! These issues include the 1981-P and –D, and the 2000-P and –D from NGC (FT), and the 1981-P and –D, 2000-P and –D, 2001-P, 2003-P and –D, and 2004-P and –D from PCGS (FB)."

 

The rest of the article deals with various aspects of collecting the series - have a look if you can.

 

Hoot

[Ed Daggett]

Cross reference.