2012-D

Denver delivered 868,000,000 Roosevelt dimes in 2012, a 16 percent step up from the 748-million 2011-D figure as Federal Reserve coin orders continued the post-recession rebuild toward billion-piece volume. Denver again edged ahead of Philadelphia for the year, this time by sixty million pieces, extending the modern pattern in which the two principal coining facilities run close to parity on dime production. The mintage ran parallel to the America the Beautiful Quarters program's third year and the Lincoln Shield cent at the same facility. The D mintmark held its established position above the date, the clad sandwich kept the 2.268-gram, 17.91-millimeter cupronickel-on-copper specification, and strike quality across the year ran clean on most working presses with no documented hub or die-break issues at the principal level. The 2012-D continues the post-satin convention with no matte-surface companion in the Annual Mint Set.

Authentication on the 2012-D follows the routine clad-dime workflow. Weight on a calibrated scale should read 2.268 grams, the D mintmark must show sharp serifs above the date under 10x magnification, and Full Bands evaluation runs across the two parallel bands at the torch midpoint. Full Bands, the third-party grading designation indicating complete separation of the two central torch bands, is reasonably available on 2012-D from original Mint sets and bank-wrapped rolls. The FB premium concentrates at MS67 FB and finer where PCGS and NGC population reports thin to registry-relevant levels. The date carries no recognized RPM or doubled-die premium variety at Cherrypickers' principal listing. The standard business-strike cartwheel-luster surface is the only finish carried for this date at Denver.

The 2012-D circulates in solid quantity at every base grade and trades at standard type-coin pricing through MS66, with the recovery-era mintage carrying no meaningful collector premium relative to its actual volume. The condition-rarity tier opens at MS67 FB where the certified population thins to registry-relevant levels, and MS68 FB examples reach four-figure territory at public auction when certified by a major service. Original 2012 Mint sets remain the practical hunting ground for upgrade-grade material. The 2012-D classifies as regular at every tier, with collector interest concentrated on FB designations. For Denver's post-recession recovery, see the Roosevelt Dime series history.