Every series has a key, an issue whose rarity in comparison to other dates of the design type captures the imagination of collectors. This rarity increases attention and creates a feedback loop of demand and interest. The 1822 dime has been a prime beneficiary of this phenomenon, and the date is now well known even among those who do not specialize in the Capped Bust dime series. Its fundamentals are strong. A single die pair was used to coin dimes of this date, with a reported mintage of just 100,000 pieces. Despite the extra attention given to this key date, and the potential resubmissions that attention engenders, the 1822 has a far lower population at PCGS than any other Capped Bust dime date, more than 35% lower than that of 1809 even though the 1809 has a lower reported mintage. This scarcity becomes most evident in higher grades. The JR book offers an excellent summation: “Of the estimated three hundred surviving examples of 1822 dimes, it is interesting to note the division by condition. Our best estimate is that there are about ten Uncirculated pieces, no more than ten in EF-40 to AU-55 and not many more than 20 in F-12 to VF-30 condition. For whatever reason, the 1822 dimes were well circulated with a surprising number being damaged beyond what might be considered normal wear.”

Thirty years after the publication of the JR book, their estimates remain surprisingly accurate. PCGS has certified an 1822 dime at the Uncirculated level just six times, and just 12 submissions represent the grades EF-40 to AU-58.

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the March 2006 Auction, where it realized $149,500.