1982 P Jefferson Nickel

There are quite a few reasons really.

A lot more of these were saved than most dates but in those days there were a mere handfull of coins being saved each year. As part of one of Reagan's cost cutting initiatives mint sets were suspended and this spurred people to set aside more rolls. The problem was that in those days there was only a tiny demand for modern coins and no one knew that almost the entire supply was coming from mint sets. With no mint sets there just weren't nearly enough coins for the few who wanted one.

Then there are some complicating factors. One of the big reasons that supply comes from mint sets is that quality elsewhere is abysmal. People didn't save coins because they were ugly. This is even more true of the '82-P nickel. Finding nice examples of this coin requires dedication. This puts additional stress on the thin supplies. And finally, this coin comes with a couple major varieties (types) and a couple more minor ones. This means serious collectors need two or four of this date.

This coin is more than 10x scarcer than the '50-D so you should consider the price a bargain.

Every once in awhile two bidders bid on the same wrong item in an auction, and that becomes the new pricing basis. Either that or most of them are still sitting in the vaults, like many silver dollars back in 1963.

Also remember there were no 82 or 83 mint sets, the easy way to get them.

I'm with cladking...there's a reason why he's called cladKING.

very interesting. thanks everyone