Some of the more interesting characteristics of coin collecting are the mint imprints, which signify the location of the mint at which the coin was produced. However, knowing where to find mint marks on coins isn\u2019t something all coin collectors fully understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To find mint marks on a coin you need to be familiar with the different placements of mint marks on individual coins. This requires you to examine coins and know where to look. Complicating that is the fact that not all coins of the same mint location have mint marks.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Finding mint marks is easy once you are familiar with where they are placed. Why mint marks were included on coins is almost as fascinating. Read on to learn why you need to pay attention to coin mint marks and their significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you collect coins<\/strong> or even have a passing interest in them<\/strong>, you have undoubtedly noticed the small imprint of a letter on the face of US coins. The most common are a \u201cP\u201d or a \u201cD,\u201d but there are also coins imprinted with an \u201cS\u201d or a \u201cW.\u201d In addition, if you collect older coins, you can also see the mint marks \u201cC,\u201d \u201cD\u201d (1838-1861,) \u201cO\u201d and \u201cCC.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Complicating the letter imprint is the fact that some coins have<\/strong> no letter imprint at all<\/strong>. In fact, most coins lack a letter imprint. That makes coins with the letter imprint stand out. To see how that works, do the following test<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take ten pennies, seven with no letter imprint and three with a letter imprint. Place them randomly on a table. Look to see<\/strong> what attracts your eye<\/strong>. In most cases, you will notice the mint mark before you notice anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is significant because most coins have<\/strong> at the very minimum<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, mint letter imprints<\/strong> are rare enough<\/strong> that they stand out like a sore thumb when you see them on a coin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All US coins come from the government of the United States of America, but each coin is not necessarily minted<\/strong> in the same place<\/strong>. Throughout the country\u2019s history, coins have been minted in various locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The<\/strong> headquarters of the US Mint<\/strong> is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania<\/strong>. The first US coins were minted there in 1793. As the country expanded, the population had a need for a lot of currency. Minting it in Philadelphia and shipping it to the West Coast, even with the railroad, could take weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was also the possibility that currency shipments could be stolen<\/strong> or that the services transporting the currency could be held up. To address that, the US government commissioned mints around the country. Today, there are multiple mint locations that operate in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With more mints, identifying where a coin was minted<\/strong> was necessary as part of the validation process that a coin was authentic. To address this, tiny letters were imprinted on coins and that letter indicated where the coin was produced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mint marks are an interesting part of coin collecting<\/strong>. They also make it easy to see the origin of the coin. That is not why mint marks were put on coins, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Initially, mint marks were put on coins as a form of quality control<\/strong>. Because multiple mints were producing coins across the country, it became necessary for the government to track where coins were made to accomplish two things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To attain these goals, the US government mandated<\/strong> that the first letter of each mint location be imprinted somewhere on the face of the coin. While the imprint did not have to be highly visible, it had to be able to be found during any inspection of coins to verify quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When inspecting coins, mint officials pull random samplings of imprinted coins<\/strong> and look at the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Inspectors also look at the clarity of the imprint and whether there are any<\/strong> quality issues or errors<\/strong> on either face of the coin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If a coin did not pass inspection<\/strong>, it was easy to figure out where it came from. While quality was important for any type of coin, it was particularly important for coins that were highly collectible or made of a precious metal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, any coins made of precious metals are highly regulated<\/strong> and not for circulation. They are usually specially ordered by dealers, collectors or investors. The precious metal content, weight and size are highly regulated and produced by computers, attaining a stunning level of precision in all three areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet some coins are still imprinted with the first letter of the city<\/strong> where the coin was minted<\/strong>. The reason at this point is more for tradition than it is for functionality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The United States is not the only country that imprints<\/strong> the initials of the mint location on its coins. Worldwide, various countries have used mint marks throughout history. The purpose was usually for quality control purposes, just like in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mint marks are interesting in their own right. For collectors and dealers, however, the mint mark can mean much more<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, in 1894, over<\/strong> 1.5 million dimes were minted<\/strong> in Philadelphia and New Orleans<\/strong> (one million in Philadelphia and 500,000 in New Orleans). In San Francisco, however, only twenty-four dimes were minted. Those dimes have an \u201cS\u201d mark and because so few were produced, they are worth a lot of money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finding a mint mark on a coin is just a matter of<\/strong> looking in the right place<\/strong>. Every mint mark is the same throughout a denomination of coins, although not all coins\u2019 mint marks are in the same place and not all mint marks have stayed the same within a denomination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first step in finding the mint mark on a coin is to ignore any other imagery<\/strong> (portraits, decoration, dates, and slogans). Look for a single letter (or double letter if the coin came from Carson City, Nevada) that is separate of any other lettering or imagery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure you examine the coin closely<\/strong> as mint marks can be tricky<\/strong>. The letter or letters may look:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To get a closer look at the coin to be able to identify the mint mark more readily, you<\/strong> should use a magnifying glass<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mint mark on a coin will be located in a different place<\/strong> for every denomination<\/strong> of coin you examine. Generally, the mint mark will be on the bottom half of the obverse (face side) of the coin, but not always.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The following are the locations of some of the more prominent US coins<\/strong> displaying mint marks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mint mark is located on the obverse of the coin<\/strong>, below the date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On<\/strong> coins minted after 1968<\/strong>, the mint mark is on the obverse side. You\u2019ll find it directly after the date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mint mark is located on the obverse side and its specific location is directly under the slogan<\/strong> \u201cIn God We Trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For dimes after 1968<\/strong>, the mint mark is on the obverse of the coin, directly above the date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the Washington Quarter, if it was minted after 1968<\/strong>, the mint mark will be located at the four o\u2019clock position on the obverse. It sits slightly behind the ribbon in Washington\u2019s hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the Kennedy Half Dollar, the location of the mint mark has changed<\/strong> over time<\/strong>. On coins before 1964, the mint mark was on the reverse, located just beneath the eagle\u2019s left talon. For coins after 1968, the mint mark is on the obverse<\/strong>, just above the date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a coin on which the<\/strong> mint mark is on the reverse<\/strong> of the coin (the non-face side or the \u201ctails\u201d side). It sits between the two bolts right at the top of the wooden yoke on the Liberty Bell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As more mints were opened, indicating on a coin where the coin was minted became important. To address this, it was decided to imprint the<\/strong> first letter of the city<\/strong> where the coin was minted<\/strong>. The following are the mint mark letters for each of the US mints (current and past).<\/p>\n\n\n\n This mint was located in Charlotte, NC, and was used to mint gold coins<\/strong> that had a mint mark between the dates of 1838-1861. Because of the date and limited coin runs, the \u201cC\u201d is exceptionally rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCC\u201d indicates the mint in Carson City, Nevada<\/strong>, which imprinted the double C on coins between 1870 and 1893. The coins that have the double C are gold and silver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are<\/strong> two \u201cD\u201d mint imprints<\/strong>. One is only on gold coins minted in Dahlonega, GA, between 1838-1861. The second \u201cD\u201d imprint stands for Denver, Colorado. This mint mark is still used and was first used in 1906.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These mint imprints signify the New Orleans, LA, mint. It was used between 1838 and 1861 and again between 1879 and 1909. During the first date range, the coins minted with mint marks were gold and silver. The mint was not used for the duration of the American Civil War<\/strong>. It resumed its duties at the conclusion of that conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Coin Mint Marks Matter<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Not All Coins Have Mint Marks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mint Locations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mint Mark History<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Inspection Process<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Why Mint Marks Are Still Used<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Other Countries’ Mint Marks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Why Mint Marks Matter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How To Find Mint Marks On Coins<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How To Recognize A US Coin Mint Mark<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How To Locate The Mint Mark<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Lincoln Penny<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Jefferson Nickel<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Statehood Quarter<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Roosevelt Dime<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Washington Quarter<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Kennedy Half Dollar<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Franklin Half Dollar<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Different Coin Mint Mark Letters Explained<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
C<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
CC<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
D<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
O<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
P<\/h3>\n\n\n\n