Mint Marks

Mint marks are letters that identify where a coin was made. The letter can appear anywhere in the design but usually is placed near the date or in an area near the edge of the coin.

On United States coins, "S" represents San Francisco, "O," New Orleans, "D" on 19th century coins represents Dahlonega, Georgia, "D" on 20th Century coins means Denver, Colorado, "CC" represents Carson City, Nevada, "C" means Charlotte, North Carolina and "W" represents West Point, New York. United States coins without a mint mark were made in Philadelphia. Starting in 1980, the "P" mintmark appears on Philadelphia minted coins. Other letters or letter combinations found on United States coins are usually the designer's Initials.

The combination of the date and the mint mark or lack of one can have great importance to a coin's value. For example, over 72 million cents were manufactured in Philadelphia with the 1909 date and there are many survivors. This coin is only worth about $1 in average condition. The "S" or San Francisco 1909 cents was minted in much smaller numbers, less than two million were struck. In average condition it's worth over $60. Another example is the 1882 Double Eagle. The Philadelphia issue with no mint mark is worth almost $10,000 in average condition, but the "S" mint San Francisco issue is worth little more than its gold value, about $680, in average grade.