Missing v. Philadelphia Mint Marks

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Missing mint marks on US coins occur on a handful of proof coins and one business strike dime. Billions of business strike coins with no mint marks were produced in Philadelphia, as at one time, it was the only manufacturing facility. Later, other facilities were added across the country, thereby requiring a mint mark.

The Philadelphia Mint did not use a mint mark on coins until 1980, with the exception of the 1979 Susan B. Anthony dollar, 1942-45 35% silver Jefferson war nickels, and the 2017 Lincoln 225th anniversary cent.

Social media click-baiters have confused the terms “missing” and “no mint mark.” Let’s correct the record with this article, starting with this chart, so you can see why these are ultra rarities unlikely to be found in pocket change or rolls.

Let’s explore these individually.

1968 No S Proof Dime

A 1968 proof set sells for less than $20. However, about a dozen 1968 proof sets escaped the Mint without an S mint mark. They are worth thousands. Here’s an example of such a proof coin.

1990 No S Lincoln Cent

Fewer than 200 examples:

1970 No S Roosevelt Proof Dime

Fewer than a dozen:

1975 No S Roosevelt Proof Dime

Only 2 known examples:

1983 No S Roosevelt Proof Dime

Several hundreds exist:

1971 No S Jefferson Proof Nickel

1655 believed minted and released:

1976 No S Eisenhower Proof Dollar

Only 1 known to exist. To read about this coin, go to CoinFacts: https://www.pcgs.com/top100/coin4

The only business strike to leave the mint is the 1982 No P mint mark.

1982 No P Mint Mark

8,000-10,000 released by the Mint:

Given the billions of coins that have been minted since the late 18th century, as well as the billions still in circulation worth face value, the odds of anyone finding these coins in pocket change are extremely low.

Misleading social media posts and scam coin sites, especially on Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, lead people to believe that any coin without a mint mark is valuable–worth tens of thousands of dollars. Here’s an example:

So let’s put the issue of missing v. Philadelphia mint marks into perspective. You have close to zero chance of finding a proof S coin with missing mint mark in pocket change and a near 100% chance of finding a Philadelphia minted coin every time you make a cash transaction.

We hope this post clarifies the situation.

Below is more information from Heritage Auctions about mint marks:

  • C: Charlotte (Gold only, 1838-1861)
  • CC: Carson City (1870-1893)
  • D: Dahlonega, Georgia (Gold only, 1838-1861)
  • D: Denver (1906 to date; easily distinguishable from Dahlonega because of the different timeframes in which the mints operated)
  • O: New Orleans (1838-1909)
  • P: Philadelphia (Silver “Nickels” 1942-45; Dollar coins 1979 to date; other coins except cents 1980 to date. Although the Philadelphia mint has been operating continuously since 1793, most Philadelphia coins do not have a mintmark)
  • S: San Francisco (1854 to date. Now mints collector coins only. The last circulating coin to bear an ‘S’ mintmark was the 1980-S SBA Dollar)
  • W: West Point (1983 to date; collector coins only)

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