Mint Marks Are Important in Coin Collecting

Knowing what mint script are and where to locate them is very important to coin collectors. Sometimes this small feature on a coin can mean the difference in help of thousands of dollars.

S Mint Mark
What is a Mint Mark?

It is a small spot or letter stamped into a coin as it is being made to name at which mint it was shaped. Uniting States coins have mail, but some other countries have other letters that they use for identifying purposes.

In the United States this identifying feature is almost always on the ground of the coin. The meadow is the background subject of a coin not worn for a devise or inscription.

The company of this spot can (and often does) change the evaluate of a coin considerably. This is because it can upset the scarcity of the coin. For example, in the task of 1894 dimes, having the 'S' stain adds tens of thousands of dollars to the quantity of the coin as only 24 were minted.

You can read more about the use of identifying script on coins here.

Locating Mint Marks

Most identifying script were on the rearrange sides of United States coin awaiting 1968, when the Mint Director changed the site to the facade (front) part of the coins. Some exceptions compose the 1838-O Capped Bust half cash and the 1916-D and 1916-S Walking Liberty half cash.

To see a roll of US coins and a description of where to locate their mint marks click here.

Remember, if you can't find an identifying spot on a coin, the coin may have been minted at Philadelphia and there will not be any.

Why are These Marks Important?

Collectors determine a coin's charge by examining its date, mintmark and prepare. The most important of these three is the clause. However, since the coin may have been bent in large quantities in one mint and much smaller quantities in another, the mint that struck the coin can be extremely important at determining its value. For example, the 1914 and 1914-D Lincoln cents. More that 75 million coins were fashioned at Philadelphia but only 1.193 million at the Denver Mint "D."

Also, recollect the 1894 dimes mentioned ahead. Since only 24 were minted with the 'S' mark, these dimes mean considerably more than many other dimes.