Missing Mint Mark Error Coins

Note: A brief introduction to error coins and variety coins is available here.

I find error coins with missing mint marks fascinating because, in many instances, they may be indistinguishable from coins minted at the Philadelphia Mint.

There are many examples of coins intentionally struck without a mint mark that are not error coins. For example, with two exceptions, prior to 1980, coins produced at the Philadelphia Mint did not bear a mint mark. From 1974 until 1986, the West Point Depository produced Lincoln Cents without a mint mark to help the United States Mint meet the nation’s need for Lincoln Cents. Between 1978 and 1980, the San Francisco Mint also produced business strike Lincoln Cents without a mint mark. Coins minted by the three mints are indistinguishable.

Between 1965 and 1967, mint marks were removed from all coins to discourage “hoarding” by collectors while the nation suffered a severe coin shortage. During that period, the United States Mint also produced Special Mint Sets, coins with a special finish sold to collectors, without a mint mark. Because these sets are known to have been produced by the San Francisco Mint, these special-finish coins are examples of coins minted in San Francisco without its mint mark.

This post, however, is about coins that do not bear their intended mint mark. An examination of the Professional Coin Grading System Coin Facts reveals that there are nine coins known to have been produced without their intended mint mark.

The Singular 1922 No D Lincoln Cent Wheat Reverse

One problem with error coins that are missing their intended mint mark is that, as with the Lincoln Cents and Washington Quarters minted at the West Point Repository, the error coins may be indistinguishable from coins produced by the Philadelphia Mint. If the Denver Mint failed to place a mint mark on a Lincoln Cent, would the coin-collecting industry even know of its existence? There must be some characteristic of the coin that identifies it as an error coin, or it cannot be collected separately. This is exactly what happened in 1922.

In 1922, the Denver Mint struggled to produce Lincoln Cents in sufficient quantities. Dies were often used past their normal life, and there are four known over-polished die pairs that produced Lincoln Cents with either no mint mark or with a weak mint mark. By chance, the Philadelphia Mint was focused on producing the new Peace Dollar and, for the first time since 1815, did not produce a one-cent coin. Collectors eventually realized that all Lincoln Cents without a mint mark had to have been produced at the Denver Mint. The Professional Coin Grading Service estimates that approximately 15,000 coins survive today. As these coins were not discovered for almost a decade, they are scarce in higher grades.

Those Pesky Punched Mint Marks

Beginning in 1968, the San Francisco Mint produced all proof sets with its mint mark. Modern proof coins without a mint mark are thus easily identified as error coins. Further, beginning in 1980, except for the Lincoln Cent, circulating coins produced at the Philadelphia Mint bore the Philadelphia Mint mark. Circulating coins, except for the Lincoln Cent, minted thereafter without a mint mark, are also easily identified as error coins.

Before 1985, mint marks on proof coins were hand-punched onto the working die (pre-1985) or the working hub. Before 1991, mint marks on business strike coins were hand-punched onto the working die (pre-1991) or the working hub. The error coins in this section result from the mint mark not being punched onto the working hub used to create the working die, or onto the working die itself.

1968 No S Proof Roosevelt Dime, Type 2 Clad. There are no United States Mint records detailing the existence of these coins. According to the Professional Coin Grading Service, only a few dozen of these coins are believed to exist.

1970 No S Proof Roosevelt Dime, Type 2 Clad. The United States Mint claims that 2,200 of these error coins were produced, but, according to the Professional Coin Grading Service, only 500 are known to exist.

1971 No S Proof Jefferson Nickel, Type 1 Modern. The United States Mint claims that 1,655 of these coins were released, but, according to the Professional Coin Grading Service, only several hundred are believed to exist.

1975 No S Proof Roosevelt Dime, Type 2 Clad. There are no United States Mint records detailing the existence of these coins. According to the Professional Coin Grading Service, two of these coins are known to exist.

1982 No P Roosevelt Dime, Type 2, Clad. The Processional Coin Grading Service estimates that between 75,000 and 150,000 were struck, and up to 10,000 of these coins were released.

1983 No S Proof Roosevelt Dime, Type 2 Clad. According to the Professional Coin Grading Service, approximately 500 of these coins are known to exist.

The Two Modern Outliers

1976 No S Proof Eisenhower Dollar, Type 4 Bicentennial Reverse Silver, Thin Lettering.

It is not believed that this coin resulted from the United States Mint failing to punch the mint mark on the working hub or working die. Early proof pattern coins of the Eisenhower Dollar Bicentennial Reverse Silver coin were produced, but they are believed to have been destroyed. All of these early pattern coins feature the initial type 1 bold lettering. This coin here features the subsequent type 2 thin lettering, and only one of these coins is known to exist. Its origin remains unknown today. However, there are two working theories. First, when considering the changes in the lettering, it has been speculated that Frank Gasparro, then the Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, may have created a trial piece to demonstrate the new lettering. Second, since the coin was discovered in a Washington, D.C. department store, it has been speculated that Mary Brooks, then the Director of the United States Mint, had a promotional set made to be presented to perhaps a high-ranking official in Washington.

1990 No S Proof Lincoln Cent, Type 4 Memorial Reverse Zinc.

As stated above, in 1985, the United States Mint abandoned its practice of punching mint marks on working hubs and, instead, incorporated the mint mark into the design. Thus, unlike the error coins above, this error coin was not the result of the United States Mint failing to punch the mint mark.

Here, the Philadelphia Mint sent a mint-state die without a mint mark (presumably a die destined for the Philadelphia Mint) to the San Francisco Mint, where it was polished, sandblasted, and transformed into a proof die. According to the Processional Coin Grading Service, fewer than 200 of these coins are known to exist.

References

Lange, David W. (May 1, 2004). Numismatic Guarantee Company. A Look at Mintmarks: Part One. https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/682.

Lange, David W. (June 1, 2004). Numismatic Guarantee Company. A Look at Mintmarks: Part Two. https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/678

McMorrow-Hernandez, Joshua. (July 9, 2028.) The Coin Analyst: 1982 Lincoln Cent Provides Collectors with Challenges, Rewards. Coin Week. https://coinweek.com/coin-analyst-1982-lincoln-cent-provides-collectors-challenges-rewards.

Coin Week. (December 9, 2025.) The 1922 No D Lincoln Cent Strong Reverse: A Defining Variety in the Wheat-Back Series. https://coinweek.com/the-1922-no-d-lincoln-cent-strong-reverse-a-defining-variety-in-the-wheat-back-series.

Professional Coin Grading Service Coin Facts (n.d.) 1922 No D 1C Strong Reverse, BN (Regular Strike). https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1922-no-d-1c-strong-reverse-bn/3285.

Professional Coin Grading Service Coin Facts (n.d.) 1968 10C No S (Proof). https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1968-10c-no-s/5245.

Professional Coin Grading Service Coin Facts (n.d.) 1970 10C No S (Proof). https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1970-10c-no-s/5248.

Professional Coin Grading Service Coin Facts (n.d.) 1971 5C No S (Proof). https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1971-5c-no-s/4204.

Professional Coin Grading Service Coin Facts (n.d.) 1975 10C No S (Proof). https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1975-10c-no-s/5254.

Professional Coin Grading Service Coin Facts (n.d.) 1976 $1 No S Type 2 – Silver (Proof). https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1976-1-no-s-type-2-silver/62402.

Professional Coin Grading Service Coin Facts (n.d.) 1982 10C No Mintmark – Strong (Regular Strike). https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1982-10c-no-mintmark-strong/5162

Professional Coin Grading Service Coin Facts (n.d.) 1983 10C No S, DCAM (Proof). https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1983-10c-no-s-dcam/95265

Professional Coin Grading Service Coin Facts (n.d.) 1990 1C No S, DCAM (Proof), https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1990-1c-no-s-dcam/93506.

Professional Coin Grading Service Coin Facts (n.d.) Collecting the SMS Coins Of 1965-1967. https://www.pcgs.com/news/collecting-the-sms-coins-of-1965-1967.