By Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez for PCGS ……
At least three United States Mint coins still in use today have seen two significantly different mint mark positions, including the Roosevelt Dime, the Washington Quarter, and the Kennedy Half Dollar – all of which saw mint marks at a certain spot on the reverses of the coins before this tiny feature was moved to their obverses. And as the mint mark (or lack thereof) usually indicates which branch of the U.S. Mint struck a coin and often denotes a coin to be common or rare, knowing where mint marks are located on any given coin is of great importance to the collector.
However, one coin still in use today has seen a grand total of five different mint mark locations over the course of its history. This coin is the Jefferson Nickel!
The Jefferson Nickel premiered in 1938 and branch-mint issues saw the inclusion of a mint mark on the reverse just to the right of Monticello, with “D” indicating coins struck in Denver and “S” symbolizing specimens from the San Francisco Mint. Originally, Jefferson Nickels lacking a mint mark signaled coins made at the Philadelphia Mint.
However, things soon changed for the Jefferson Nickel, a coin traditionally consisting of a 75% copper, 25% nickel composition. Emergency materials rations during World War II led to the replacement of the original copper-nickel alloy in favor of one made from 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese beginning in 1942.
To distinguish Jefferson “Nickels” struck with the...
Read Full Story: https://coinweek.com/modern-coins/five-mint-mark-positions-on-jefferson-nickels/
Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.
