Adding The "p" Mintmark

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Author	Replies: 4 / Views: 1,291
jpsned Pillar of the Community United States 2200 Posts	Posted 03/26/2015 09:32 am Up until 1979, all Philadelphia coins were devoid of a mint mark while the Denver and San Francisco coins had always sported their own fancy mint marks. In 1979, the "P" mintmark was added to the Philadelphia SBA dollar. In 1980, all the other circulating Philly coins now had a stamped "P" mint mark, except the penny. Does anyone know what led to the decision to add the "P" mint mark? I remember reading that it was done to bolster the self-esteem of the workers at the Philly mint. And does anyone know why the penny was not included? Report this Post to the Staff

jbuck Moderator United States 187702 Posts	Posted 03/26/2015 11:22 am Quote: And does anyone know why the penny was not included? West Point minted cents from 1973 to 1986. Their much lower volume would have been hoarded had they bore a W mint mark, so it was left off. It was decided to leave P off the cent for Philadelphia, rather than lie by using it on the West Point cents. Coin Collector Since 1978 Avatar Old Avatar 7070 Eisenhower Australia Canada World CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
matttheriley Pillar of the Community United States 1512 Posts	Posted 03/26/2015 12:40 pm Quote: West Point minted cents from 1973 to 1986. Their much lower volume would have been hoarded had they bore a W mint mark, so it was left off. It was decided to leave P off the cent for Philadelphia, rather than lie by using it on the West Point cents. A Lincoln Cent with a W mintmark! Oh what could have been... Report this Post to the Staff
Finn235 Pillar of the Community United States 6130 Posts	Posted 03/26/2015 1:12 pm Did West Point make cents only? I thought I recalled reading that they also made some of the larger denominations as well. Not to mention that San Francisco also made cents during the 90s with no mintmark. Seems like Philly was really behind on its game! And to nit-pick, the War Nickels had the P mintmark way before the SBA dollar. :) Report this Post to the Staff
Conder101 Bedrock of the Community United States 17884 Posts	Posted 03/26/2015 7:43 pm Another possible reason why they didn't put P mintmarks on the cents was because they punched all the mintmarks into each die by hand and the sheer number of dies that would have to be marked made it prohibitive. Quote: Did West Point make cents only? I thought I recalled reading that they also made some of the larger denominations as well. West Point also struck quarters with no mintmarks from 1976 to 1979. Report this Post to the Staff
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