1918-D Lincoln Wheat Cent

The story of the 1918-D

Output at Denver slipped to 47,830,000 in 1918, from 55 million the year before. In 1919 the figure was 57 million.

The other mints made far more that year: 1918 alone came to 288 million, roughly 6 for every 1918-D. That makes the 1918-D the scarcer 1918 coin, though still a common one.

Across Denver's 46 Lincoln Wheat Cent issues, the hardest to find is the 1914-D with 1,193,000 made. The 1918-D is on the scarcer side of the middle. Within the 1910s it's 17th smallest of 29, between the 1916-D (36 million) and the 1917-D (55 million).

Initials return and the 1922 plain (1918 to 1929)

In 1918 Brenner's initials returned, this time tiny on the truncation of Lincoln's shoulder, where they stayed for the rest of the series. Production stayed high after the war, but a recession cut 1921 output. In 1922 only Denver struck cents. Worn and filled dies at Denver produced coins with no visible mint mark, the 1922 Plain. Only one die pair shows a strong reverse and no trace of the D. That is the variety collectors want.

Branch mint cents of the 1920s are known for soft strikes. The 1924-D, 1926-S and other San Francisco and Denver dates often show weak hair detail and mushy wheat lines. The 1926-S is notoriously hard to find with red color. Most dates from this era survive in circulated grades with brown surfaces. Fully struck, red examples from the branch mints are much harder to find than Philadelphia coins.

Elsewhere in US coinage in 1918

The Pittman Act authorized the melting of more than 270 million silver dollars, mostly to supply silver to Britain for use in India. No new dollars were struck that year.