Denver Mint Coins

From gold rush assay office to branch mint

The Denver Mint grew out of the Pike's Peak Gold Rush of 1858 and 1859. Miners in the new settlement had no easy way to turn gold dust into money, so the private firm of Clark, Gruber and Company built a small mint and struck its own gold coins in 1860 and 1861. Congress authorized a federal branch mint at Denver in 1862 and the government bought the Clark, Gruber building in 1863.

For more than four decades the federal facility worked only as an assay office. It melted, refined and tested gold and silver and cast them into stamped bars, but struck no coins. Local leaders pressed for a full mint for years before Congress finally funded a new building.

The Colfax Avenue building and the first D coins

Construction of the present Denver Mint on West Colfax Avenue began in 1897. Its architects modeled it on Italian Renaissance palaces, with walls of Colorado granite. Operations moved in during 1904 and the first coins were struck in 1906: Barber dimes, quarters and half dollars along with gold half eagles, eagles and double eagles. Denver made its first cents in 1911 and its first nickels in 1912, when the 1912-D Liberty Head nickel became one of only two branch mint issues of that design.

In December 1922 armed robbers attacked a Federal Reserve truck being loaded outside the mint. A guard, Charles Linton, was killed during the robbery. The case remains one of the most notorious crimes in Denver's history and led to tighter security around the building.

Denver coins collectors look for

Several key dates come from Denver. The 1914-D Lincoln cent and the 1916-D Mercury dime, with just 264,000 struck, are the classic examples and both are frequently faked by adding a D to a Philadelphia coin. The 1922 No D cent exists because Denver was the only mint to strike cents that year and some worn or filled dies left the mint mark off. The 1918/7-D Buffalo nickel overdate and the 1937-D three-legged Buffalo are Denver die varieties. The 1921-D Morgan dollar is notable as the first silver dollar Denver ever struck.

In 1965 Denver struck more than 316,000 Peace dollars dated 1964. None were released and the Mint reported that all were melted, so no 1964-D Peace dollar has ever been confirmed in collectors' hands.

Tips for Denver mint marks

Denver dies were often shipped from Philadelphia with the mint mark punched by hand, so repunched D over D varieties are common in Lincoln cents, Jefferson nickels and Roosevelt dimes from the 1940s and 1950s. Over mint marks also exist where a die prepared for San Francisco was repunched for Denver, such as the 1938-D/S Buffalo nickel and the 1944-D/S cent. A 5x to 10x loupe is enough to spot most of them.

Denver coins of the 1920s are often less sharply struck than Philadelphia coins of the same year, especially Buffalo nickels and Standing Liberty quarters. When comparing grades, judge a Denver coin against other Denver coins of its date rather than against the best Philadelphia examples.

Frequently asked questions