1906 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1906

The Denver Mint began striking coins in 1906, using the "D" mint mark.

How many coins were made in 1906

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 184,243,215 coins dated 1906 across 13 issues. That is 25% more than in 1905 (147,094,359). In 1907 the figure rose to 209,748,470.

By mint: Philadelphia 160,886,421 (87%, up from 130,726,160), Denver 11,368,000 (6.2%, new this year), New Orleans 7,112,000 (3.9%, up from 5,135,000) and San Francisco 4,876,794 (2.6%, down from 11,233,199).

Those coins held about 7,704,695 troy ounces of pure silver.

1906 coins by denomination

Cents: 96,020,530 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Indian Head Cent, up 19% on 1905.

Nickels: 38,613,725 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Liberty Head "V" Nickel, up 29% on 1905.

Dimes: 29,764,371 struck in 4 circulation issues of the Barber Dime, up 20% on 1905. The scarcest is the 1906-O (2,610,000) and the most plentiful the 1906 (19,957,731).

Quarters: 8,991,760 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Barber Quarter, up 11% on 1905. The scarcest is the 1906-O (2,056,000) and the most plentiful the 1906 (3,655,760).

Half Dollars: 10,852,829 struck in 4 circulation issues of the Barber Half Dollar, up 196% on 1905. The scarcest is the 1906-S (1,740,154) and the most plentiful the 1906-D (4,028,000).

Every 1906 circulation issue at a glance

• 1906-S Barber Half Dollar: 1,740,154 struck, more than 56% of the series' 73 issues, down from 2,494,000 in 1905.
• 1906-O Barber Quarter: 2,056,000 struck, 32nd lowest of 74 in the series, up from 1,230,000 in 1905.
• 1906-O Barber Half Dollar: 2,446,000 struck, more than 74% of the series' 73 issues, up from 505,000 in 1905.
• 1906-O Barber Dime: 2,610,000 struck, 31st lowest of 75 in the series, down from 3,400,000 in 1905.
• 1906 Barber Half Dollar: 2,638,675 struck, more than 82% of the series' 73 issues, up from 662,727 in 1905.
• 1906-S Barber Dime: 3,136,640 struck, 33rd lowest of 75 in the series, down from 6,855,199 in 1905.
• 1906-D Barber Quarter: 3,280,000 struck, more than 56% of the series' 74 issues.
• 1906 Barber Quarter: 3,655,760 struck, more than 64% of the series' 74 issues, down from 4,967,523 in 1905.
• 1906-D Barber Half Dollar: 4,028,000 struck, more than 92% of the series' 73 issues.
• 1906-D Barber Dime: 4,060,000 struck, more than 55% of the series' 75 issues.
• 1906 Barber Dime: 19,957,731 struck, more than 97% of the series' 75 issues, up from 14,551,623 in 1905.
• 1906 Liberty Head "V" Nickel: 38,613,725 struck, more than 94% of the series' 34 issues, up from 29,827,276 in 1905.

The 1 more plentiful issues are listed in the tables below.

Indian Head Cent: Record output and the San Francisco keys

Cent production soared in the new century, from 66 million in 1900 to a series high of 108 million in 1907, driven by streetcar fares, penny candy and new vending machines. For the first time the cent was struck outside Philadelphia: San Francisco made 1.1 million cents in 1908, with an S mint mark below the wreath on the reverse.

The 1909-S, with only 309,000 coined before the Lincoln cent arrived in August 1909, is the second key of the series after the 1877. Both S dates have been faked by adding a mint mark to a Philadelphia coin, so experts check the shape and position of the S. Philadelphia made 14.4 million cents in 1909 before the change. Survivors from this decade are plentiful. Many uncirculated coins show red and brown or fully brown color.

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Liberty Head "V" Nickel: The nickel-in-the-slot era

Demand for nickels grew rapidly in the 1900s with streetcar fares, pay telephones and coin operated machines that took five cents. Production passed 26 million in 1900, reached 38.6 million in 1906 and topped 39 million in 1907 and 1911, the highest figure of the series. Nickelodeon theaters, named after their five-cent admission, spread across the country in these years.

Because so many were made, coins from this period are the easiest Liberty Head nickels to find in every grade. Strikes are usually better than in the 1880s. Many show full corn ears and a clear LIBERTY. Uncirculated examples were saved in larger numbers as coin collecting grew, though original luster without spots is less common. These dates are a practical place to start a set or to choose a single type coin.

These are the dates that turn up most often in old jars and family collections. Yearly mintages ran from about 11 million to nearly 40 million, so worn examples are easy to find and carry only a small premium. The coins worth setting aside are the ones with a full, readable LIBERTY and original surfaces, plus anything that looks uncirculated.

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Barber Quarter: Denver joins in 1906

Steady demand kept Philadelphia mintages between about 9.6 and 12.2 million from 1902 to 1904, while New Orleans and San Francisco struck from about 1 to 4.7 million each. San Francisco made no quarters in 1904 or 1906. The 1905-O (1,230,000) and the 1908-S (784,000) are the scarcer coins of the period.

The new Denver Mint struck its first quarters in 1906, a total of 3,280,000 with a D below the eagle. In 1907 and 1908 all four mints struck quarters at once, a first for the denomination. Coins of these years are among the most available Barber quarters in circulated grades. Uncirculated pieces from New Orleans often show soft strikes at the eagle's claws and the top of the shield, so sharpness varies more than the mintages suggest.

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Barber Half Dollar: Four mints and the end at New Orleans

Denver struck its first half dollars in 1906, 4,028,000 of them. For four years all four mints made halves, the only time that happened in the Barber series. New Orleans struck 5,360,000 in 1908 and then 925,400 in 1909, its final half dollars before the mint stopped coining. San Francisco and Philadelphia each struck between about 1.25 and 2.64 million a year.

With so many mints working, the coins of these years are among the easiest Barber halves to find. They make a good starting point for a mint mark set because every coin of 1906 to 1908 is available in moderate grades. The 1909-O is the scarcest of the period. Mint marks sit just below the eagle's tail and are small, so a loupe helps when reading them on worn coins.

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Barber Dime: Denver arrives and four mints at once

New Orleans struck no dimes in 1904, leaving Philadelphia (14,600,357) and San Francisco (800,000) to cover the year. The 1904-S is the lowest mintage of the period and a better date in every grade. New Orleans returned in 1905 with 3,400,000, a run that includes a variety with an unusually small mint mark, the 1905-O Micro O.

The Denver Mint struck its first dimes in 1906, a total of 4,060,000 with a D below the wreath. From 1906 through 1909 all four mints made dimes every year, the only stretch of the series when that happened. Total output for 1904 to 1908 came to 127,607,020 coins, led by Philadelphia's 22,220,000 in 1907. The 1908-O, at 1,789,000, is the scarcest coin dated 1906 to 1908.

Nearly all survivors from these years are circulated and an uncirculated 1904-S or 1908-O carries a collector premium. When sorting, read the mint mark carefully: with four mints in operation, a worn D and a worn O can look alike and an S that has filled with dirt can be mistaken for either. For the 1905-O, compare the O with a normal New Orleans mint mark from another year; the Micro O is noticeably smaller. A soft strike or a dark, filled mint mark is not a variety, so look for a clear difference in size.

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