1912 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1912

Denver and San Francisco struck nickels for the first time, the only branch-mint Liberty Head nickels. It was the last regular year of the design.

How many coins were made in 1912

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 163,657,324 coins dated 1912 across 17 issues. That is 19% fewer than in 1911 (202,455,482). In 1913 the figure rose to 196,772,281.

By mint: Philadelphia 120,244,524 (73%, down from 165,436,452), Denver 32,945,800 (20%, up from 26,386,280) and San Francisco 10,467,000 (6.4%, down from 10,632,750).

Those coins held about 5,310,188 troy ounces of pure silver and 485,923 troy ounces of gold.

1912 coins by denomination

Cents: 82,995,060 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Lincoln Wheat Cent, down 30% on 1911. The scarcest is the 1912-S (4,431,000) and the most plentiful the 1912 (68,153,060).

Nickels: 34,948,714 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Liberty Head "V" Nickel, down 12% on 1911. The scarcest is the 1912-S (238,000) and the most plentiful the 1912 (26,236,714).

Dimes: 34,529,300 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Barber Dime, up 2.8% on 1911. The scarcest is the 1912-S (3,420,000) and the most plentiful the 1912 (19,349,300).

Quarters: 5,108,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Barber Quarter, down 9.5% on 1911. The scarcest is the 1912-S (708,000) and the most plentiful the 1912 (4,400,000).

Half Dollars: 5,221,500 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Barber Half Dollar, up 55% on 1911. The scarcest is the 1912-S (1,370,000) and the most plentiful the 1912-D (2,300,800).

Gold Coins: 854,750 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Indian Head Eagle and Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, down 64% on 1911. The scarcest is the 1912 (149,750) and the most plentiful the 1912 (405,000).

Every 1912 circulation issue at a glance

• 1912 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle: 149,750 struck, 8th lowest of 52 in the series, down from 197,250 in 1911.
• 1912-S Liberty Head "V" Nickel: 238,000 struck, 2nd lowest of 34 in the series.
• 1912-S Indian Head Eagle: 300,000 struck, more than 57% of the series' 31 issues, up from 51,000 in 1911.
• 1912 Indian Head Eagle: 405,000 struck, more than 77% of the series' 31 issues, similar to 1911.
• 1912-S Barber Quarter: 708,000 struck, 9th lowest of 74 in the series, down from 988,000 in 1911.
• 1912-S Barber Half Dollar: 1,370,000 struck, 32nd lowest of 73 in the series, similar to 1911.
• 1912 Barber Half Dollar: 1,550,700 struck, 36th lowest of 73 in the series, similar to 1911.
• 1912-D Barber Half Dollar: 2,300,800 struck, more than 69% of the series' 73 issues, up from 695,080 in 1911.
• 1912-S Barber Dime: 3,420,000 struck, more than 50% of the series' 75 issues, similar to 1911.
• 1912 Barber Quarter: 4,400,000 struck, more than 71% of the series' 74 issues, similar to 1911.
• 1912-S Lincoln Wheat Cent: 4,431,000 struck, 8th lowest of 140 in the series, similar to 1911.
• 1912-D Liberty Head "V" Nickel: 8,474,000 struck, 7th lowest of 34 in the series.

The 5 more plentiful issues are listed in the tables below.

Lincoln Wheat Cent: VDB, new branch mints and wartime demand

Victor David Brenner's Lincoln cent was released on August 2, 1909, the centennial year of Lincoln's birth. Within days the Mint removed his initials, VDB, from the reverse after complaints that they were too prominent. San Francisco struck only 484,000 cents with the initials, creating the 1909-S VDB, the most famous key in the series. The 1909-S without initials is also scarce at 1.8 million.

Denver began striking cents in 1911. The 1914-D, with 1.2 million made, is another key and is often counterfeited by altering the date or adding a mint mark. Matte proofs were made from 1909 to 1916. Demand rose sharply with World War I. Output in 1917 passed 196 million in Philadelphia, a year that also includes a doubled die obverse. Survivors from this era are usually brown and worn, with full red coins scarce for the branch mints.

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Liberty Head "V" Nickel: Branch mint nickels and the five 1913 pieces

In 1912 Denver and San Francisco struck nickels for the first time, with a small D or S mint mark to the left of CENTS on the reverse. Denver struck 8.5 million, but San Francisco made only 238,000, late in the year, making the 1912-S a key date. Philadelphia added another 26 million in 1912, so the P coin is common.

The Buffalo nickel replaced the Liberty Head in 1913. No Liberty Head nickels were officially struck that year. Five pieces dated 1913 surfaced in 1920 through Samuel Brown, a former Mint employee. They are among the most famous American rarities. Any other 1913 Liberty Head nickel is an alteration. The 1912-S is usually found in Very Good to Fine. Added mint marks on Philadelphia coins are a known fake.

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Barber Quarter: New Orleans closes and the 1913-S

New Orleans struck its last quarters in 1909, a run of 712,000 that is scarce today. Philadelphia mintages then dropped, reaching only 484,000 in 1913. The 1913-S, with just 40,000 struck, is the lowest mintage of the series and a major key. The 1914-S, at 264,000, follows it. Both are frequent targets of added mint marks, so a careful look at the S is worthwhile.

The 1911-D and 1912-S, each under one million, are also hard to find well preserved. Production rose again during World War I. Denver struck 6,540,800 quarters in 1916, the year MacNeil's Standing Liberty design replaced Barber's late in the year, which makes the 1916-D the easiest of the final dates. Late Barber quarters stayed in circulation for decades, so many are worn nearly smooth with only partial rims and dates.

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Barber Half Dollar: Low Philadelphia mintages and the series end

Philadelphia struck only 418,551 halves in 1910 and even fewer from 1913 to 1915: 188,624, 124,610 and 138,450. These are the lowest Philadelphia mintages of the series and they carry a premium even in worn grades.

Denver and San Francisco carried most of the output. The 1913-D at 534,000 and the 1911-D at 695,080 are the lowest branch issues of the period. The final coins were struck in 1915 at Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco before the Walking Liberty half replaced Barber's design in 1916. Proofs of these years were made in small numbers. They survive in nice condition more often than business strikes do. Examine the area below the eagle's tail on any 1913, 1914 or 1915 offered as a Philadelphia coin, since a removed mint mark leaves tooling marks.

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Indian Head Eagle: Steady issues and the 1911-D key

With the motto in place, eagles were struck in most years at Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. The 1911-D, only 30,100, is the key of the period. The 1911-S, 1913-S and 1915-S are scarce, especially well struck. Denver struck 2,356,640 in 1910, the largest branch mint total of these years.

In 1912 two more stars were added to the edge for New Mexico and Arizona, raising the count from 46 to 48. Mint marks sit on the reverse to the left of the arrowheads. Large gold coins like these picked up bag marks easily, so the cheek and the field in front of the face are the places to check. The 1916-S closed the period before World War I halted production.

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Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle: The 1909/8 and the 48 stars

The 1909/8 overdate came from a 1908 die altered for the new year. Traces of the 8 can be seen within the 9 under a loupe. The 1909-D with 52,500 struck and the 1913-S with 34,000 are the scarce dates of the period. In 1912 two stars were added to the ring on the obverse, raising it from 46 to 48 for New Mexico and Arizona.

San Francisco struck large numbers in some years, including 2,774,925 in 1909 and 1,498,000 in 1914, while Philadelphia mintages stayed between about 95,000 and 482,000. Proofs of these years were made in very small numbers with matte and satin-like finishes. No double eagles were made after the 1916-S until 1920. Branch mint coins of this era are often found with heavy bag marks.

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Barber Dime: New Orleans bows out

The New Orleans Mint struck its last dimes in 1909, a run of 2,287,000. New Orleans never struck coins again. Denver's 1909 output was only 954,000, the lowest Denver figure of the series, while San Francisco made exactly 1,000,000. Those three coins are the better dates of the period and each brings more than the Philadelphia dates in any grade.

From 1910 Denver took over much of the branch mint work. Its mintages rose from 3,490,000 in 1910 to 11,209,000 in 1911 and 11,760,000 in 1912, while San Francisco ranged from 1,240,000 to 3,520,000. Philadelphia stayed between 10,240,000 and 19,349,300 a year. The total for 1909 to 1912 came to 98,859,300 dimes. The 1910-S, with 1,240,000 struck, is the scarcest coin dated after 1909 in this group. By now the Barber dime had been the ordinary dime in every pocket for nearly two decades, so most of these coins wore down quickly.

Proof mintages in these years ran between 543 and 700 a year. Those proofs are listed on their own pages. For an ordinary circulated coin, focus on LIBERTY and the rims. Late Barber dimes circulated for decades and many reached About Good, where the rims run into the legend and only part of the date shows. A coin from these years with a sharp, complete LIBERTY is a cut above the typical survivor and deserves a better place in a collection.

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