1913 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1913

James Earle Fraser's Buffalo nickel replaced the Liberty Head nickel. The bison was redrawn standing on flat ground partway through the year because the raised mound wore away too quickly.

New this year: the Buffalo Nickel.

Last year of the Liberty Head "V" Nickel.

How many coins were made in 1913

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 196,772,281 coins dated 1913 across 23 issues. That is 20% more than in 1912 (163,657,324). In 1914 the figure fell to 153,403,990.

By mint: Philadelphia 158,427,981 (81%, up from 120,244,524), Denver 27,675,300 (14%, down from 32,945,800) and San Francisco 10,669,000 (5.4%, up from 10,467,000).

Those coins held about 2,303,288 troy ounces of pure silver and 822,640 troy ounces of gold.

1913 coins by denomination

Cents: 98,437,352 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Lincoln Wheat Cent, up 19% on 1912. The scarcest is the 1913-S (6,101,000) and the most plentiful the 1913 (76,532,352).

Nickels: 73,659,225 struck in 7 circulation issues of the Liberty Head "V" Nickel and Buffalo Nickel, up 111% on 1912. The scarcest is the 1913 (5) and the most plentiful the 1913 (30,993,520).

Dimes: 20,270,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Barber Dime, down 41% on 1912. The scarcest is the 1913-S (510,000) and the most plentiful the 1913 (19,760,000).

Quarters: 1,974,800 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Barber Quarter, down 61% on 1912. The scarcest is the 1913-S (40,000) and the most plentiful the 1913-D (1,450,800).

Half Dollars: 1,326,624 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Barber Half Dollar, down 75% on 1912. The scarcest is the 1913 (188,624) and the most plentiful the 1913-S (604,000).

Gold Coins: 1,104,280 struck in 5 circulation issues of the Indian Head Eagle and Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, up 29% on 1912. The scarcest is the 1913-S (34,000) and the most plentiful the 1913 (442,000).

Every 1913 circulation issue at a glance

• 1913 Liberty Head "V" Nickel: 5 struck, the lowest mintage of all 34 Liberty Head "V" Nickel issues, down from 26,236,714 in 1912.
• 1913-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle: 34,000 struck, 3rd lowest of 52 in the series, down from 775,750 in 1911.
• 1913-S Barber Quarter: 40,000 struck, the lowest mintage of all 74 Barber Quarter issues, down from 708,000 in 1912.
• 1913-S Indian Head Eagle: 66,000 struck, 7th lowest of 31 in the series, down from 300,000 in 1912.
• 1913 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle: 168,780 struck, 12th lowest of 52 in the series, similar to 1912.
• 1913 Barber Half Dollar: 188,624 struck, 3rd lowest of 73 in the series, down from 1,550,700 in 1912.
• 1913-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle: 393,500 struck, 18th lowest of 52 in the series, down from 846,500 in 1911.
• 1913 Indian Head Eagle: 442,000 struck, more than 80% of the series' 31 issues, similar to 1912.
• 1913 Barber Quarter: 484,000 struck, 5th lowest of 74 in the series, down from 4,400,000 in 1912.
• 1913-S Barber Dime: 510,000 struck, 3rd lowest of 75 in the series, down from 3,420,000 in 1912.
• 1913-D Barber Half Dollar: 534,000 struck, 7th lowest of 73 in the series, down from 2,300,800 in 1912.
• 1913-S Barber Half Dollar: 604,000 struck, 9th lowest of 73 in the series, down from 1,370,000 in 1912.

The 11 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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Buffalo Nickel: Type 1, Type 2 and the wearing date

James Earle Fraser's Buffalo nickel was released in 1913. The first version, Type 1, showed the bison standing on a raised mound with FIVE CENTS on it. The words wore away quickly, so later in 1913 the Mint lowered the ground into a flat line with the denomination below it, creating Type 2. The 1913-S Type 2 is a key date with only 1.2 million made.

The raised date on the obverse also wore quickly, so many coins from this era have partial or missing dates. Other notable coins include the 1914/3 overdate, the 1914-D and 1915-S semi-keys and the rare 1916 doubled die obverse. Matte proofs were struck from 1913 to 1916. Survivors from Denver and San Francisco often show weak strikes on the horn and the bison's head.

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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: The 1913-S and the last Barber dimes

Philadelphia kept production high in the final years, striking 19,760,000 in 1913, 17,360,230 in 1914 and 18,490,000 in 1916, with a dip to 5,620,000 in 1915. Denver struck Barber dimes only in 1914, a run of 11,908,000. It made none in 1913, 1915 or 1916. Across the four years the mints made 82,528,230 Barber dimes.

San Francisco's output varied a great deal. The 1913-S, with 510,000 struck, is the last semi-key of the series and the lowest mintage of any twentieth century Barber dime. The 1915-S, at 960,000, is also scarce. In 1914 and 1916 San Francisco struck 2,100,000 and 5,820,000, so those dates are easy to find. Both final dates are common because Philadelphia and San Francisco struck millions of Barber dimes before the new design was ready.

Proof production ended with very small runs: 425 in 1914 and 450 in 1915, the lowest proof mintages of the series, with no proofs in 1916. Weinman's Mercury dime replaced the Barber design late in 1916, which makes the 1916 and 1916-S the last Barber dimes. Many coins from these years show heavy wear from decades of use. Check that the date and mint mark are clear and that the headband still shows LIBERTY, since a full, sharp LIBERTY on a late date marks a coin of Fine or better and lifts it well above the many worn survivors.

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