1915 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1915

San Francisco hosted the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, for which the Mint struck commemorative coins including $50 gold pieces.

Last year of the Barber Half Dollar.

How many coins were made in 1915

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 104,537,240 coins dated 1915 across 18 issues. That is 32% fewer than in 1914 (153,403,990). In 1916 the figure rose to 347,639,473.

It was the smallest year since 1896.

By mint: Philadelphia 59,820,840 (57%, down from 119,879,490), Denver 34,483,900 (33%, up from 20,855,500) and San Francisco 10,232,500 (9.8%, down from 12,669,000).

Those coins held about 2,954,278 troy ounces of pure silver and 894,447 troy ounces of gold.

1915 coins by denomination

Cents: 55,975,120 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Lincoln Wheat Cent, down 31% on 1914. The scarcest is the 1915-S (4,833,000) and the most plentiful the 1915 (29,092,120).

Nickels: 30,061,770 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Buffalo Nickel, up 7.2% on 1914. The scarcest is the 1915-S (1,505,000) and the most plentiful the 1915 (20,987,270).

Dimes: 6,580,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Barber Dime, down 79% on 1914. The scarcest is the 1915-S (960,000) and the most plentiful the 1915 (5,620,000).

Quarters: 7,878,000 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Barber Quarter, down 18% on 1914. The scarcest is the 1915-S (704,000) and the most plentiful the 1915-D (3,694,000).

Half Dollars: 2,912,850 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Barber Half Dollar, up 161% on 1914. The scarcest is the 1915 (138,450) and the most plentiful the 1915-S (1,604,000).

Gold Coins: 1,129,500 struck in 4 circulation issues of the Indian Head Eagle and Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, down 59% on 1914. The scarcest is the 1915-S (59,000) and the most plentiful the 1915-S (567,500).

Every 1915 circulation issue at a glance

• 1915-S Indian Head Eagle: 59,000 struck, 5th lowest of 31 in the series, down from 208,000 in 1914.
• 1915 Barber Half Dollar: 138,450 struck, 2nd lowest of 73 in the series, similar to 1914.
• 1915 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle: 152,000 struck, 9th lowest of 52 in the series, up from 95,250 in 1914.
• 1915 Indian Head Eagle: 351,000 struck, more than 73% of the series' 31 issues, up from 151,000 in 1914.
• 1915-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle: 567,500 struck, more than 51% of the series' 52 issues, down from 1,498,000 in 1914.
• 1915-S Barber Quarter: 704,000 struck, 7th lowest of 74 in the series, up from 264,000 in 1914.
• 1915-S Barber Dime: 960,000 struck, 13th lowest of 75 in the series, down from 2,100,000 in 1914.
• 1915-D Barber Half Dollar: 1,170,400 struck, 28th lowest of 73 in the series, up from 534,000 in 1913.
• 1915-S Buffalo Nickel: 1,505,000 struck, 5th lowest of 64 in the series, down from 3,470,000 in 1914.
• 1915-S Barber Half Dollar: 1,604,000 struck, more than 50% of the series' 73 issues, up from 992,000 in 1914.
• 1915 Barber Quarter: 3,480,000 struck, more than 62% of the series' 74 issues, down from 6,244,230 in 1914.
• 1915-D Barber Quarter: 3,694,000 struck, more than 66% of the series' 74 issues, similar to 1914.

The 6 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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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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