1941 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1941

The United States entered the Second World War in December 1941 and wartime demand soon pushed coin production to record levels.

How many coins were made in 1941

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 1,827,399,200 coins dated 1941 across 15 issues. That is 51% more than in 1940 (1,209,414,600). In 1942 the figure fell to 1,630,501,000.

No earlier year on our list comes close: it was the largest output up to that point.

By mint: Philadelphia 1,368,597,000 (75%, up from 873,505,000), Denver 255,729,200 (14%, up from 148,925,600) and San Francisco 203,073,000 (11%, up from 186,984,000).

Those coins held about 55,055,397 troy ounces of pure silver.

1941 coins by denomination

Cents: 1,108,078,000 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Lincoln Wheat Cent, up 42% on 1940. The scarcest is the 1941-S (92,360,000) and the most plentiful the 1941 (887,018,000).

Nickels: 300,142,000 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Jefferson Nickel, up 16% on 1940. The scarcest is the 1941-S (43,445,000) and the most plentiful the 1941 (203,265,000).

Dimes: 263,814,000 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Mercury Dime, up 144% on 1940. The scarcest is the 1941-S (43,090,000) and the most plentiful the 1941 (175,090,000).

Quarters: 111,826,800 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Washington Quarter, up 139% on 1940. The scarcest is the 1941-S (16,080,000) and the most plentiful the 1941 (79,032,000).

Half Dollars: 43,538,400 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Walking Liberty Half Dollar, up 218% on 1940. The scarcest is the 1941-S (8,098,000) and the most plentiful the 1941 (24,192,000).

Every 1941 circulation issue at a glance

• 1941-S Walking Liberty Half Dollar: 8,098,000 struck, more than 67% of the series' 65 issues, up from 4,550,000 in 1940.
• 1941-D Walking Liberty Half Dollar: 11,248,400 struck, more than 83% of the series' 65 issues, up from 4,267,800 in 1939.
• 1941-S Washington Quarter: 16,080,000 struck, 34th lowest of 144 in the series, up from 8,244,000 in 1940.
• 1941-D Washington Quarter: 16,714,800 struck, 36th lowest of 144 in the series, up from 2,797,600 in 1940.
• 1941 Walking Liberty Half Dollar: 24,192,000 struck, more than 94% of the series' 65 issues, up from 9,156,000 in 1940.
• 1941-S Mercury Dime: 43,090,000 struck, more than 74% of the series' 77 issues, up from 21,560,000 in 1940.
• 1941-S Jefferson Nickel: 43,445,000 struck, 33rd lowest of 146 in the series, similar to 1940.
• 1941-D Mercury Dime: 45,634,000 struck, more than 75% of the series' 77 issues, up from 21,198,000 in 1940.
• 1941-D Jefferson Nickel: 53,432,000 struck, 40th lowest of 146 in the series, similar to 1940.
• 1941 Washington Quarter: 79,032,000 struck, more than 52% of the series' 144 issues, up from 35,704,000 in 1940.
• 1941-S Lincoln Wheat Cent: 92,360,000 struck, more than 52% of the series' 140 issues, similar to 1940.
• 1941-D Lincoln Wheat Cent: 128,700,000 struck, more than 56% of the series' 140 issues, up from 81,390,000 in 1940.

The 3 more plentiful issues are listed in the tables below.

Lincoln Wheat Cent: The Depression low and the late 1930s boom

The Depression cut cent demand sharply. Production fell to 19 million in Philadelphia in 1931. San Francisco struck just 866,000, creating the 1931-S, a key date that many people saved at the time, so it is more available in uncirculated grades than its mintage suggests. Output stayed low in 1932 and 1933, with no San Francisco cents in either year. Recovery began in 1934, when Philadelphia struck 219 million.

Proof cents returned in 1936, first with a satin finish and later with a brilliant finish. The 1936 also has a doubled die obverse. Output climbed through the late 1930s and topped 887 million in Philadelphia in 1941 as the defense buildup increased spending. Because collecting albums became popular in this decade, many rolls were saved, so uncirculated red coins from 1934 onward are much easier to find than earlier dates.

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Jefferson Nickel: Felix Schlag's new nickel

In 1938 Felix Schlag won the design competition for a new nickel. His portrait of Thomas Jefferson with Monticello on the reverse was released in November. The Mint modified his original design, changing Monticello from an angled view to a straight front view. The 1938-D and 1938-S were saved in rolls by collectors.

The 1939 has a doubled MONTICELLO reverse variety. The 1939-D is a semi-key with 3.5 million made. The reverse hub was sharpened around 1940. Some 1939 and 1940 coins with the older, softer steps are collected as the Reverse of 1938. Collectors grade these nickels by the number of steps on Monticello. Fully struck steps are scarce for many dates. Output climbed to more than 200 million in 1941.

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Washington Quarter: Wartime quarters in record numbers

World War II brought full employment and heavy coin demand. Philadelphia's output jumped from 35.7 million in 1940 to 79 million in 1941 and passed 100 million in 1942 and 1944, while Denver and San Francisco struck between about 12 and 21.7 million each year. Unlike the nickel, the quarter kept its 90 percent silver composition throughout the war.

Doubled die obverses are known for the 1942-D and 1943-S. A 1943 Philadelphia doubled die also exists. Proof quarters ended after 1942 and did not return until 1950. Most wartime quarters circulated hard and now turn up in silver lots with moderate wear. Uncirculated rolls were saved in quantity, so even the branch mint dates of these years are available in mint state.

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Walking Liberty Half Dollar: The short set of wartime halves

Wartime demand pushed Philadelphia mintages to 47.8 million in 1942 and 53.2 million in 1943. Denver and San Francisco each struck around 8 to 13 million a year during the war. Because coins from 1941 to 1947 are common in high grades, many collectors assemble them as a short set rather than chasing the full series.

Some 1941 proofs lack Weinman's AW monogram because the die was polished too heavily. The 1946 doubled die reverse shows strong doubling in E PLURIBUS UNUM and in the eagle's feathers. Proofs ended after 1942. Production fell to about 4 million each at Philadelphia and Denver in 1947, the last year before the Franklin half. San Francisco made no halves that year. Silver remained at 90 percent throughout.

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Mercury Dime: Prewar abundance

Mintages kept rising as the economy recovered and defense spending grew. Philadelphia struck 22,190,000 dimes in 1938, then 67,740,000 in 1939, 65,350,000 in 1940 and 175,090,000 in 1941. Denver and San Francisco followed the same curve, from 5,537,000 for the 1938-D to more than 43 million each in 1941. In all, the three mints made 510,413,000 Mercury dimes dated 1938 to 1941.

Proofs were struck every year, rising from 8,728 in 1938 to 16,557 in 1941. Collectors kept saving business strikes by the roll. As a result, almost every date of the period is easy to find uncirculated. The 1938-D is the scarcest of the group by mintage but is still a common coin. Strikes are generally better than in the 1920s, so full-band examples exist for every date, though the bands still vary a lot from coin to coin.

These are the dimes that most often turn up in old jars, coin folders and inherited collections. A worn piece is worth its metal value, since every one contains 0.0723 troy ounces of silver. Uncirculated coins with full bands bring a small premium or more. Silver dimes stayed in circulation until the Mint switched to copper-nickel clad in 1965, after which people pulled the old silver ones from change, so many of these coins spent only a couple of decades in use.

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