1970 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1970

The last 40% silver Kennedy half dollars were struck. The 1970-D half was issued only in mint sets.

The Mint in the 1970s

The decade opened with the end of silver in circulating coinage: the last 40% silver Kennedy halves were dated 1970. The Eisenhower dollar arrived in 1971 and after 1974 the San Francisco Mint stopped placing its S on circulating cents, concentrating on proof coins for collectors. Rising copper prices led the Mint to test aluminum cents dated 1974, which were never issued.

For the nation's Bicentennial, quarters, half dollars and dollars struck in 1975 and 1976 all carry the dual date 1776-1976, so no coins of those denominations are dated 1975. The small Susan B. Anthony dollar replaced the Eisenhower dollar in 1979 and the West Point and San Francisco facilities struck unmarked cents to help meet demand.

How many coins were made in 1970

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 7,893,687,562 coins dated 1970 across 10 issues. That is close to the 1969 total of 7,136,669,370. In 1971 the figure fell to 7,260,868,375.

It was the biggest year since 1964.

By mint: Denver 4,581,357,744 (58%, down from 5,013,217,370), Philadelphia 2,380,305,000 (30%, up from 1,458,912,000) and San Francisco 932,024,818 (12%, up from 664,540,000).

Those coins held about 317,971 troy ounces of pure silver.

1970 coins by denomination

Cents: 5,480,313,904 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Lincoln Memorial Cent, down 3.6% on 1969. The scarcest is the 1970-S (690,560,004) and the most plentiful the 1970-D (2,891,438,900).

Nickels: 756,950,194 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Jefferson Nickel, up 134% on 1969. The scarcest is the 1970-S (241,464,814) and the most plentiful the 1970-D (515,485,380).

Dimes: 1,100,512,100 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Roosevelt Dime, up 55% on 1969. The scarcest is the 1970 (345,570,000) and the most plentiful the 1970-D (754,942,100).

Quarters: 553,761,364 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Washington Quarter, up 91% on 1969. The scarcest is the 1970 (136,420,000) and the most plentiful the 1970-D (417,341,364).

Half Dollars: 2,150,000 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Kennedy Half Dollar, down 98% on 1969.

Every 1970 circulation issue at a glance

• 1970-D Kennedy Half Dollar: 2,150,000 struck, 18th lowest of 116 in the series, down from 129,881,800 in 1969, a famous date.
• 1970 Washington Quarter: 136,420,000 struck, more than 59% of the series' 144 issues, down from 176,212,000 in 1969.
• 1970-S Jefferson Nickel: 241,464,814 struck, more than 52% of the series' 146 issues, up from 120,165,000 in 1969.
• 1970 Roosevelt Dime: 345,570,000 struck, 58th lowest of 168 in the series, up from 145,790,000 in 1969.
• 1970-D Washington Quarter: 417,341,364 struck, more than 68% of the series' 144 issues, up from 114,372,000 in 1969.
• 1970-D Jefferson Nickel: 515,485,380 struck, more than 75% of the series' 146 issues, up from 202,807,500 in 1969.
• 1970-S Lincoln Memorial Cent: 690,560,004 struck, 11th lowest of 104 in the series, up from 544,375,000 in 1969.
• 1970-D Roosevelt Dime: 754,942,100 struck, more than 59% of the series' 168 issues, up from 563,323,870 in 1969.
• 1970 Lincoln Memorial Cent: 1,898,315,000 struck, 23rd lowest of 104 in the series, up from 1,136,910,000 in 1969.
• 1970-D Lincoln Memorial Cent: 2,891,438,900 struck, 30th lowest of 104 in the series, down from 4,002,832,200 in 1969.

Lincoln Memorial Cent: No mint marks, special sets and famous doubled dies

The Coinage Act of 1965 left the cent's bronze composition unchanged, but the Mint dropped mint marks from all coins from 1965 to 1967 to discourage hoarding. Collectors were offered Special Mint Sets with satin finish coins instead of proof sets. Mint marks returned in 1968. San Francisco resumed striking cents with an S for the first time since 1955.

Several doubled dies come from this period. The 1969-S doubled die obverse is rare and widely counterfeited. The 1971 and 1972 have doubled die obverses. The 1972 is one of the most dramatic, with strong doubling on the date and LIBERTY. The 1970-S has a scarce small date variety, also called the high 7. Copper prices were rising by 1973, which pushed the Treasury to look for a cheaper metal.

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Jefferson Nickel: Mint marks move to the obverse

When mint marks returned in 1968, they moved to the obverse, just to the right of the date. San Francisco struck circulating nickels from 1968 to 1970, then only proofs from 1971 onward. The 1971 proof nickel without an S, caused by a die that was never punched, is a major rarity, with only about 1,655 reported struck.

Demand grew through the 1970s with inflation. Output at the two main mints sometimes exceeded half a billion. Proofs from 1979 show Filled S and Clear S varieties. The clear S is scarcer. Coins from these years are common, though full steps examples from some Denver dates are hard to find. Many circulated pieces show weak strikes on the steps and on Jefferson's hair, the first places to check.

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Roosevelt Dime: Mint marks move above the date

In 1968 the mint mark moved to the obverse just above the date. San Francisco began striking proof dimes for collectors the same year. A few proof dies left the Mint without the S, creating the rare no-S proofs dated 1968, 1970, 1975 and 1983. The 1975 is one of the great modern rarities with only two examples known. Proof sets of 1979 and 1981 show two mint mark styles: a filled Type 1 S and a clearer Type 2 S that is scarcer.

Philadelphia added a P mint mark to the dime in 1980. Two years later a Philadelphia die missing its P reached circulation. The 1982 no-P dime became one of the most popular modern errors. Business strike mintages stayed in the hundreds of millions per mint and passed one billion at Philadelphia in 1988. Dimes from these years turn up in change constantly. Only well-struck uncirculated pieces, proof varieties and errors draw real collector interest.

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Washington Quarter: Clad quarters and the mint mark move

The 1965 quarter dropped silver for a pure copper core clad in copper-nickel, weighing 5.67 grams. No mint marks were used from 1965 through 1967 and Special Mint Sets replaced proof sets. Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco all struck circulation quarters in those years, so the mint of an individual coin cannot be identified.

From 1968 the mint mark moved to the obverse, to the right of Washington's ribbon. San Francisco took over proof production that year. Transitional errors such as 1965 quarters struck on 90 percent silver planchets are rare and are confirmed by weight. Denver struck more than 417 million quarters in 1970. The 1974 issue was the last with the eagle reverse before the bicentennial design. No quarter carries a 1975 date.

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Kennedy Half Dollar: Forty percent silver years

From 1965 to 1970 the half dollar kept some silver: outer layers of 80 percent silver bonded to a core of about 21 percent silver, for 40 percent overall. As with other denominations, no mint marks were used from 1965 to 1967 and Special Mint Sets replaced proofs. The Mint struck nearly 300 million halves dated 1967.

From 1968 the mint mark moved to the obverse above the date and San Francisco struck the proofs. Philadelphia made no business strike halves from 1968 to 1970. Halves were mostly hoarded by now. In 1970 Denver struck only 2,150,000, all sold in uncirculated sets with none released for circulation. The 1970-D is the key business strike of the series. Coins of these years have a silvery edge without a copper stripe.

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