2003 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 2003

The last Jefferson nickels with the original 1938 design were struck before the Westward Journey series.

Last year of the Jefferson Nickel.

How many coins were made in 2003

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 12,036,440,000 coins dated 2003 across 20 issues. That is 16% fewer than in 2002 (14,413,236,610). In 2004 the figure rose to 13,181,260,000.

It was the smallest year since 1992.

By mint: Denver 6,082,320,000 (51%, down from 7,825,291,000) and Philadelphia 5,954,120,000 (49%, down from 6,587,945,610).

2003 coins by denomination

Cents: 6,848,000,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Lincoln Memorial Cent, down 6% on 2002. The scarcest is the 2003 (3,300,000,000) and the most plentiful the 2003-D (3,548,000,000).

Nickels: 824,880,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Jefferson Nickel, down 33% on 2002. The scarcest is the 2003-D (383,040,000) and the most plentiful the 2003-P (441,840,000).

Dimes: 2,072,000,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Roosevelt Dime, down 19% on 2002. The scarcest is the 2003-D (986,500,000) and the most plentiful the 2003-P (1,085,500,000).

Quarters: 2,280,400,000 struck in 10 circulation issues of the 50 State Quarter, down 31% on 2002. The scarcest is the 2003-P Maine Quarter (217,400,000) and the most plentiful the 2003-D Illinois Quarter (237,400,000).

Half Dollars: 5,000,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Kennedy Half Dollar, down 11% on 2002. The scarcest is the 2003-P (2,500,000) and the most plentiful the 2003-D (2,500,000).

Dollar Coins: 6,160,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Sacagawea Dollar, down 19% on 2002. The scarcest is the 2003-P (3,080,000) and the most plentiful the 2003-D (3,080,000).

Every 2003 circulation issue at a glance

• 2003-P Kennedy Half Dollar: 2,500,000 struck, 26th lowest of 116 in the series, similar to 2002.
• 2003-D Kennedy Half Dollar: 2,500,000 struck, 27th lowest of 116 in the series, similar to 2002.
• 2003-P Sacagawea Dollar: 3,080,000 struck, more than 58% of the series' 46 issues, down from 3,865,610 in 2002.
• 2003-D Sacagawea Dollar: 3,080,000 struck, more than 60% of the series' 46 issues, similar to 2002.
• 2003-P Maine Quarter: 217,400,000 struck, 4th lowest of 100 in the series.
• 2003-P Alabama Quarter: 225,000,000 struck, 6th lowest of 100 in the series.
• 2003-P Missouri Quarter: 225,000,000 struck, 7th lowest of 100 in the series.
• 2003-P Illinois Quarter: 225,800,000 struck, 8th lowest of 100 in the series.
• 2003-P Arkansas Quarter: 228,000,000 struck, 12th lowest of 100 in the series.
• 2003-D Missouri Quarter: 228,200,000 struck, 13th lowest of 100 in the series.
• 2003-D Arkansas Quarter: 229,800,000 struck, 14th lowest of 100 in the series.
• 2003-D Maine Quarter: 231,400,000 struck, 15th lowest of 100 in the series.

The 8 more plentiful issues are listed in the tables below.

Lincoln Memorial Cent: Rising metal costs and the last Memorial cents

Cent production fell from the 2000 peak, settling between about 2.5 and 4.3 billion a year at each mint from 2002. By 2006 rising zinc and copper prices meant the cent cost more than face value to make. In December 2006 the Mint issued rules restricting the melting and export of cents and nickels, since older bronze cents contained more than a cent of metal.

Beginning in 2005, the Mint's uncirculated sets included cents with a satin finish, giving these years a distinct collector version. Proof cents from San Francisco show deep mirror fields with frosted designs. The 2008 marked the last year of the Memorial reverse before the 2009 Bicentennial designs. Circulated coins from this period often show plating wear or zinc rot, while many collectors still save rolls of uncirculated cents.

See every Lincoln Memorial Cent →

Jefferson Nickel: Matte finishes and the final original Monticello years

Special matte finish nickels were made for collector sets in 1994 and 1997. The 1994-P came in a Jefferson coin and currency set marking his 250th birthday, while the 1997-P came in a set honoring the U.S. Botanic Garden. The 1997-P matte is scarce, with only about 25,000 made. Output climbed past a billion at each mint in 1999. Denver struck 1.5 billion in 2000.

Demand eased after 2000. Production fell to about 440 million at Philadelphia and 383 million at Denver in 2003, the last year of the original Schlag design before the Westward Journey series. Coins from these years are abundant. Full steps examples are generally easier to find than for earlier dates. San Francisco proofs show deep mirrors with frosted designs.

See every Jefferson Nickel →

Roosevelt Dime: Silver proofs and the 1996-W

Silver proof sets returned in 1992, so collectors could once more buy proof dimes struck in 90 percent silver at San Francisco alongside the clad proofs. In 1996 the Mint marked the dime's 50th anniversary by placing a West Point dime with a W mint mark in each uncirculated set. About 1.46 million were made, the lowest mintage dime of the 1990s apart from the proofs.

Circulation demand peaked in 1999, when Philadelphia alone struck more than 2.1 billion dimes. From 2005 the dimes in uncirculated sets carried a satin finish that sets them apart from business strikes, a detail worth checking when sorting coins removed from sets. Dimes of this era found in pocket change are usually lightly worn clad pieces with their outer layers intact. Proof dimes from both the clad and silver sets of these years survive in large numbers.

See every Roosevelt Dime →

Kennedy Half Dollar: Collector-only production

From 2002 the Mint stopped releasing halves into circulation and struck them only for collectors, sold in rolls, bags and sets. Mintages stayed between about 1.7 and 3.8 million per mint through 2012. In 2014 the Mint marked the 50th anniversary with a 1964-2014 dual-dated gold proof from West Point, 73,772 struck, along with silver versions from all four mints.

Silver proofs switched to .999 fine silver in 2019. Output for collectors rose again after 2020, with Philadelphia striking 30.2 million in 2023. Business strikes of these years are rarely found in change, so most surviving coins are uncirculated, often still in original Mint rolls or packaging. Silver proofs of the 2020s were made in smaller numbers than those of earlier decades.

See every Kennedy Half Dollar →

Sacagawea Dollar: The golden dollar and the soaring eagle

The Sacagawea dollar launched in 2000 with a large publicity push, including dollars handed out through a cereal promotion and at a national retail chain. Philadelphia and Denver struck well over a billion coins that first year. People liked the gold color but kept spending paper dollars and the coins piled up in bank vaults.

From 2002 the Mint stopped shipping Sacagawea dollars for general circulation and sold them to collectors in rolls, bags and sets instead. That is why mintages drop from hundreds of millions in 2000 and tens of millions in 2001 to a few million a year after that and why later dates from these years are rarely found in change. Uncirculated coins with bright, untoned color are the ones collectors want.

See every Sacagawea Dollar →