1940 nickle mintmark...........

safetymankwj

Hi everyone, just got a 1940 nickle in pocket change today. Pretty rough but I had a question about the mint mark. When did San Francisco become only mint for proofs? The mint mark on this nickle is an "S" . My experience is very low on nickles, but is this a proof someone put into circ?

ken

1234567890

Nope, not proof. They didn't become Proof only untill the 70's?

MJPHELAN

Philadelphia made the proofs in 1942. The San Francisco mint made circulation coins until 1955. The first proof nickels with an "S" mintmark came out in 1968.

Mark

Numismanic

Proof 1940 nickels were only minted at Philadelphia (no mintmark). San Francisco didn't mint proof
nickels until 1968 (mint mark on obverse). Hope this helps.

safetymankwj

Thanks guys, stillpretty neat finding a coin like this in my pocket change.

RGL

A nice one ... can't recall the last time I found one that old ...

nwcs

It is cool to find one of those old nickels. They're still out there, too, and a thrill to get them. One amendment to S mint coins. They did make more S mint nickels and cents in the late 60s and cents till 1974. They started making all the proofs in 1965, I believe, according to records even though they were unmarked till 1968.

kamehameha00

<< <i>I believe, according to records even though they were unmarked till 1968. >>



I think it was to discourage collecting of date and mintmark of coins?

nwcs

Yeah, that whole time was the "blame it on the coin people" era. Now the mint sees us as a profit source and loves us.

coinkat

Cents minted at San Francisco for circulation were through 1974 (excluding 1956-1967). Nickles for circulation were also minted through 1970 and then only in Proof starting in 1971.