What's the lowest mintage business strike coin of the 20th century?

SethChandler

High Reliefs not included.

No Red Books allowed.

Tough one.

FrattLaw

If it ain't bullion then it has to be one of the modern commems. There are several with mintages less than 20,000.

Michael

MrEureka

1907 Wire Edge $10

segoja

Regular issue or proofs?

Do Commems count? Some of those are low mintage for MS coins.

From a proof perspective I would think the matte finish 1922 Peace dollars or the satin finish proof peace dollars are below 10

goose3

1916 slq

jdimmick

Excluding gold, I was thinking it was the 13-s quarter?

trbyrne

97 Jackie Robinson?

Gonfunko

<< <i>No Red Books allowed. >>


What about Blue Books?

SethChandler

Come on fellows, a business strike coin! Something that was made to CIRCULATE.

MrEureka

Well, the 08-S $20 circulated more than the 07 W.E. $10, but I stick by my original answer.

DeepCoin

Well, the 1933 $20 Saint has an authorized population of one and it is a circulation strike. I think you would want to exclude this one also, but unless you do it has to be the winner.

topstuf

2006 1 dollar UN Provisional Gov't for the United States.

Obv: John Kerry
Rev: Chinese Junk

tjkillian

I would go with the 1933 double eagle too. They only made business strikes to circulate. Currently, there is only one allowed and not many in any event.

Tom

Coin Finder

13 s BArber Quarter

Tbig

cladking

If you're talking about regular issue and intentionally struck then I believe the
'13-S quarter is it, but there are a few business strike coins which would be lower
mintage. The '82-NMM dime for instance would probably be much lower.

A case could be made for the '43-D copper cent and others, too.

tradedollarnut

According to the secret service, it might well be the 1959 wheat ear cent.

ziggy29

If we're talking about total for date and mint within a major design type (i.e. not including varieties or errors) where mintage figures are published, and we exclude gold and weeding out apocrypha like the 1913 Liberty nickel, then I believe the '13-S quarter wins.

Cratylus

Actually, there were 445,500 1933 Double Eagles minted. It's just that only a few survived the melt ordered by FDR.

Commems don't count because they are considered non-circulating legal tender; double-dies and error coins wouldn't count because they weren't intentionally produced that way for circulation; the 1913 Liberty Nickel wouldn't count since apparently it was illegally struck by a mint worker(s) and not an intended for circulation by the Mint.

I would be tempted to say the 1907 Type I Eagle with a mintage of only 450, but it was not intended for circulation.

Thus, the lowest MINTAGE business strike of the 20th century would have to be the 1908-S Double Eagle with a mintage of only 22,000.

cladking

This thread had to degenerate because there are too many ways to define "business strike".

Even "regular issue" can become a little slippery.

MFH

Okay, I think I get your meaning:

Only coins that were made for circulation , meaning, obviously no proofs.
And, no gold, okay. Also, no commems, okay.

No "mules"...ie the 1959 Wheat Ear Cent...etc. No "made for collector" coins, ie: 1913 "V" Nickel.

My vote has to go with an error coin, so to speak...
its the 1922 Plain - Lincoln Cent.

It was produced for circulation, and I believe that there are about only 3000 to 4000 coins known in all grades (with the strong reverse die). I'm sure there are at least another thousand still in raw state in "old-timey" coin boards. So with a grand estimate of 4 to 5 thousand cents around, its got to be just about the lowest circulating coin mintage in the 20th Century ....

I'm sure, I've over looked something....

relayer

Here are the top 10 lowest mintages for 20th Century business stirkes:

1 1913 S Barber Quarter 40,000
2 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter 52,000
3 1901 S Barber Quarter 72,664
4 1914 Barber Half Dollar 124,230
5 1915 Barber Half Dollar 138,000
6 1913 Barber Half Dollar 188,000
7 1921 D Walking Liberty Half Dollar 208,000
8 1912 S Liberty Head Nickel 238,000
9 1921 Walking Liberty Half Dollar 246,000
10 1916 D Mercury Dime 264,000

my3cents

wait! what about the famopus "peeing" minuteman quarter? Only 1 ever made

MFH

See, I knew there was something that I forgot !

sliderider

1913-S Barber 25C. Total production of just 40,000 pieces.

Cratylus

<< <i>Here are the top 10 lowest mintages for 20th Century business stirkes: >>




You're forgetting that gold coins were also meant for circulation. Thus, the 1908-S Double Eagle wins with 22,000 vs. the 1913-S Quarter with 40,000.

Cratylus

<< <i>My vote has to go with an error coin, so to speak... its the 1922 Plain - Lincoln Cent. It was produced for circulation, and I believe that there are about only 3000 to 4000 coins known in all grades >>



Breen says 507,000 of the 1922 Plain were minted. Nonetheless, I would disqualify this on the basis that this date is really a screw up of the 1922-D. If we're going to allow this, then the obvious winner would be the 1916 Half Eagle (a screw up of the 1916-S) with a grand total mintage of 2 coins.

MFH

Well, that settles it then, its got be be the 1916 half eagle. I never knew one existed.

ziggy29

<< <i>Breen says 507,000 of the 1922 Plain were minted. >>

This sounds like one of those "made up" things that some have attributed to Breen. I don't know how you can come up with this number unless you just estimate by considering how many dies were affected, and how many 1922 Denver cents the average die produced.

MFH

My estimate was for a no D, strong reverse. Var. 2.

I am sure that there are far more Var. 1 & Var. 3.

It seems that alot of Breen's estimates have been called into question; although his contributions to the hobby are immeasurable.

airplanenut

<< <i>wait! what about the famopus "peeing" minuteman quarter? Only 1 ever made >>

It's proof, and quite a few are known

eddieal

1901-S Barber Quarter?

rich

How about the
1856 Flying Eagle cent (about 2500 minted)

MFH

1856 Flying Eagle - its a pattern coin and was restruck for collectors.

dbldie55

<< <i>1856 Flying Eagle - its a pattern coin and was restruck for collectors. >>



And it was not minted in the 20th century!

oreville

Conder101

<< <i><< Breen says 507,000 of the 1922 Plain were minted. >> >>


And that is just nonsense. Back then a typical cent die woud have an average life of around 600,000 coins, but the 1922 "P" was created by a die that was near or evn past the end of it's normal life. The badly worn die was polished down until the mintmark was gone. So the 22 "P" was created by a die that was already ready for retirement. The idea that after that point it then created as many coins as a brand new die is silly. 50,000 maybe but not 500,000.

jom

<< <i>1 1913 S Barber Quarter 40,0001 1913
2 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter 52,000
3 1901 S Barber Quarter 72,664
4 1914 Barber Half Dollar 124,230
5 1915 Barber Half Dollar 138,000
6 1913 Barber Half Dollar 188,000
7 1921 D Walking Liberty Half Dollar 208,000
8 1912 S Liberty Head Nickel 238,000
9 1921 Walking Liberty Half Dollar 246,000
10 1916 D Mercury Dime 264,000 >>



What about?:
1909-O Half Eagle 34,200
1911-D Half Eagle 72,500
1908-S Half Eagle 82,000
1908-P No Motto Eagle 33,500
1911-D Eagle 30,100
1911-S Eagle 52,000

There are probably a number of Saints also.

jom