mintmark

A mintmark is a small letter or symbol placed on a coin to indicate the mint facility where it was produced. The marking helps identify origin, track mintage, and can be of interest to collectors because certain mint marks are rarer than others.

Placement and variation vary by country and time period. In many modern coins, the mintmark appears on the obverse or the reverse, and it may be a single letter or a combination of letters. United States practice, for example, uses several common marks such as D for Denver, S for San Francisco, W for West Point, and O for New Orleans, with historical mints like CC for Carson City and C for Charlotte appearing on older issues. Some series also feature no mintmark at all, particularly many Philadelphia issues, which makes the mint origin harder to determine for those coins.

Purpose and impact on value: Mintmarks serve as a record of production location and can influence scarcity and value. Coins from a low-mintage mint or from a rare minting period with a particular mark may command higher prices among collectors, while coins without a mark can have different market perceptions depending on the issue and year.

Other uses: The concept of a mintmark extends beyond circulating coins to commemoratives, bullion coins, medals, and tokens, where the mark still identifies the mint source. Practices vary internationally, with some countries using marks, others omitting them, and some issuing country-specific conventions for historic mints.