San Francisco Mint Coins

Why San Francisco needed a mint in 1854

After gold was found at Sutter's Mill in 1848, California was flooded with raw gold but short of coins. Private assayers and coiners such as Moffat and Company and the United States Assay Office of Gold struck ingots and private gold pieces, including heavy fifty-dollar slugs, to fill the gap. Congress authorized a federal branch mint in 1852 and it opened in 1854 in a small, crowded building on Commercial Street. Within a few years it was turning out more gold coins than the building could comfortably handle.

The Granite Lady and the 1906 earthquake

A much larger mint, designed by Alfred B. Mullett, opened at Fifth and Mission Streets in 1874. Locals called it the Granite Lady, though it is built mostly of sandstone over a granite base. When the earthquake and fire of April 1906 destroyed much of the city, mint employees fought the flames with the building's own water supply and saved it along with the gold in its vaults. It was one of the few financial institutions in the city able to operate in the weeks that followed.

Coining moved in 1937 to a third building on a hill near Duboce Avenue, a fortress-like structure that is still in use. The Old Mint at Fifth and Mission survives as a historic landmark.

Closing, reopening and the move to proofs

San Francisco stopped making coins after 1955, when the Treasury judged that Philadelphia and Denver could meet demand. The 1955-S cent was the last S coin for more than a decade, which caused a rush of speculation. In 1962 the facility became an assay office. A severe coin shortage brought the presses back in 1965, though the coins struck from 1965 to 1967 carry no mint mark.

When the S returned in 1968, San Francisco also took over proof coinage from Philadelphia. It struck circulating S cents from 1968 to 1974 as well, which is why S cents of those years turn up in pocket change. Congress formally restored its status as a mint in 1988.

San Francisco rarities beyond the obvious

San Francisco produced many famous low-mintage coins because it often struck only what the West Coast needed. The 1909-S VDB cent, with 484,000 struck, is the best known. The 1931-S cent, the 1893-S Morgan dollar, the 1901-S and 1913-S Barber quarters, the 1926-S Buffalo nickel and the 1878-S Seated Liberty half dollar are all key dates. The 1894-S Barber dime, of which only 24 were reportedly struck, is among the most famous American rarities of any denomination.

Western commerce used gold and silver more than paper money, so S-mint silver dollars and gold coins of the 1880s often survive in large numbers. San Francisco Morgan dollars of that decade are prized for sharp strikes and frosty luster.

Collecting S-mint coins

For dates before 1955 the S is usually on the reverse, often near the bottom. For Lincoln cents it sits below the date. Many popular keys, especially the 1909-S VDB, have been faked by adding an S, so check the shape against an authenticated coin. For modern proofs, compare cameo contrast and look for the No S proof errors, where an engraver forgot to punch the letter on a proof die.

Frequently asked questions