1900 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1900

The Gold Standard Act of March 14, 1900 made gold the only standard for US currency.

How many coins were made in 1900

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 169,183,586 coins dated 1900 across 14 issues. That is 17% more than in 1899 (144,101,781). In 1901 the figure rose to 170,544,579.

No earlier year on our list comes close: it was the largest output up to that point.

By mint: Philadelphia 135,296,409 (80%, up from 117,969,877), New Orleans 20,760,000 (12%, up from 19,308,000) and San Francisco 13,127,177 (7.8%, up from 6,823,904).

Those coins held about 27,504,313 troy ounces of pure silver.

1900 coins by denomination

Cents: 66,831,502 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Indian Head Cent, up 25% on 1899.

Nickels: 27,255,995 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Liberty Head "V" Nickel, up 4.7% on 1899.

Dimes: 24,778,270 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Barber Dime, up 1.7% on 1899. The scarcest is the 1900-O (2,010,000) and the most plentiful the 1900 (17,600,000).

Quarters: 15,290,585 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Barber Quarter, down 4.3% on 1899. The scarcest is the 1900-S (1,858,585) and the most plentiful the 1900 (10,016,000).

Half Dollars: 10,067,234 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Barber Half Dollar, up 12% on 1899. The scarcest is the 1900-S (2,560,322) and the most plentiful the 1900 (4,762,912).

Dollar Coins: 24,960,000 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Morgan Silver Dollar, up 64% on 1899. The scarcest is the 1900-S (3,540,000) and the most plentiful the 1900-O (12,590,000).

Every 1900 circulation issue at a glance

• 1900-S Barber Quarter: 1,858,585 struck, 29th lowest of 74 in the series, up from 708,000 in 1899.
• 1900-O Barber Dime: 2,010,000 struck, 25th lowest of 75 in the series, down from 2,650,000 in 1899.
• 1900-S Barber Half Dollar: 2,560,322 struck, more than 79% of the series' 73 issues, up from 1,686,411 in 1899.
• 1900-O Barber Half Dollar: 2,744,000 struck, more than 83% of the series' 73 issues, up from 1,724,000 in 1899.
• 1900-O Barber Quarter: 3,416,000 struck, more than 59% of the series' 74 issues, up from 2,644,000 in 1899.
• 1900-S Morgan Silver Dollar: 3,540,000 struck, 41st lowest of 96 in the series, up from 2,562,000 in 1899.
• 1900 Barber Half Dollar: 4,762,912 struck, more than 96% of the series' 73 issues, similar to 1899.
• 1900-S Barber Dime: 5,168,270 struck, more than 61% of the series' 75 issues, up from 1,867,493 in 1899.
• 1900 Morgan Silver Dollar: 8,830,000 struck, more than 66% of the series' 96 issues, up from 330,000 in 1899.
• 1900 Barber Quarter: 10,016,000 struck, more than 96% of the series' 74 issues, down from 12,624,000 in 1899.
• 1900-O Morgan Silver Dollar: 12,590,000 struck, more than 85% of the series' 96 issues, similar to 1899.
• 1900 Barber Dime: 17,600,000 struck, more than 86% of the series' 75 issues, similar to 1899.

The 2 more plentiful issues are listed in the tables below.

Indian Head Cent: Record output and the San Francisco keys

Cent production soared in the new century, from 66 million in 1900 to a series high of 108 million in 1907, driven by streetcar fares, penny candy and new vending machines. For the first time the cent was struck outside Philadelphia: San Francisco made 1.1 million cents in 1908, with an S mint mark below the wreath on the reverse.

The 1909-S, with only 309,000 coined before the Lincoln cent arrived in August 1909, is the second key of the series after the 1877. Both S dates have been faked by adding a mint mark to a Philadelphia coin, so experts check the shape and position of the S. Philadelphia made 14.4 million cents in 1909 before the change. Survivors from this decade are plentiful. Many uncirculated coins show red and brown or fully brown color.

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Liberty Head "V" Nickel: The nickel-in-the-slot era

Demand for nickels grew rapidly in the 1900s with streetcar fares, pay telephones and coin operated machines that took five cents. Production passed 26 million in 1900, reached 38.6 million in 1906 and topped 39 million in 1907 and 1911, the highest figure of the series. Nickelodeon theaters, named after their five-cent admission, spread across the country in these years.

Because so many were made, coins from this period are the easiest Liberty Head nickels to find in every grade. Strikes are usually better than in the 1880s. Many show full corn ears and a clear LIBERTY. Uncirculated examples were saved in larger numbers as coin collecting grew, though original luster without spots is less common. These dates are a practical place to start a set or to choose a single type coin.

These are the dates that turn up most often in old jars and family collections. Yearly mintages ran from about 11 million to nearly 40 million, so worn examples are easy to find and carry only a small premium. The coins worth setting aside are the ones with a full, readable LIBERTY and original surfaces, plus anything that looks uncirculated.

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Barber Quarter: The San Francisco keys

San Francisco's Barber quarter mintages fell sharply in these years. The 1896-S (188,039) and the 1901-S (72,664) are the two keys of the period. The 1901-S is the rarest regular Barber quarter in any grade. The 1897-S and 1899-S, with 542,229 and 708,000 struck, are also scarce in better condition.

Philadelphia, by contrast, struck between 8 and 12.6 million a year from 1897 to 1901, so Philadelphia quarters of these dates are common. Altered mint marks are a concern for the 1896-S and 1901-S, since an S can be added to a common Philadelphia coin. Check the mint mark under magnification for seams or tool marks. On worn coins the headband goes smooth, so a complete LIBERTY marks a coin of Fine or better.

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Barber Half Dollar: Key dates from New Orleans and San Francisco

The 1897-O (632,000) and 1897-S (933,900) are the keys of the series and are scarce in every grade. Later scarce dates include the 1901-S (847,044), the 1904-S (553,038) and the 1905-O (505,000). Philadelphia's own 1905 mintage of 662,727 was also low, though Philadelphia struck far more in most other years of the period.

Philadelphia mintages otherwise rose, reaching 5,538,846 in 1899, so Philadelphia halves of the late 1890s are common in worn grades. Because the key dates are branch mint coins, altered or added mint marks are a known problem. Check the O or S below the eagle under magnification. When judging grade, look for a complete LIBERTY on the headband and clear feathers on the eagle's wings. Many key date survivors are worn to Good, with the rims touching the legends.

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Morgan Silver Dollar: Low Philadelphia mintages and the Treasury releases

With the Sherman Act repealed in 1893, the Mint coined silver it had already bought. Philadelphia struck only 110,000 in 1894. For 1895 only about 880 proofs are confirmed, since the business strikes reported for that year have never been found. That makes the 1895 the most famous Morgan date. Output rose again from 1896, with New Orleans passing 12 million in 1899, 1900 and 1901.

New Orleans coins such as the 1898-O, 1903-O and 1904-O were long thought rare until Treasury vault releases in 1962 to 1964 put sealed bags into collectors' hands. Philadelphia's 1899 run of 330,000 and the 1895-O and 1895-S remain scarce. The 1901 from Philadelphia is common worn but rare uncirculated. Coinage ended in 1904 when the bullion bought under the Sherman Act ran out.

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Barber Dime: Big Philadelphia runs and two San Francisco semi-keys

Prosperity returned at the end of the decade. Philadelphia struck between 16,320,000 and 21,380,000 dimes every year from 1898 to 1903 and New Orleans reached 8,180,000 in 1903. Across the six years the three mints made 150,614,257 Barber dimes, so most dates from this stretch are easy to find in worn condition and make good, inexpensive fillers for an album. Proofs were struck every year in small numbers, between 735 and 912 a year in this stretch. They are listed on their own pages.

San Francisco is the exception. Its output swung from 5,168,270 in 1900 down to 593,022 in 1901 and 613,300 in 1903. Those two coins are the semi-keys of the period. The 1901-S was the first twentieth century Barber dime of real scarcity. The 1903-S is unusually scarce for a coin struck so late. Both are hard to find in uncirculated condition and carry a collector premium in any grade.

New Orleans dimes of these years, from 2,010,000 in 1900 up to 8,180,000 in 1903, tend to be softly struck, with weak detail in the wreath and on Liberty's hair. Don't mistake a weak strike for wear. Judge the grade from LIBERTY on the headband and the high points of the wreath. Remember that many coins of the era survive only in low grades because they circulated for decades before anyone thought to save them.

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