1909 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1909

The Lincoln cent replaced the Indian Head cent to mark the centennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Designer Victor David Brenner's initials V.D.B. on the reverse were removed within days after complaints. The New Orleans Mint struck its last coins that year.

New this year: the Lincoln Wheat Cent.

Last year of the Indian Head Cent.

How many coins were made in 1909

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 168,843,050 coins dated 1909 across 24 issues. That is 47% more than in 1908 (114,858,146). In 1910 the figure rose to 211,901,412.

By mint: Philadelphia 148,879,335 (88%, up from 76,001,718), San Francisco 9,797,275 (5.8%, up from 6,845,678), Denver 6,242,040 (3.7%, down from 18,617,750) and New Orleans 3,924,400 (2.3%, down from 13,393,000).

Those coins held about 5,850,522 troy ounces of pure silver and 3,181,162 troy ounces of gold.

1909 coins by denomination

Cents: 117,684,088 struck in 6 circulation issues of the Indian Head Cent and Lincoln Wheat Cent, up 252% on 1908. The scarcest is the 1909-S (309,000) and the most plentiful the 1909 (72,702,618).

Nickels: 11,590,526 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Liberty Head "V" Nickel, down 49% on 1908.

Dimes: 14,481,000 struck in 4 circulation issues of the Barber Dime, down 37% on 1908. The scarcest is the 1909-D (954,000) and the most plentiful the 1909 (10,240,000).

Quarters: 16,442,000 struck in 4 circulation issues of the Barber Quarter, down 3.6% on 1908. The scarcest is the 1909-O (712,000) and the most plentiful the 1909 (9,268,000).

Half Dollars: 5,058,050 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Barber Half Dollar, down 57% on 1908. The scarcest is the 1909-O (925,400) and the most plentiful the 1909 (2,368,650).

Gold Coins: 3,587,386 struck in 6 circulation issues of the Indian Head Eagle and Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, down 48% on 1908. The scarcest is the 1909-D (52,500) and the most plentiful the 1909-S (2,774,925).

Every 1909 circulation issue at a glance

• 1909-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle: 52,500 struck, 4th lowest of 52 in the series, down from 349,500 in 1908.
• 1909-D Indian Head Eagle: 121,540 struck, 9th lowest of 31 in the series, down from 210,000 in 1908.
• 1909 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle (, includes 1909/8): 161,282 struck, 11th lowest of 52 in the series, similar to 1908.
• 1909 Indian Head Eagle: 184,789 struck, 13th lowest of 31 in the series, up from 33,500 in 1908.
• 1909-S Indian Head Eagle: 292,350 struck, more than 53% of the series' 31 issues, up from 59,850 in 1908.
• 1909-S Indian Head Cent: 309,000 struck, the lowest mintage of all 54 Indian Head Cent issues, down from 1,115,000 in 1908, a famous date.
• 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent: 484,000 struck, the lowest mintage of all 140 Lincoln Wheat Cent issues, a famous date.
• 1909-O Barber Quarter: 712,000 struck, 10th lowest of 74 in the series, down from 6,244,000 in 1908.
• 1909-O Barber Half Dollar: 925,400 struck, 17th lowest of 73 in the series, down from 5,360,000 in 1908.
• 1909-D Barber Dime: 954,000 struck, 12th lowest of 75 in the series, down from 7,490,000 in 1908.
• 1909-S Barber Dime: 1,000,000 struck, 15th lowest of 75 in the series, down from 3,220,000 in 1908.
• 1909-S Barber Quarter: 1,348,000 struck, 18th lowest of 74 in the series, up from 784,000 in 1908.

The 12 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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Lincoln Wheat Cent: VDB, new branch mints and wartime demand

Victor David Brenner's Lincoln cent was released on August 2, 1909, the centennial year of Lincoln's birth. Within days the Mint removed his initials, VDB, from the reverse after complaints that they were too prominent. San Francisco struck only 484,000 cents with the initials, creating the 1909-S VDB, the most famous key in the series. The 1909-S without initials is also scarce at 1.8 million.

Denver began striking cents in 1911. The 1914-D, with 1.2 million made, is another key and is often counterfeited by altering the date or adding a mint mark. Matte proofs were made from 1909 to 1916. Demand rose sharply with World War I. Output in 1917 passed 196 million in Philadelphia, a year that also includes a doubled die obverse. Survivors from this era are usually brown and worn, with full red coins scarce for the branch mints.

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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: New Orleans closes and the 1913-S

New Orleans struck its last quarters in 1909, a run of 712,000 that is scarce today. Philadelphia mintages then dropped, reaching only 484,000 in 1913. The 1913-S, with just 40,000 struck, is the lowest mintage of the series and a major key. The 1914-S, at 264,000, follows it. Both are frequent targets of added mint marks, so a careful look at the S is worthwhile.

The 1911-D and 1912-S, each under one million, are also hard to find well preserved. Production rose again during World War I. Denver struck 6,540,800 quarters in 1916, the year MacNeil's Standing Liberty design replaced Barber's late in the year, which makes the 1916-D the easiest of the final dates. Late Barber quarters stayed in circulation for decades, so many are worn nearly smooth with only partial rims and dates.

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Barber Half Dollar: Four mints and the end at New Orleans

Denver struck its first half dollars in 1906, 4,028,000 of them. For four years all four mints made halves, the only time that happened in the Barber series. New Orleans struck 5,360,000 in 1908 and then 925,400 in 1909, its final half dollars before the mint stopped coining. San Francisco and Philadelphia each struck between about 1.25 and 2.64 million a year.

With so many mints working, the coins of these years are among the easiest Barber halves to find. They make a good starting point for a mint mark set because every coin of 1906 to 1908 is available in moderate grades. The 1909-O is the scarcest of the period. Mint marks sit just below the eagle's tail and are small, so a loupe helps when reading them on worn coins.

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Indian Head Eagle: Steady issues and the 1911-D key

With the motto in place, eagles were struck in most years at Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. The 1911-D, only 30,100, is the key of the period. The 1911-S, 1913-S and 1915-S are scarce, especially well struck. Denver struck 2,356,640 in 1910, the largest branch mint total of these years.

In 1912 two more stars were added to the edge for New Mexico and Arizona, raising the count from 46 to 48. Mint marks sit on the reverse to the left of the arrowheads. Large gold coins like these picked up bag marks easily, so the cheek and the field in front of the face are the places to check. The 1916-S closed the period before World War I halted production.

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Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle: The 1909/8 and the 48 stars

The 1909/8 overdate came from a 1908 die altered for the new year. Traces of the 8 can be seen within the 9 under a loupe. The 1909-D with 52,500 struck and the 1913-S with 34,000 are the scarce dates of the period. In 1912 two stars were added to the ring on the obverse, raising it from 46 to 48 for New Mexico and Arizona.

San Francisco struck large numbers in some years, including 2,774,925 in 1909 and 1,498,000 in 1914, while Philadelphia mintages stayed between about 95,000 and 482,000. Proofs of these years were made in very small numbers with matte and satin-like finishes. No double eagles were made after the 1916-S until 1920. Branch mint coins of this era are often found with heavy bag marks.

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Barber Dime: New Orleans bows out

The New Orleans Mint struck its last dimes in 1909, a run of 2,287,000. New Orleans never struck coins again. Denver's 1909 output was only 954,000, the lowest Denver figure of the series, while San Francisco made exactly 1,000,000. Those three coins are the better dates of the period and each brings more than the Philadelphia dates in any grade.

From 1910 Denver took over much of the branch mint work. Its mintages rose from 3,490,000 in 1910 to 11,209,000 in 1911 and 11,760,000 in 1912, while San Francisco ranged from 1,240,000 to 3,520,000. Philadelphia stayed between 10,240,000 and 19,349,300 a year. The total for 1909 to 1912 came to 98,859,300 dimes. The 1910-S, with 1,240,000 struck, is the scarcest coin dated after 1909 in this group. By now the Barber dime had been the ordinary dime in every pocket for nearly two decades, so most of these coins wore down quickly.

Proof mintages in these years ran between 543 and 700 a year. Those proofs are listed on their own pages. For an ordinary circulated coin, focus on LIBERTY and the rims. Late Barber dimes circulated for decades and many reached About Good, where the rims run into the legend and only part of the date shows. A coin from these years with a sharp, complete LIBERTY is a cut above the typical survivor and deserves a better place in a collection.

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