1933 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1933

President Roosevelt's Executive Order 6102 required most gold coins to be turned in to the government. More than 445,000 double eagles dated 1933 were struck but never officially released. US gold coinage for circulation ended.

Last year of the Indian Head Eagle and the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle.

The Mint in the 1930s

The Great Depression cut demand for new coins to some of the lowest levels of the century. Several issues from 1931 to 1933 have tiny mintages for the time, including the 1931-S cent and the 1932-D and 1932-S Washington quarters. Gold coins were recalled in 1933 and US gold coinage for circulation ended.

Production recovered later in the decade as the economy improved. The Washington quarter, introduced in 1932, became permanent; the Peace dollar ended in 1935; and the Jefferson nickel replaced the Buffalo nickel in 1938. Proof coins were sold to collectors again from 1936 and coin collecting grew quickly as a hobby, helped by inexpensive coin boards for filling in dates and mint marks.

How many coins were made in 1933

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 23,104,000 coins dated 1933 across 5 issues. That is 26% fewer than in 1932 (31,375,550). In 1934 the figure rose to 358,022,212.

It was the smallest year since 1872.

By mint: Philadelphia 15,118,000 (65%, down from 20,030,750), Denver 6,200,000 (27%, down from 10,936,800) and San Francisco 1,786,000 (7.7%, up from 408,000).

Those coins held about 645,989 troy ounces of pure silver and 582,189 troy ounces of gold.

1933 coins by denomination

Cents: 20,560,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Lincoln Wheat Cent, up 5.1% on 1932. The scarcest is the 1933-D (6,200,000) and the most plentiful the 1933 (14,360,000).

Half Dollars: 1,786,000 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Walking Liberty Half Dollar.

Gold Coins: 758,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Indian Head Eagle and Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, down 86% on 1932. The scarcest is the 1933 (312,500) and the most plentiful the 1933 (445,500).

Every 1933 circulation issue at a glance

• 1933 Indian Head Eagle: 312,500 struck, more than 60% of the series' 31 issues, down from 4,463,000 in 1932.
• 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle: 445,500 struck, 20th lowest of 52 in the series, down from 1,101,750 in 1932.
• 1933-S Walking Liberty Half Dollar: 1,786,000 struck, 16th lowest of 65 in the series, similar to 1929.
• 1933-D Lincoln Wheat Cent: 6,200,000 struck, 14th lowest of 140 in the series, down from 10,500,000 in 1932.
• 1933 Lincoln Wheat Cent: 14,360,000 struck, 23rd lowest of 140 in the series, up from 9,062,000 in 1932.

Lincoln Wheat Cent: The Depression low and the late 1930s boom

The Depression cut cent demand sharply. Production fell to 19 million in Philadelphia in 1931. San Francisco struck just 866,000, creating the 1931-S, a key date that many people saved at the time, so it is more available in uncirculated grades than its mintage suggests. Output stayed low in 1932 and 1933, with no San Francisco cents in either year. Recovery began in 1934, when Philadelphia struck 219 million.

Proof cents returned in 1936, first with a satin finish and later with a brilliant finish. The 1936 also has a doubled die obverse. Output climbed through the late 1930s and topped 887 million in Philadelphia in 1941 as the defense buildup increased spending. Because collecting albums became popular in this decade, many rolls were saved, so uncirculated red coins from 1934 onward are much easier to find than earlier dates.

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Walking Liberty Half Dollar: A pause then steady Depression output

No half dollars were struck from 1930 to 1932 while the Depression cut demand for coins. San Francisco resumed with 1,786,000 in 1933. From 1934 all three mints produced halves in most years. Philadelphia passed 12 million in 1936. Denver skipped 1940 and San Francisco skipped 1938.

Proof Walking Liberty halves were offered from 1936. The 1938-D, with only 491,600 struck, is the lowest mintage of the later years and the key of this period. Coins of the 1930s are easier to find in uncirculated grades than earlier dates because roll collecting caught on during the decade. Strikes also tend to be sharper than on the coins of the 1920s, though full detail on Liberty's hand is still uncommon. Most worn examples are now valued for their silver.

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Indian Head Eagle: The final eagles and the gold recall

San Francisco struck 96,000 eagles in 1930. Almost all were melted, leaving the 1930-S a rarity. No eagles were made in 1931. Philadelphia's 1932 mintage of 4,463,000 was the largest of the series. Many 1932 eagles were exported before the recall, which makes the 1932 the most common date today and a favorite for type sets.

The 1933, with 312,500 struck, was made early in the year shortly before the gold recall under Executive Order 6102 of April 1933. A small number left the Mint and are legal to own, but nearly the entire mintage was melted. It is one of the great rarities among twentieth century gold coins. Counterfeits of the 1930-S and 1933 exist, so certification is important. No eagles were struck after 1933.

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Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle: Late dates and the 1933 double eagle

Double eagles from 1929 to 1932 were struck in good numbers but few were ever released. The 1929, 1930-S, 1931, 1931-D and 1932 are all rare because nearly every coin was melted after the gold recall. Survivors are mostly uncirculated and well struck, since they never saw use in commerce. The 1931-D had a mintage of just 106,500. Counterfeits of these late dates exist, so buy them only certified.

The 1933, with 445,500 struck, was never issued. A few left the Mint unofficially and the government pursued them for decades. Only one example, once owned by King Farouk of Egypt, has been legally cleared for private ownership. The rest of the mintage was melted. The series ended with these coins because gold coinage for circulation stopped in 1933.

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