1946 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1946

The Roosevelt dime was introduced in January 1946, less than a year after President Franklin Roosevelt's death, honoring his work with the March of Dimes.

New this year: the Roosevelt Dime.

How many coins were made in 1946

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 2,154,312,500 coins dated 1946 across 15 issues. That is close to the 1945 total of 2,100,695,501. In 1947 the figure fell to 896,512,600.

By mint: Philadelphia 1,473,575,000 (68%, up from 1,424,927,100), Denver 433,249,500 (20%, up from 365,979,400) and San Francisco 247,488,000 (11%, down from 309,789,001).

Those coins held about 43,471,543 troy ounces of pure silver.

1946 coins by denomination

Cents: 1,505,445,000 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Lincoln Wheat Cent, up 1.1% on 1945. The scarcest is the 1946-S (198,100,000) and the most plentiful the 1946 (991,655,000).

Nickels: 219,968,200 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Jefferson Nickel, up 2.1% on 1945. The scarcest is the 1946-S (13,560,000) and the most plentiful the 1946 (161,116,000).

Dimes: 344,193,500 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Roosevelt Dime, up 43% on 1945. The scarcest is the 1946-S (27,900,000) and the most plentiful the 1946 (255,250,000).

Quarters: 66,712,800 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Washington Quarter, down 36% on 1945. The scarcest is the 1946-S (4,204,000) and the most plentiful the 1946 (53,436,000).

Half Dollars: 17,993,000 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Walking Liberty Half Dollar, down 65% on 1945. The scarcest is the 1946-D (2,151,000) and the most plentiful the 1946 (12,118,000).

Every 1946 circulation issue at a glance

• 1946-D Walking Liberty Half Dollar: 2,151,000 struck, 21st lowest of 65 in the series, down from 9,966,800 in 1945.
• 1946-S Walking Liberty Half Dollar: 3,724,000 struck, 28th lowest of 65 in the series, down from 10,156,000 in 1945.
• 1946-S Washington Quarter: 4,204,000 struck, 10th lowest of 144 in the series, down from 17,004,001 in 1945.
• 1946-D Washington Quarter: 9,072,800 struck, 21st lowest of 144 in the series, down from 12,341,600 in 1945.
• 1946 Walking Liberty Half Dollar: 12,118,000 struck, more than 86% of the series' 65 issues, down from 31,502,000 in 1945.
• 1946-S Jefferson Nickel: 13,560,000 struck, 11th lowest of 146 in the series, down from 58,939,000 in 1945.
• 1946-S Roosevelt Dime: 27,900,000 struck, 9th lowest of 168 in the series.
• 1946-D Jefferson Nickel: 45,292,200 struck, 36th lowest of 146 in the series, similar to 1945.
• 1946 Washington Quarter: 53,436,000 struck, 66th lowest of 144 in the series, down from 74,372,000 in 1945.
• 1946-D Roosevelt Dime: 61,043,500 struck, 24th lowest of 168 in the series.
• 1946 Jefferson Nickel: 161,116,000 struck, 67th lowest of 146 in the series, up from 119,408,100 in 1945.
• 1946-S Lincoln Wheat Cent: 198,100,000 struck, more than 72% of the series' 140 issues, similar to 1945.

The 3 more plentiful issues are listed in the tables below.

Lincoln Wheat Cent: Steel cents and shell case brass

Copper was needed for the war effort, so in 1943 the Mint struck cents on zinc coated steel. They are lighter at 2.70 grams, stick to a magnet and were often confused with dimes. The zinc coating wore quickly and the steel rusted, so most survivors are dull gray or spotted. A few bronze cents dated 1943 were struck by mistake on leftover planchets and rank among the most famous errors, though most offered are plated or altered fakes.

In 1944 the Mint returned to a copper alloy made partly from melted cartridge cases, which gives these coins a slightly different shade. A few 1944 cents were struck on steel planchets by mistake. Denver made the 1944-D/S overmintmark. The 1943-D has a repunched D variety. Production stayed very high through 1946, so common dates from these years are easy to find, often with bright red color.

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Jefferson Nickel: Return to copper-nickel and the 1950-D

The prewar alloy of 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel returned in 1946, along with the small mint mark to the right of Monticello. Output was modest in the late 1940s as wartime demand eased. The 1950-D, with only 2.6 million coined, became the key date of the series. Speculators hoarded it in rolls almost at once, so it is found in uncirculated condition more often than worn.

Overmintmarks from this period include the 1949-D/S, 1954-S/D and 1955-D/S, created when a die was punched with one mint mark and then corrected with another. San Francisco stopped striking nickels after 1954. Philadelphia struck a low 8.3 million in 1955. Coins from these years are common in uncirculated condition, but full steps examples are scarce for many dates, especially from Denver and San Francisco.

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Roosevelt Dime: Silver dimes from three mints

The Roosevelt dime went into circulation on January 30, 1946, Franklin Roosevelt's birthday, less than a year after his death. John R. Sinnock's design honored the president's work for the March of Dimes. Philadelphia struck more than 255 million in that first year alone. Denver and San Francisco also struck dimes, with the mint mark placed on the reverse just left of the torch base. Proof dimes returned in 1950 after a pause that began during World War II.

Output fell sharply in 1949 and again in 1955. The 1949-S at about 13.5 million and the three 1955 issues have the lowest mintages of the silver era. The 1955-S was also the last dime with an S mint mark made for circulation. Collectors look closely at the torch, where fully separated horizontal bands earn a Full Bands designation. Most survivors from these years are worn silver pieces that were pulled from change before 1965.

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Washington Quarter: Postwar silver to the end

Production slowed after the war. San Francisco made no quarters in 1949 and struck its last S-marked circulating quarters in 1954. The 1955-D, at 3,182,400, is the lowest mintage of these years. The 1958 Philadelphia run of 6,360,000 is also low. The 1950-D/S and 1950-S/D varieties show one mint mark punched over another and are the best known varieties of the period.

Mintages rose through the late 1950s and early 1960s, then exploded in 1964 when more than 1.26 billion were struck at Philadelphia and Denver. Quarters dated 1964 continued to be made into 1966 to frustrate hoarders. Proofs resumed in 1950 and topped one million in most years from 1957. Every quarter of these years is 90 percent silver and weighs 6.25 grams. Worn examples still turn up in old jars and are usually sold for their silver.

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Walking Liberty Half Dollar: The short set of wartime halves

Wartime demand pushed Philadelphia mintages to 47.8 million in 1942 and 53.2 million in 1943. Denver and San Francisco each struck around 8 to 13 million a year during the war. Because coins from 1941 to 1947 are common in high grades, many collectors assemble them as a short set rather than chasing the full series.

Some 1941 proofs lack Weinman's AW monogram because the die was polished too heavily. The 1946 doubled die reverse shows strong doubling in E PLURIBUS UNUM and in the eagle's feathers. Proofs ended after 1942. Production fell to about 4 million each at Philadelphia and Denver in 1947, the last year before the Franklin half. San Francisco made no halves that year. Silver remained at 90 percent throughout.

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