1955 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1955

Doubled hub impressions on one Philadelphia cent die produced the 1955 Doubled Die cent, one of the most famous US errors. It was also the last year San Francisco struck circulating cents until 1968.

How many coins were made in 1955

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 1,089,579,543 coins dated 1955 across 11 issues. That is close to the 1954 total of 1,009,080,467. In 1956 the figure rose to 1,918,550,640.

By mint: Denver 654,863,000 (60%, up from 542,883,640), Philadelphia 371,596,543 (34%, up from 300,934,705) and San Francisco 63,120,000 (5.8%, down from 165,262,122).

Those coins held about 8,016,378 troy ounces of pure silver.

1955 coins by denomination

Cents: 938,447,500 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Lincoln Wheat Cent, up 124% on 1954. The scarcest is the 1955-S (44,610,000) and the most plentiful the 1955-D (563,257,500).

Nickels: 82,352,100 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Jefferson Nickel, down 58% on 1954. The scarcest is the 1955 (7,888,000) and the most plentiful the 1955-D (74,464,100).

Dimes: 44,919,181 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Roosevelt Dime, down 82% on 1954. The scarcest is the 1955 (12,450,181) and the most plentiful the 1955-S (18,510,000).

Quarters: 21,362,581 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Washington Quarter, down 80% on 1954. The scarcest is the 1955-D (3,182,400) and the most plentiful the 1955 (18,180,181).

Half Dollars: 2,498,181 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Franklin Half Dollar, down 94% on 1954.

Every 1955 circulation issue at a glance

• 1955 Franklin Half Dollar: 2,498,181 struck, the lowest mintage of all 35 Franklin Half Dollar issues, down from 13,188,202 in 1954, a famous date.
• 1955-D Washington Quarter: 3,182,400 struck, 7th lowest of 144 in the series, down from 42,305,500 in 1954.
• 1955 Jefferson Nickel: 7,888,000 struck, 7th lowest of 146 in the series, down from 47,684,050 in 1954.
• 1955 Roosevelt Dime: 12,450,181 struck, 2nd lowest of 168 in the series, down from 114,010,200 in 1954.
• 1955-D Roosevelt Dime: 13,959,000 struck, 4th lowest of 168 in the series, down from 106,397,000 in 1954.
• 1955 Washington Quarter: 18,180,181 struck, 40th lowest of 144 in the series, down from 54,412,203 in 1954.
• 1955-S Roosevelt Dime: 18,510,000 struck, 5th lowest of 168 in the series, similar to 1954.
• 1955-S Lincoln Wheat Cent: 44,610,000 struck, 52nd lowest of 140 in the series, down from 96,190,000 in 1954.
• 1955-D Jefferson Nickel: 74,464,100 struck, 49th lowest of 146 in the series, down from 117,183,060 in 1954.
• 1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent: 330,580,000 struck, more than 87% of the series' 140 issues, up from 71,640,050 in 1954, a famous date.
• 1955-D Lincoln Wheat Cent: 563,257,500 struck, more than 91% of the series' 140 issues, up from 251,552,500 in 1954.

Lincoln Wheat Cent: Postwar bronze, the 1955 doubled die and the final wheat cents

Bronze returned in 1947 and proof sets resumed in 1950. Postwar output kept climbing until Denver exceeded one billion cents for the first time in 1956. San Francisco struck its last wheat cents in 1955, ending S mint mark cents until 1968, which led many people to hoard the 1955-S.

The 1955 doubled die obverse is the most famous variety of this era. A misaligned hub impression doubled the date and lettering. Roughly 20,000 coins reached circulation, many through cigarette vending machines in New England. Also look for the 1956-D/D repunched mint mark and the rare 1958 doubled die obverse, with only a few known. The Lincoln Memorial reverse replaced the wheat ears in 1959, so 1958 was the last year of the wheat design. Uncirculated red coins from this era are abundant.

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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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Franklin Half Dollar: San Francisco coins and the 1955 Bugs Bunny

Output rose sharply from 1951, with Denver passing 25 million in 1952 and 1954. San Francisco struck halves every year through 1954. Those S coins are often weakly struck, so full bell line examples are rare. The 1953 Philadelphia issue is low at 2,796,920. Proof sales climbed every year of the period.

In 1955 only Philadelphia struck halves, just 2,876,381. Many 1955 coins show the Bugs Bunny clashed die, where marks from the eagle's wings on the reverse die left lines in front of Franklin's mouth that resemble buck teeth. Despite the low mintage, the 1955 was widely saved in rolls, so uncirculated examples are easy to find. The 1954-S was the last Franklin half from San Francisco. Many collectors assemble these dates from original mint sets of the period.

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