1969 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1969

A doubled die at San Francisco produced the 1969-S Doubled Die cent, one of the rarest Lincoln cent errors.

How many coins were made in 1969

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 7,136,669,370 coins dated 1969 across 10 issues. That is close to the 1968 total of 6,518,480,565. In 1970 the figure rose to 7,893,687,562.

By mint: Denver 5,013,217,370 (70%, up from 3,806,731,690), Philadelphia 1,458,912,000 (20%, down from 2,353,082,870) and San Francisco 664,540,000 (9.3%, up from 358,666,005).

Those coins held about 19,208,665 troy ounces of pure silver.

1969 coins by denomination

Cents: 5,684,117,200 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Lincoln Memorial Cent, up 17% on 1968. The scarcest is the 1969-S (544,375,000) and the most plentiful the 1969-D (4,002,832,200).

Nickels: 322,972,500 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Jefferson Nickel, up 69% on 1968. The scarcest is the 1969-S (120,165,000) and the most plentiful the 1969-D (202,807,500).

Dimes: 709,113,870 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Roosevelt Dime, down 22% on 1968. The scarcest is the 1969 (145,790,000) and the most plentiful the 1969-D (563,323,870).

Quarters: 290,584,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Washington Quarter, down 9.8% on 1968. The scarcest is the 1969-D (114,372,000) and the most plentiful the 1969 (176,212,000).

Half Dollars: 129,881,800 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Kennedy Half Dollar, down 47% on 1968.

Every 1969 circulation issue at a glance

• 1969-D Washington Quarter: 114,372,000 struck, more than 57% of the series' 144 issues, similar to 1968.
• 1969-S Jefferson Nickel: 120,165,000 struck, 61st lowest of 146 in the series, similar to 1968.
• 1969-D Kennedy Half Dollar: 129,881,800 struck, more than 90% of the series' 116 issues, down from 246,951,930 in 1968.
• 1969 Roosevelt Dime: 145,790,000 struck, 43rd lowest of 168 in the series, down from 424,470,400 in 1968.
• 1969 Washington Quarter: 176,212,000 struck, more than 59% of the series' 144 issues, down from 220,731,500 in 1968.
• 1969-D Jefferson Nickel: 202,807,500 struck, more than 50% of the series' 146 issues, up from 91,227,880 in 1968.
• 1969-S Lincoln Memorial Cent: 544,375,000 struck, 7th lowest of 104 in the series, up from 258,270,001 in 1968, a famous date.
• 1969-D Roosevelt Dime: 563,323,870 struck, 76th lowest of 168 in the series, similar to 1968.
• 1969 Lincoln Memorial Cent: 1,136,910,000 struck, 16th lowest of 104 in the series, down from 1,707,880,970 in 1968.
• 1969-D Lincoln Memorial Cent: 4,002,832,200 struck, 51st lowest of 104 in the series, up from 2,886,269,600 in 1968.

Lincoln Memorial Cent: No mint marks, special sets and famous doubled dies

The Coinage Act of 1965 left the cent's bronze composition unchanged, but the Mint dropped mint marks from all coins from 1965 to 1967 to discourage hoarding. Collectors were offered Special Mint Sets with satin finish coins instead of proof sets. Mint marks returned in 1968. San Francisco resumed striking cents with an S for the first time since 1955.

Several doubled dies come from this period. The 1969-S doubled die obverse is rare and widely counterfeited. The 1971 and 1972 have doubled die obverses. The 1972 is one of the most dramatic, with strong doubling on the date and LIBERTY. The 1970-S has a scarce small date variety, also called the high 7. Copper prices were rising by 1973, which pushed the Treasury to look for a cheaper metal.

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Jefferson Nickel: Mint marks move to the obverse

When mint marks returned in 1968, they moved to the obverse, just to the right of the date. San Francisco struck circulating nickels from 1968 to 1970, then only proofs from 1971 onward. The 1971 proof nickel without an S, caused by a die that was never punched, is a major rarity, with only about 1,655 reported struck.

Demand grew through the 1970s with inflation. Output at the two main mints sometimes exceeded half a billion. Proofs from 1979 show Filled S and Clear S varieties. The clear S is scarcer. Coins from these years are common, though full steps examples from some Denver dates are hard to find. Many circulated pieces show weak strikes on the steps and on Jefferson's hair, the first places to check.

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Roosevelt Dime: Mint marks move above the date

In 1968 the mint mark moved to the obverse just above the date. San Francisco began striking proof dimes for collectors the same year. A few proof dies left the Mint without the S, creating the rare no-S proofs dated 1968, 1970, 1975 and 1983. The 1975 is one of the great modern rarities with only two examples known. Proof sets of 1979 and 1981 show two mint mark styles: a filled Type 1 S and a clearer Type 2 S that is scarcer.

Philadelphia added a P mint mark to the dime in 1980. Two years later a Philadelphia die missing its P reached circulation. The 1982 no-P dime became one of the most popular modern errors. Business strike mintages stayed in the hundreds of millions per mint and passed one billion at Philadelphia in 1988. Dimes from these years turn up in change constantly. Only well-struck uncirculated pieces, proof varieties and errors draw real collector interest.

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Washington Quarter: Clad quarters and the mint mark move

The 1965 quarter dropped silver for a pure copper core clad in copper-nickel, weighing 5.67 grams. No mint marks were used from 1965 through 1967 and Special Mint Sets replaced proof sets. Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco all struck circulation quarters in those years, so the mint of an individual coin cannot be identified.

From 1968 the mint mark moved to the obverse, to the right of Washington's ribbon. San Francisco took over proof production that year. Transitional errors such as 1965 quarters struck on 90 percent silver planchets are rare and are confirmed by weight. Denver struck more than 417 million quarters in 1970. The 1974 issue was the last with the eagle reverse before the bicentennial design. No quarter carries a 1975 date.

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Kennedy Half Dollar: Forty percent silver years

From 1965 to 1970 the half dollar kept some silver: outer layers of 80 percent silver bonded to a core of about 21 percent silver, for 40 percent overall. As with other denominations, no mint marks were used from 1965 to 1967 and Special Mint Sets replaced proofs. The Mint struck nearly 300 million halves dated 1967.

From 1968 the mint mark moved to the obverse above the date and San Francisco struck the proofs. Philadelphia made no business strike halves from 1968 to 1970. Halves were mostly hoarded by now. In 1970 Denver struck only 2,150,000, all sold in uncirculated sets with none released for circulation. The 1970-D is the key business strike of the series. Coins of these years have a silvery edge without a copper stripe.

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