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Up until recently I've only been sorting pennies for copper, not paying much attention to "special" ones. I've finally started paying a little more attention looking for mistakes and seperating out the wheats. What do the different mint marks on 59-81 coins mean exactly?

I've read the website from the US mint about it, but I'm still confused.
http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/co ... mint_marks
I read:

Proof coin operations were moved from the Philadelphia Mint to San Francisco in 1968, and the letter "S" identifies that special numismatic coinage.

Does that make a penny special just because it has "S" on it? I have several of them from the 70s.

Also, I have some from the 70s/early 80s that have no mint mark at all. What does that mean?

Does a simple mint mark alone make a penny worth more, or is there more to it than that?

I send the coins thru the ryedale, send the coppers back thru for a second rinse, then I separate the wheats, canadians, ugly abes, dimes, BU coins, and the occasional other coin. I have not started separating mint marks yet........Im gonna need a bigger table...

yep you almost got it...no mint is the Philadelphia mint, they also have used a "P" mm(mint mark).

the "S" (San Francisco) got involved in producing cents for circulation in 1968 through 1974. There are members here who do sort out the S mint cents....there is a small premium for them...the difference between the S mints and the others is the San Francisco mint only produced in the hundreds of millions where as the others produced cents for circulation in the hundreds of billions...hence the small premium.


Good Luck and keep on keeping on!

Interesting, I might start sorting those out. I'm gonna make myself blind. Do you think being in Oregon makes it more likely for me to find S cents, being closer to Sanfrancisco?

I would think so...