LINCOLN NO S 1990 (whats the deal)

[Danielh44]

Hello,

Please disregard my ignorance when it comes to lincoln cents, i collect morgans and peace dollars also expanding to walking liberties anyway i recently saw a lincoln no s penny sell for 5,000 dollars on ebay and am thoroughly confused how can one tell if the penny came from san fran mint if there is no s i have several penny's 1990 with no s

any help with this would be appreciated

thank you

dan

ebay ended listing

[AVickery]

Hi,

 

From 1968-present, all regular U.S. coinage is struck at San Francisco and is to bear the S mintmark. There are a few rare occurrences of the S not being added to the die, resulting in coins like the 1990 No S cent, the 1971 no S Jefferson nickel, and the 1983 no S Roosevelt dime, among others. That is where the scarcity and high price tag come from, the above mentioned coins are truly tough to come by.

 

Hope that clears things up a bit,

[DWLange]

Andy is referring to proof coins. The 1990 No S cents are proofs, which were coined only at San Francisco. This is what makes them special.

[AVickery]

Thanks Dave, I was thinking of proofs, intended to say it was regarding proofs only, but somehow it didn't come out in writing. Oops

[4ucoin-migration]

Since I'm also a novice, how can you tell that a Lincoln Cent is a proof without the benefit of the mint mark ?

[AVickery]

Proof planchets are specially prepared and finely polished whereas business strike coins do not receive the same treatment. Most post-1978 and often post-1964 proof coins will also exhibit a strong cameo contrast to them also, where the devices(lettering and devices i.e. bust, eagle, building) will have a frosty appearance while the fields will display mirrored surfaces. Also, proof coinage has for the most part, sharper rims and a more uniformed, squared-off edge.