Relative Mintages of US Small Dollar Coins And The Odds Of Finding Them In Circulation

I was curious about the chances of finding various small dollar coins in circulation. I imported the mintage values for each year/mint/series into a spreadsheet, and created the following table.

For each coin, the mintage is shown, along with that mintage as a percentage of the total number of small dollar coins minted, which happens to be 5,222,246,560.

I then computed two other numbers for each coin:

Rank – A ranking of coins by most common (2000-P Sacagawea) to least common (2023-D Mississippi Innovation).

One Out of Every – Essentially the inverse of percentage. For example, for 2000-P Sacagawea it’s 7, which means that (roughly) 1 out of 7 coins are this. For the 1979-P Susan B. Anthony, 1/14. And so on. For clarity, values are rounded to the nearest integer. You could treat this, very crudely, as an estimate of how many coins you would need to search to find one of these.

Several caveats:

I do include the NIFC (Not Intended For Circulation) strikes. Those coins that, officially at least, were only sold to collectors. I suspect that in addition to some being dumped into circulation by individuals, the US Mint / Treasury release unsold NIFC coins into circulation. From my experience coin roll hunting, they do turn up much more often than I’d expect.

I do not include proofs. Yes, they turn up now and then, but only when someone releases one into circulation. For most years/series, 2 to 3 million proofs were minted. Fewer for recent years of Presidential and Native American coins, and far fewer for Innovation Dollars. They turn up in significantly smaller numbers than the NIFC strikes. I’m not sure it would be worth adding proofs to the table, as I think the suggested chances of finding them would be highly inflated.

Speaking of Innovation Dollars… their total mintage (to date) is 18,844,500, or 0.361% of all small dollars. If they were all in circulation (which they are not), the odds of finding one would be 1 in 277. From experience, my actual results are much worse than this. This suggests the odds for each member of the series in the table below is indeed inflated, as most never entered circulation.

The table is a mix of P and D mint coins. If you live between the two mints, perhaps you see nearly equal numbers of each. I live in MD, very close to the Philadelphia mint. Obviously, I see primarily P minted coins. D coins turn up, but in in much smaller numbers. Therefore I am much less likely to find D mint coins than the table suggests, and more likely to find P mint coins. The converse would be true for those in the western states.

Based on my penny coin roll hunting results, older D mint coins are much more likely to turn up here. This makes sense, the longer a coin is in circulation, the more time it has to work its way around the country. For the 1960s and back (wheat cents included) I tend to find roughly equal numbers of P and D cents, relative to their mintages. Fewer S mint pennies from 1968-1974, even taking into account their very low mintages, but that’s to be expected since they need to travel further.

OTOH, for recent years, D mint pennies are much less common here. They have not had enough time to work their way east. I assume this works the same way for those in the West, with respect to P mint coins.

Here’s a graph of my penny results. It’s somewhat convoluted based on how I set aside coins and count them, but I think you will get the idea:

Small dollar coins only date back to 1979, they’ve had less time to move around the country. Most of them have had very little time, this is reflected in how much more difficult they are for me to find.

To summarize:

For those coins where there were circulating business strikes, the table does an adequate job estimating how easy it is to find them, if you ignore the P/D mint issues (you live somewhere between the mints, and generally see a good mix of coins from both mints). Otherwise, you should keep in mind that it is going to be more difficult to find coins from the “other” mint than the table suggests.

For NIFC strikes, the table likely over-estimates your chances of finding coins, possibly significantly.

It might be best to treat the numbers in a relative, vs absolute, fashion.

After your done reading through this, head on over to my website Black Cat Systems and take a look at the software I write and sell. Maybe you will find something useful!

 

Year / Mint / Coin Mintage Percent One Out Of Every Rank
1979-P SBA 360,222,000 6.8978 14 3
1979-D SBA 288,015,744 5.5152 18 4
1979-S SBA 109,576,000 2.0983 48 9
1980-P SBA 27,610,000 0.5287 189 56
1980-D SBA 41,628,708 0.7971 125 34
1980-S SBA 20,422,000 0.3911 256 57
1981-P SBA 3,000,000 0.0574 1,741 108
1981-D SBA 3,250,000 0.0622 1,607 103
1981-S SBA 3,492,000 0.0669 1,495 99
1999-P 29,592,000 0.5667 176 54
1999-D SBA 11,776,000 0.2255 443 58
2000-P Sacagawea 767,140,000 14.6898 7 1
2000-D Sacagawea 518,916,000 9.9366 10 2
2001-P Sacagawea 62,468,000 1.1962 84 16
2001-D Sacagawea 70,939,500 1.3584 74 14
2002-P Sacagawea 3,865,610 0.074 1,351 91
2002-D Sacagawea 3,732,000 0.0715 1,399 95
2003-P Sacagawea 3,080,000 0.059 1,696 104
2003-D Sacagawea 3,080,000 0.059 1,696 105
2004-P Sacagawea 2,660,000 0.0509 1,963 114
2004-D Sacagawea 2,660,000 0.0509 1,963 115
2005-P Sacagawea 2,520,000 0.0483 2,072 116
2005-D Sacagawea 2,520,000 0.0483 2,072 117
2006-P Sacagawea 4,900,000 0.0938 1,066 73
2006-D Sacagawea 2,800,000 0.0536 1,865 109
2007-P Sacagawea 3,640,000 0.0697 1,435 97
2007-D Sacagawea 3,920,000 0.0751 1,332 87
2008-P Sacagawea 1,820,000 0.0349 2,869 120
2008-D Sacagawea 1,820,000 0.0349 2,869 121
2009-P Native American 39,200,000 0.7506 133 36
2009-D Native American 35,700,000 0.6836 146 51
2010-P Native American 32,060,000 0.6139 163 53
2010-D Native American 48,720,000 0.9329 107 26
2011-P Native American 29,400,000 0.563 178 55
2011-D Native American 48,160,000 0.9222 108 27
2012-P Native American 2,800,000 0.0536 1,865 110
2012-D Native American 3,080,000 0.059 1,696 106
2013-P Native American 1,820,000 0.0349 2,869 122
2013-D Native American 1,820,000 0.0349 2,869 123
2014-P Native American 3,080,000 0.059 1,696 107
2014-D Native American 2,800,000 0.0536 1,865 111
2015-P Native American 2,800,000 0.0536 1,865 112
2015-D Native American 2,240,000 0.0429 2,331 118
2016-P Native American 2,800,000 0.0536 1,865 113
2016-D Native American 2,100,000 0.0402 2,487 119
2017-P Native American 1,820,000 0.0349 2,869 124
2017-D Native American 1,540,000 0.0295 3,391 125
2018-P Native American 1,400,000 0.0268 3,730 128
2018-D Native American 1,400,000 0.0268 3,730 129
2019-P Native American 1,400,000 0.0268 3,730 130
2019-D Native American 1,540,000 0.0295 3,391 126
2020-P Native American 1,260,000 0.0241 4,145 132
2020-D Native American 1,260,000 0.0241 4,145 133
2021-P Native American 1,400,000 0.0268 3,730 131
2021-D Native American 1,260,000 0.0241 4,145 134
2022-P Native American 980,000 0.0188 5,329 138
2022-D Native American 980,000 0.0188 5,329 139
2023-P Native American 1,120,000 0.0214 4,663 136
2023-D Native American 1,120,000 0.0214 4,663 137
2007-P George Washington 176,680,000 3.3832 30 5
2007-D George Washington 163,680,000 3.1343 32 6
2007-P John Adams 112,420,000 2.1527 46 7
2007-D John Adams 112,140,000 2.1474 47 8
2007-P Thomas Jefferson 100,800,000 1.9302 52 11
2007-D Thomas Jefferson 102,810,000 1.9687 51 10
2007-P James Madison 84,560,000 1.6192 62 13
2007-D James Madison 87,780,000 1.6809 59 12
2008-P James Monroe 64,260,000 1.2305 81 15
2008-D James Monroe 60,230,000 1.1533 87 19
2008-P John Quincy Adams 57,540,000 1.1018 91 21
2008-D John Quincy Adams 57,720,000 1.1053 90 20
2008-P Andrew Jackson 61,180,000 1.1715 85 17
2008-D Andrew Jackson 61,070,000 1.1694 86 18
2008-P Martin Van Buren 51,520,000 0.9865 101 23
2008-D Martin Van Buren 50,960,000 0.9758 102 24
2009-P William Henry Harrison 43,260,000 0.8284 121 32
2009-D William Henry Harrison 55,160,000 1.0563 95 22
2009-P John Tyler 43,540,000 0.8337 120 30
2009-D John Tyler 43,540,000 0.8337 120 31
2009-P James K. Polk 46,620,000 0.8927 112 29
2009-D James K. Polk 41,720,000 0.7989 125 33
2009-P Zachary Taylor 41,580,000 0.7962 126 35
2009-D Zachary Taylor 36,680,000 0.7024 142 49
2010-P Millard Fillmore 37,520,000 0.7185 139 42
2010-D Millard Fillmore 36,960,000 0.7077 141 46
2010-P Franklin Pierce 38,220,000 0.7319 137 38
2010-D Franklin Pierce 38,360,000 0.7345 136 37
2010-P James Buchanan 36,820,000 0.7051 142 47
2010-D James Buchanan 36,540,000 0.6997 143 50
2010-P Abraham Lincoln 49,000,000 0.9383 107 25
2010-D Abraham Lincoln 48,020,000 0.9195 109 28
2011-P Andrew Johnson 35,560,000 0.6809 147 52
2011-D Andrew Johnson 37,100,000 0.7104 141 43
2011-P Ulysses S. Grant 38,080,000 0.7292 137 39
2011-D Ulysses S. Grant 37,940,000 0.7265 138 40
2011-P Rutherford B. Hayes 37,660,000 0.7211 139 41
2011-D Rutherford B. Hayes 36,820,000 0.7051 142 48
2011-P James Garfield 37,100,000 0.7104 141 44
2011-D James Garfield 37,100,000 0.7104 141 45
2012-P Chester Arthur 6,020,000 0.1153 867 64
2012-D Chester Arthur 4,060,000 0.0777 1,286 85
2012-P Grover Cleveland (1st Term) 5,460,000 0.1046 956 67
2012-D Grover Cleveland (1st Term) 4,060,000 0.0777 1,286 86
2012-P Benjamin Harrison 5,640,000 0.108 926 66
2012-D Benjamin Harrison 4,200,000 0.0804 1,243 83
2012-P Grover Cleveland (2nd Term) 10,680,000 0.2045 489 59
2012-D Grover Cleveland (2nd Term) 3,920,000 0.0751 1,332 88
2013-P William McKinley 4,760,000 0.0911 1,097 76
2013-D William McKinley 3,365,100 0.0644 1,552 100
2013-P Theodore Roosevelt 5,310,700 0.1017 983 70
2013-D Theodore Roosevelt 3,920,000 0.0751 1,332 89
2013-P William Howard Taft 4,760,000 0.0911 1,097 77
2013-D William Howard Taft 3,360,000 0.0643 1,554 101
2013-P Woodrow Wilson 4,620,000 0.0885 1,130 79
2013-D Woodrow Wilson 3,360,000 0.0643 1,554 102
2014-P Warren G. Harding 6,160,000 0.118 848 62
2014-D Warren G. Harding 3,780,000 0.0724 1,382 92
2014-P Calvin Coolidge 4,480,000 0.0858 1,166 80
2014-D Calvin Coolidge 3,780,000 0.0724 1,382 93
2014-P Herbert Hoover 4,480,000 0.0858 1,166 81
2014-D Herbert Hoover 3,780,000 0.0724 1,382 94
2014-P Franklin D. Roosevelt 4,760,000 0.0911 1,097 78
2014-D Franklin D. Roosevelt 3,920,000 0.0751 1,332 90
2015-P Harry S. Truman 4,900,000 0.0938 1,066 74
2015-D Harry S. Truman 3,500,000 0.067 1,492 98
2015-P Dwight D. Eisenhower 4,900,000 0.0938 1,066 75
2015-D Dwight D. Eisenhower 3,645,998 0.0698 1,432 96
2015-P John F. Kennedy 6,160,000 0.118 848 63
2015-D John F. Kennedy 5,180,000 0.0992 1,008 71
2015-P Lyndon B. Johnson 7,840,000 0.1501 666 60
2015-D Lyndon B. Johnson 4,200,000 0.0804 1,243 84
2016-P Richard M. Nixon 5,460,000 0.1046 956 68
2016-D Richard M. Nixon 4,340,000 0.0831 1,203 82
2016-P Gerald R. Ford 5,460,000 0.1046 956 69
2016-D Gerald R. Ford 5,040,000 0.0965 1,036 72
2016-P Ronald Reagan 7,140,000 0.1367 731 61
2016-D Ronald Reagan 5,880,000 0.1126 888 65
2020-P George H.W. Bush 1,242,275 0.0238 4,204 135
2020-D George H.W. Bush 1,502,425 0.0288 3,476 127
2018-P Introductory 502,150 0.0096 10,400 142
2018-D Introductory 582,825 0.0112 8,960 140
2019-P Delaware 472,750 0.0091 11,047 148
2019-D Delaware 479,975 0.0092 10,880 145
2019-P Pennsylvania 490,200 0.0094 10,653 144
2019-D Pennsylvania 443,800 0.0085 11,767 165
2019-P New Jersey 521,175 0.01 10,020 141
2019-D New Jersey 476,275 0.0091 10,965 146
2019-P Georgia 474,550 0.0091 11,005 147
2019-D Georgia 455,800 0.0087 11,457 150
2020-P Connecticut 436,000 0.0083 11,978 169
2020-D Connecticut 435,325 0.0083 11,996 171
2020-P Massachusetts 436,750 0.0084 11,957 167
2020-D Massachusetts 436,425 0.0084 11,966 168
2020-P Maryland 434,825 0.0083 12,010 172
2020-D Maryland 435,475 0.0083 11,992 170
2020-P South Carolina 432,850 0.0083 12,065 173
2020-D South Carolina 397,775 0.0076 13,129 178
2021-P New Hampshire 453,825 0.0087 11,507 153
2021-D New Hampshire 450,725 0.0086 11,586 162
2021-P Virginia 423,600 0.0081 12,328 174
2021-D Virginia 422,875 0.0081 12,349 175
2021-P New York 451,750 0.0087 11,560 160
2021-D New York 451,175 0.0086 11,575 161
2021-P North Carolina 405,950 0.0078 12,864 177
2021-D North Carolina 389,725 0.0075 13,400 179
2022-P Rhode Island 454,050 0.0087 11,501 152
2022-D Rhode Island 453,775 0.0087 11,508 154
2022-P Vermont 454,275 0.0087 11,496 151
2022-D Vermont 452,775 0.0087 11,534 155
2022-P Kentucky 451,900 0.0087 11,556 159
2022-D Kentucky 452,550 0.0087 11,540 156
2022-P Tennessee 452,325 0.0087 11,545 157
2022-D Tennessee 452,275 0.0087 11,547 158
2023-P Ohio 495,125 0.0095 10,547 143
2023-D Ohio 447,450 0.0086 11,671 163
2023-P Louisiana 444,625 0.0085 11,745 164
2023-D Louisiana 411,950 0.0079 12,677 176
2023-P Indiana 459,775 0.0088 11,358 149
2023-D Indiana 443,650 0.0085 11,771 166
2023-P Mississippi 371,000 0.0071 14,076 180
2023-D Mississippi 352,450 0.0067 14,817 181

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