No mintage numbers Proof Pennys 1 1

[LakeAnna]

So I have a 70 years of proof pennys (yes a few are only sms), but on my flips I like to note mintage totals on bottom corner. Why can't I find mintage totals for last several years on s mint penny's? 

 

What don't I know. I googled like crazy.

[Sandon]

   The mint has been selling the proof sets of recent years for several years, and the totals cannot be calculated until the mint has ceased selling them. As the cents are included in both the regular ten-piece proof sets and the ten-piece sets containing silver dimes, quarters and half dollars, the final mintages cannot be calculated until the sales for both of these sets have ended and sales figures have been finalized.

   The latest year in the 2025 Red Book (available since April) for which a mintage is stated for proof cents is 2022, which is 646,177. Both this figure and those for years dating back to 2018 are in italics, suggesting that they are subject to revision.

   A Google search is not a good way to search for information about coins, as there is a great deal of misinformation about coins on the internet. Try the NGC Coin Explorer, Online Coin Catalog Search Page - Coin Explorer | NGC, or PCGS Coinfacts, https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts.

[LakeAnna]

Thank Sandon, but I still am missing something, does what you provide mean they still produce prior years in proof?

 

Isn't the term minted mean the number produced that year? 

[Sandon]

    The coins in proof sets are generally all minted in the year they are dated, but leftover sets have lately been sold for the next year or two, until they are all gone or until they are sold out. Commemorative coins and certain other issues are usually not offered after December 31 of their year of issue, and any remnants are presumably melted. 

   You can see what the U.S. Mint is currently offering at www.usmint.gov. Sales figures to date are shown at https://www.usmint.gov/about/production-sales-figures, but for numismatic products these are by product (set), not by individual coins.

[LakeAnna]

Thanks but that still doesn't answer. 

 

Minted as defined is the production. How come they can publish how many were produced?  NOT sets, produced number of the individual coins. 

[Sandon]

   For numismatic products, the "mintage" is in effect the number sold or otherwise distributed, not necessarily the number produced. Such pieces that aren't sold are ultimately destroyed and, appropriately, are not included in the "mintage" figure.

  Since 1950, U.S. proof coins (and the 1965-67 Special Mint Sets) have only been sold by the mint in sets, not as single coins. The single coins that you collect were removed from sets that were broken up. Currently, the cents are only obtainable in ten-coin regular ("clad") and silver proof sets that also contain the nickel, dime, American Woman quarters (5 per year), half dollar, and Native American dollar. The cents, nickels, and dollars in both versions of these sets are identical in all respects, including their composition.  The total "mintage" for any of these three denominations will, therefore, be equal to the total distribution of the regular and silver proof sets.

  Hopefully, this will answer your question.

[LakeAnna]

So they don't know how many of each coin they made? 

So all proof coins regardless of denomination since 1950 are the exact same? Since only in sets?

So I would guess then the lowest of each years coins produced (special dies and processing) would be the number? And others not being able to make full sets of proofs are? Destroyed, sold in a different way?

 

But still makes no sense they can't provide number produced.

[Sandon]

   Mintage figures, whether referring to the number of pieces of acceptable quality that were manufactured or the number distributed, are only of value to collectors if they indicate the maximum number of pieces that could possibly still exist. Coins that never left the mint and were destroyed are irrelevant. It is as though they never existed in the first place.

[LakeAnna]

Sure seems like a lot of wordsmith happening 😕. I thought this was a simple question. 

Like how many S mint pennys were made, minted, produced, created, manufactured, pick your term, say in 2018?

[R__Rash]

On 10/24/2024 at 5:47 AM, LakeAnna said:

Sure seems like a lot of wordsmith happening 😕. I thought this was a simple question. 

Like how many S mint pennys were made, minted, produced, created, manufactured, pick your term, say in 2018?

I suggest you search, “2018 S Lincoln cent mintage?”. This should tell you how many cents were struck.

Edited Thursday at 12:37 PM by R__Rash

[LakeAnna]

Ok picked wrong date, can't find anything but N/A on 2020, 2021, 2022 or 2023.

 

That's what the whole post is about.

 

Thanks

[R__Rash]

On 10/24/2024 at 7:02 AM, LakeAnna said:

Ok picked wrong date, can't find anything but N/A on 2020, 2021, 2022 or 2023.

 

That's what the whole post is about.

 

Thanks

I would venture a guess then that..

N/A (or sometimes n/a or N.A.) is a common abbreviation in tables and lists for the phrase not applicable, not available, not assessed, or no answer. It is used to indicate when information in a certain table cell is not provided, either because it does not apply to a particular case in question or because the answer is not available. 
……is the answer, and I find that Sandon patiently tried to help you understand the probabilities and possibilities why this is the answer your search results produce. 
 

[Sandon]

    The 2025 "Red Book" provides the following tentative figures for "S" mint proofs from 2018-2021, as well as the figure I previously provided for 2022:

2018     901,072

2019   1,062,662

2020     823,909

2021     814,340

   I doubt that these figures will ever change by more than a few thousand (more likely a few hundred) pieces each.

   Mintage figures are always approximations, and no matter how accurate they originally were may be of limited value, especially for coins that were later subject to mass meltings, such as 1878-1904 Morgan dollars (over 270 million melted under the 1918 Pittman Act alone) and U.S. gold coins following the 1933 recall.

   As you collect U.S. coins, I strongly suggest that you obtain a copy of the "Red Book" (A Guide Book of United States Coins), available from its publisher at whitman.com and other sources. The following forum topics identify other legitimate print and online resources:

   

 

 

[The Neophyte Numismatist]

I used to hike the Lake Anna trails every weekend with my old dog when I was in Fredericksburg.  I sure miss that area, and my dog even more.

[VKurtB]

On 10/23/2024 at 9:18 PM, LakeAnna said:

Thanks but that still doesn't answer. 

 

Minted as defined is the production. How come they can publish how many were produced?  NOT sets, produced number of the individual coins. 

No, for proof coins, minted means sold and paid for. It’s NOT a production number.

[Henri Charriere]

On 10/24/2024 at 7:47 AM, LakeAnna said:

Sure seems like a lot of wordsmith happening 😕. I thought this was a simple question.....

By unanimous assent I have earned the coveted title of "wordsmith" bestowed upon me by no less an authority than @Oldhoopster , in perpetuity.

@Sandon I believe all agree, does something not only unfairly, but quite well:  he speaks so that anyone, from any walk of life and occupying any station in life, understands him perfectly.  🤣