Twenty Cent Coin (1875-1878)
Mint Mark Information

When the U.S. Twenty Cent coin debuted in 1875, it never had much of a chance at winning acceptance from the American public.

The primary problem was that it too closely resembled the quarter, not only in size, but in appearance. Both carried the Seated Liberty theme.

Several reasons were given for the adoption of the twenty cent denomination. For one, according to Mint Director Henry Linderman, the five cent nickel did not circulate readily in the Pacific Coast states and Texas, so a twenty cent coin would obviate this need.

Secondly, others argued the twenty cent coin would match paper currency. There were $10, $20, and $50 bills, but no $25 bill. The twenty cent coin would fit in better.

Several motifs distinctly different from the quarter were developed, but in the end, the Treasury Department’s policy of design uniformity among coins of the same metal won out.

As soon as the Twenty Cent coins were released, complaints started rolling in, especially by those who were shortchanged in business transactions due to confusion with the quarter. Well over one million were produced in 1875, but this tailed off to about 25,000 the following year. In 1877 and 1878, a few hundred proof issues were struck. 1878 was the final year of the Twenty Cent coin.

Twenty Cent Coin Obverse

Twenty Cent Coin Reverse

The Twenty Cent Coin Mint Mark is located on reverse at bottom, below eagle.

The following table lists the Mint Marks used on the Twenty Cent coin:

The Twenty Cent coin Mint Mark is found on the reverse below the eagle, as the photos to the right illustrated. These photos were copied from  Heritage Auctions, with permission

The 1876-CC Twenty Cent coin is extremely rare and costs more than $100,000. There are a couple of other Twenty Cent coin key dates with good records of price appreciation that many collectors can still afford. They are the 1875-CC and 1876.

1875-CC

1876