1941 US one cent - Red Book lists small and large mint marks for 1941S [Risolto]

The 2025 Red Book for US coins, on page 116, has a note that the 1941S US one cent coin has “large and small mintmark varieties”. 

The page at N#908 lists only one variety for 1941S. 

Should this variety be added? I am new here, so I don't know if it's been discussed before. I searched the forums and did not find a similar topic. 

Hello and welcome to Numista!

You're correct, Red Book does report large and small mint mark varieties but without examples.  PCGS , NGC and USACoinBook do not report different mint mark for 1941S.  At best, it's just a minor variety and unless we can show examples of both it's hard to add a new year line on the Numista page.  If you have examples of both we can create a graphic to at least add to the comment section.  @Sjoelund 

Agreed.  I don't think it's necessary to add a new year line.  The Red Book doesn't separate it out into a new year line either in their 2025 edition.  More information about the 1941 Small S and Large S (including pictures) can be found here:  

https://www.lincolncentresource.com/1941mintmarks.html

Thanks for the link. Variety Vista shows these for 1941S

Yep, the 2nd one must be the Large S.

Agree, they kinda sorta match the Lincoln Cent Resource site.  

Thanks. I'll look at my coins to see if I can notice any differences. 

If I can hijack this topic to ask a related question, the images at the top of N#908 show 1956D one cent coins with two varieties: “Re-punched mintmark (D over D)” and “Shadowed D”. In going through my wheat pennies today, I found one definite “Shadowed D” coin (the right-most image in the 1956D enlargeable image), with a farther-north-than normal “D” very close to the tail of the 9, and very lightly printed “D” south of that one, with no overlap. I may be able to post an image to show you what I see, but it looks similar to the right-most image in the 1956D enlargeable image.

The easy way to spot this difference appears to be a much farther north than usual “D” mint mark. It really stands out when I am looking at fifty 1956D coins laid out on the same cloth. 

@rsirian1 , I reckon we're not allowed to use the images from the https://www.lincolncentresource.com/1941mintmarks.html site? Have you tried to get their permission?

Jonesey

Thanks. I'll look at my coins to see if I can notice any differences. 

 

If I can hijack this topic to ask a related question, the images at the top of N#908 show 1956D one cent coins with two varieties: “Re-punched mintmark (D over D)” and “Shadowed D”. In going through my wheat pennies today, I found one definite “Shadowed D” coin (the right-most image in the 1956D enlargeable image), with a farther-north-than normal “D” very close to the tail of the 9, and very lightly printed “D” south of that one, with no overlap. I may be able to post an image to show you what I see, but it looks similar to the right-most image in the 1956D enlargeable image.

 

The easy way to spot this difference appears to be a much farther north than usual “D” mint mark. It really stands out when I am looking at fifty 1956D coins laid out on the same cloth. 

Welcome to numista.

Please don't piggyback a thread. Open a new one, so we don't treat more themes under one topic.

Sjoelund

@rsirian1 , I reckon we're not allowed to use the images from the https://www.lincolncentresource.com/1941mintmarks.html site? Have you tried to get their permission?

 

The site does not say anywhere that we can't use the pictures like most sites do. I have not tried but I just now requested it in the new Request forum post.  https://en.numista.com/forum/topic155423.html#p1220362  Maybe you would want to post a reply adding your 2 Euro Cents opinion on why it is needed?

In case it helps, we actually don't need pictures of the Small S and Large S from just the year 1941.

The Lincoln Cent Resource has a more detailed explanation here:
https://www.lincolncentresource.com/San_Fransisco_Mintmark_Styles.html

Both the Small S and Large S Mint Marks were used for multiple different years on Lincoln cents.

The Small S (MMS-2) was used from years 1917-1941.  So if you have a Lincoln Cent with the "S" mint mark from one of those years you could take a picture of it and use that as an example.

The Large S (AKA "Trumpet Tail Serif": MMS-4) was used from 1941-1942 and then again in years 1945-1952.  This is documented in the link above.

I searched through my old Wheat cents and I did find an example of the Trumpet Tail Serif for one of my 1945 Lincoln Cents.  I took a picture with my microscope and attached an image.  Feel free to use/alter this image in any way you wish in case it's helpful.   Apologies, but I can't find a Lincoln Cent in my collection with the S Mint Mark from the years 1917-1941 in order to use as an example of the Small S.

all © PCGS.com

Very nice.  That should work.

Do we still need the reference to the site “Lincolncent”?

No. Remove it. Those pictures are from PCGS.  Otherwise looks good.

OK, you can use this modified version in a CR

Done

By the way, are they equally common?

Probably not. On PCGS for 1941S 15 small 2 large.

Should we mention that, or is the jury still out?

I believe the population is PCGS accurately reflects the total population. I wouldn‘t put percentages based on it though. How about:

“The small S variety is the more common of the two.”

On the graphic or just in the comments section?

On graphic. No need to add text as a comment.

Here you are

Sjoelund

Here you are

That looks great. Thanks! I just found three smalls and one large in my stash of 1941S cents. The difference is pretty clear when they are side-by-side.

What is the process to get this variety added to the list at N#908 ?

Please open a new thread about that. We can't use “mixed” subject threads as sources for change requests.

Thanks

Sjoelund

Please open a new thread about that. We can't use “mixed” subject threads as sources for change requests.

 

Thanks

This thread is only about the 1941S large and small mint marks. I mistakenly added one post about a different cent, but I opened a new thread about that one after being corrected. Thanks!