I have a new 2010 penny and on the front there is a "D" under the year. None of the other 2010 pennies have it. Is this an error?
No! That is the mintmark. The "D" means that it was struck at the Denver Mint. If the coin has no mintmark, it was struck in Philadelphia, "S" for San Francisco and "W" for West Point. Not all denominations of coins are produced at all of these facilities, and not all coins will necessarily have the mintmark on the obverse. Chris
Since 1968 all US mintmarks have been on the obverse of the coin (heads side). Philly and Denver produce all circulating coinage, while San Fran and West Point produce certain "collector" coinage. The cent is the only coin that still uses "plain" or no mintmark to indicate the Philadelphia Mint. Where you live, and Mint/Treasury distribution networks have alot to do with what mintmarks are seen in certain areas and when. Given that you have only seen "plain" 2010 cent up to now would lead me to assume that you live in the northeastern US. Most commonly, it is the job of the Philly mint to produce coins for the NE and its large cities. Denver produces coins for the rest of the country. In my area, Arkansas, we see only D mintmarks for most of the current year's coins. It is usually until sometime after June/July/August that I begin to find P or "plain" current yr coins. Hope this info helps.
I would guess that you live on the East coast and that is why you see so many coins without a mintmark (Philadelphia). Over the next year or so you will see more coins from the Denver mint make their way across the country to you. At this point I see the opposite, nearly every 09 and 10 coin I see has the D for Denver. (I live in California). Welcome to the site, do you collect other coins or just cents?
