Quick mint mark question...

When the mint punched mint marks, did they use the same punch for all denominations? Thanks in advance!

 

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No. Many different punches were used.

 

This site shows quite a number but you might need a more comprehensive list
http://varietyvista.com/01b LC Doubled Dies Vol 2/Mintmark Styles.htm

 

I guess I should have been more specific...my fault. For a given year, would one mint use different stylings of the same mint mark. For example: trumpet tail on one denomination, but ball serif on another?

 

Good question, short answer is no, for several reasons.
1. there are several mints with different letters (P,D,S) (Yes I know, so don't beat me up on the obvious)
2. coin size is different, imaging a mint mark from a half dollar being placed on a dime.
3. Far too many coins to punch with only one mint punch.
4. In 1990 and 1991 the Mint began applying the mint mark to the master die for circulation strike coins. After 1994 the mint mark was placed on the master design.

 

What is a master design?

 

..and after posting up my response I see that there were already answers and a clarification post added. So that makes my reply a bit silly now...

 

Using the list I sent, I checked for an example. 1942S Walking Liberty Half, and 1942S Lincoln wheat cent both used MMS-004 (Trumpet Tail), up to you how further you want to delve into it

 

The master design is the original design of a given coin that is used to create the Master dies/hubs, which in turn are used to make the working dies/hubs that are used to create the coins. (I think I got that right) correct me if not please.

 

Sometimes the wrong punch was used, such as a quarter mintmark used on a nickel. I think that's how the 1941 S large S came to be.

 

Largesse or Large S?

 

1928 LWC had a large and small mintmark.
http://www.lincolncentresource.com/San_Fransisco_Mintmark_Styles.html

 

Only if the gifts come my way

 

dimeguy, asked: I guess I should have been more specific...my fault. For a given year, would one mint use different stylings of the same mint mark..."

YES , no, and sometimes. Dates and Mints can be found with the same size & style. Dates and Mints can be found with different sizes and style.

 

While we are on MM sizes what happened with the Mercury Dime 1945 mico S? I mean, the dime is the smallest sized modern US coin, how did a smaller than normal mm come to be on this particular coin?

 

MM got used until they were unusable, that is why we have different MM styles through out many series of coins.
It was 89 when the MM got transfered to the master die.
This eliminated the need to punch every working die with a MM before being hardened.

 

I am only guessing here. The reason for different punches was the process in making them and/or the cleaning of the punch before each use. could have simply been a weak employee.

 

Thank you all for the responses. The reason I asked was because I purchased a Walking Liberty Half, but I felt like the "S" mint mark on it, had a different serif type compared to the cent I have of the same year, same mint. I just was simply curious if they used the same instrument to punch all the marks, but it seems from what I could search online and here, that is not necessarily the case. Thanks again for the answers and entertaining my curiosities.

 

If I remember correctly (and that is a big "if" since it has been a moment since I have read my Mercury dime guide!) That year, San Fran simultaneously made two punches for the S but being as demand was so high they did not bother to compare the two for similarity. Being as such, one was inadvertently created significantly smaller than the other and the micro S was variety was born.

 

I wondered why they didn't do that to start with. It seems like so much extra trouble to make a seperate punch for the mit when your producing millions of coins.