Lot 1238
1922. Die Pair 2. NTC graded MS-63 Red Brown. Our grade is MS-60. Some luster evident. Strong reverse; normal very weak reverse. With the exception of these few million pieces hastily struck during January and February of 1922, the Denver Mint coined no other cents from the end of 1920 through most of 1924. A short but severe nationwide recession following the end of World War I, combined with the repeal of various temporary wartime taxes, negated the demand for additional cents, while the massive mintages of 1916-20 were more than ample to meet the post-war demand. The exact reason for this anomalous coinage is not known; the Mint Director's Report does nothing more than acknowledge it, although the Denver Mint was shown to have on hand at the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 1922) some 20,250,700 cents!
Commenting informally on the limited coinage of cents for 1922, Mint Director F. E. Scobey remarked: "There have been approximately $46,000,000 worth of pennies coined since the mint began in 1792, so what’s the use of making more, when about the only things you can still buy with a penny nowadays are lollypops?". Estimated Value $8,000 - 9,000
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