United States Mint coin sizes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The United States Mint has minted over 20 different kinds of coins, of many different sizes. Often, it is difficult for people to get a grasp of what much of the historical coinage looked like, at least in relation to modern circulating coins. This chart shows all of the coin types, and their sizes, grouped by coins of similar size and by general composition.

Five distinct types of coin composition have been utilized over the past 200 years: Two base coin alloys, silver, gold, and in recent years, platinum. The base metal coins were generally alloys of copper (for 2 cent coins and lower), and copper/nickel (for 3 and 5 cent coins). Copper/nickel composition is also used for all modern "silver" coins.


US Coin Sizes and Composition
Copper Copper Alloys Silver Gold Platinum
Three Cent
14 mm
.75 g
1851-1873
Half Dime
15.5 mm
1.24 g
1794-1873
Dollar
15 mm
1.67 gr
1849-1889
$5 Bullion
16.5 mm
3.11 g
1986-present
$10 Bullion
16.5 mm
3.11 g
1997-present
Three Cent
17.9 mm
1.94 g
1865-1889
Dime
17.91 mm
2.27 g
1965-present
Dime
17.9 mm
2.5 g
1796-1964
Quarter Eagle
18 mm
4.2 g
1796-1929
Small Cent
19.05 mm
2.5 g
1857-present
Three Dollar
20.5 mm
5.01 g
1853-1876
Nickel
21.21 mm
5 g
1866-present
Twenty Cent
22 mm
5 g
1875-1878
Half Eagle
21.6 mm
8.36 g
1795-1929
$10 Bullion
22 mm
7.78 g
1986-present
$25 Bullion
22 mm
7.78 g
1997-present
Half Cent
23.5 mm
6.74 g
1795-1857
Two Cent
23 mm
6.22 g
1864-1873
Quarter
24.26 mm
5.67 g
1965-present
Quarter
24.3 mm
6.25 g
1796-1965
Dollar
26.5 mm
8.1 g
1979-present
Eagle
27 mm
17.5 g
1795-1933
$25 Bullion
27 mm
17.5 g
1986-present
$50 Bullion
27 mm
15.6 g
1997-present
Large Cent
29 mm
10.89 g
1793-1857
Half Dollar
30.61 mm
11.34 g
1971-present
Half Dollar
30.6 mm
12.5 g
1796-1970
$50 Bullion
32.7 mm
31.1 g
1986-present
$100 Bullion
32.7 mm
31.1 g
1997-present
Double Eagle
34 mm
35 g
1850-1933
Dollar
38.1 mm
22.68 g
1971-1978
Dollar
38.1 mm
26.73 g
1794-1970
$1 Bullion
40.6 mm
31.1 g
1986-present


Representative images of US coin sizes
Copper Copper Alloy Silver Gold Platinum
3-Cent Silver
Silver Half Dime Gold Dollar $5 Gold Bullion $10 Platinum Bullion
Copper-Nickel 3 Cents Clad Dime Mercury Dime
Small Cent $3 Gold
Nickel Silver 20-cent Coin $10 Gold Bullion $25 Platinum Bullion
Copper Half Cent Copper Two Cent Clad Washington Quarter Silver Barber Quarter
Anthony Dollar $25 Gold Bullion $50 Platinum Bullion
Clad Half Dollar Silver Half Dollar
$50 Gold Bullion $100 Platinum Bullion
Clad Eisenhower Dollar Silver Peace Dollar
$1 Silver Bullion

Notes on the tables:

  • Images are close to actual size on a 92-dpi monitor.
  • Silver Half Dollars and Dollars, and Gold Half Eagles and Eagles are still regularly minted as commemorative coins. Dimes, quarters, and half dollars are also struck in 90% silver for certain annual collector's sets.
  • The silver-colored Anthony Dollar was replaced with Gold-colored Sacagawea Dollar in 2000; though the composition changed, the coin's size and weight remain the same.
  • Some variances in coin size and weight occurred over time, especially as the value of silver varied. In particular, many silver coins changed in the 1870s. The figures cited in the tables are representative of the series, and are generally the latest, or most common, figures for a given coin type.


The largest coin ever minted by the US Mint was a gold "Half Union" pattern in 1877, weighing 83.45 grams, and 51.1 mm in diameter. The largest coin actually issued by the mint was the Panama-Pacific Exposition $50 gold commemorative, at 83.572 grams and 44 mm. An octagonal version of the coin was slightly larger, measuring 45 mm at its widest point.