1911-S Lincoln Cent: San Francisco's Early Semi-Key

The 1911-S Lincoln cent is an early San Francisco semi-key: not a famous key like the 1909-S VDB or the 1914-D, but a date that sits a clear step above the common wheat cents around it. San Francisco struck 2,538,000 of them in 1911 — a modest mintage for the early Lincoln years — and the coin has spent a century as the date collectors turn to when they move past the common dates and start on the early mint-marked set.

This page is about reading an early San Francisco wheat cent properly: the S below the date, the strikes of the early San Francisco years, and the colour that decides so much of a wheat cent's standing. The 1911-S will not make headlines, and it does not need to — it is the coin that teaches the early mint-marked series, and the one that rewards the collector who learns it.

San Francisco's early cents

The Lincoln cent was three years old in 1911, and the branch mints were still finding their feet with the new design. Philadelphia struck the bulk of the mintage, as always, while Denver and San Francisco struck smaller runs for the west. The 1911-S, at 2,538,000, was one of those smaller runs — and in a series where Philadelphia was striking tens of millions a year, a two-and-a-half-million mintage stood out as scarce from the start.

The early San Francisco cents share a character. The strikes are often softer than Philadelphia's, the surfaces a little rougher, and the coins circulated hard in the west — which is why most survivors are worn, and why a sharp, original 1911-S stands out at once in a tray of brown wheat cents. The date is not rare in the way the 1914-D is rare, but it is scarce in the way that matters to a set builder: hard to find sharp, hard to find original, and always in demand from collectors working through the early dates.

The S below the date

The mint mark sits on the obverse, directly below the date — an S for San Francisco, the same position as on the 1909-S VDB and every other early mint-marked Lincoln cent. It is the whole coin: a 1911 without the S is a Philadelphia cent, common and worth little worn, while a 1911 with the S is the semi-key. Check the S under a loupe. A genuine S sits in the correct position with the correct shape, struck with the rest of the coin — and because the 1911-S is a semi-key, it is worth the check: added mint marks are the oldest trick in the wheat series.

An added S shows the same tells as on the 1909-S: it sits on the surface rather than in it, too high or too sharp or at a slightly wrong angle, often with tool marks or a different lustre around it. Weigh the coin as well — a genuine 1911-S is bronze at 3.11 grams and 19 millimetres across, with a plain edge. A coin that fails the weight test is not a bargain; it is a lesson.

Strike and colour on an early San Francisco cent

Strike is the first thing to learn on an early San Francisco cent. The portrait's beard and coat, and the wheat grains on the reverse, are the high points of the design, and on many 1911-S cents they never fully formed — the metal simply did not flow into the deepest parts of the die. A coin with a sharp beard and full wheat grains is a better-struck example, and it stands out at once beside a typical one. None of this is damage; it is how the coin left the Mint. But it is the first thing an experienced collector checks, and it is worth learning before you judge any early San Francisco cent by its wear alone.

Colour is the second. Copper oxidizes, so grading services describe wheat cents as Red, Red-Brown, or Brown, and a Red coin in the same technical grade can be worth many times what a Brown one brings. That is also why you should never clean a 1911-S: cleaning strips the original surface and its colour, and a cleaned coin is worth a fraction of an original one, no matter how sharp the details look. If your coin is original and red, keep it that way — put it in an acid-free holder, handle it by the edges, and let the colour do the talking.

Where the 1911-S sits among the wheat keys

The wheat series has a clear hierarchy, and the 1911-S sits in the middle of it. Above it are the keys: the 1909-S VDB at 484,000, the 1914-D at 1,193,000, the 1931-S at 866,000, and the 1922 Plain. Below it are the common dates, struck in the tens and hundreds of millions. The 1911-S, at 2,538,000, is the date that bridges the two — scarce enough to matter, common enough to find, and the coin collectors turn to when they start on the early mint-marked set in earnest.

That middle place is also why the 1911-S is a good teacher. It has the mint mark check, the strike lesson, and the colour premium of the keys, without the counterfeit pressure of the most famous dates. Learn the 1911-S properly and the 1914-D will make sense when you meet it — different mint, same checks, higher stakes.

The coin at a glance

Designer Victor David Brenner. Struck 1911 at San Francisco only. Composition bronze, 95 percent copper with 5 percent tin and zinc. Weight 3.11 grams, diameter 19 millimetres, plain edge. Obverse: Lincoln facing right, date below, S mint mark below the date. Reverse: two wheat stalks flanking ONE CENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA above. Mintage 2,538,000. Metal floor: —. A copper cent carries no precious-metal floor, so the live system shows no melt figure for this coin — its worth is collector value alone.

The 1911-S is the early San Francisco semi-key, and the coin that teaches the early mint-marked series. Learn the S, learn the strike, learn the colour — and the rest of the early dates will read the same way.

What it is worth by grade

Our guide has not yet researched grade-by-grade estimates for the 1911-S — the table below shows “—” for every grade rather than a guess. As an early San Francisco semi-key with 2,538,000 struck, it sits a clear step above the common wheat dates around it.

Grade	Estimated value
Good (G-4)	—
Fine (F-12)	—
Extremely Fine (XF-40)	—
About Uncirculated (AU-50)	—
Mint State 60 (MS-60)	—
Mint State 65 (MS-65)	—

Guide values reviewed November 5, 2026 — figures update live from our Worker.

Latest reported results for this coin

Your 1911-S Lincoln cent questions, answered

How much is a 1911-S Lincoln cent worth?

Our guide has not yet researched grade-by-grade estimates for the 1911-S, so this page carries no estimated value by grade. As an early San Francisco semi-key with 2,538,000 struck, it sits a clear step above the common wheat dates around it, and sharp, original examples run well above worn ones. The series guide carries the current overview of wheat values.

Where is the mint mark on a 1911-S Lincoln cent?

On the obverse, directly below the date — an S for San Francisco. A 1911 without the S is a Philadelphia cent, common and worth little worn. Both the mint mark and the date must be read together.

Is the 1911-S Lincoln cent rare?

It is a semi-key, not a key. With 2,538,000 struck, it is scarce beside the tens of millions Philadelphia struck each year, but common beside the 1914-D at 1,193,000 or the 1931-S at 866,000. It is hardest to find sharp and original, which is where its standing comes from.

Why are early San Francisco wheat cents weakly struck so often?

The portrait's beard and coat and the wheat grains are high points of the design, and the metal often did not flow fully into the dies. Many early San Francisco cents left the Mint with soft detail that looks like wear but is actually a weak strike. A sharply struck 1911-S stands out clearly beside a typical one.

Should I clean my 1911-S Lincoln cent?

No. Cleaning strips the original surface and its colour, and a cleaned coin is worth a fraction of an original one. Wheat cents grade as Red, Red-Brown, or Brown, and original colour is one of the biggest value drivers on this coin. Keep it in an acid-free holder and handle it by the edges.

This guide is written so collectors can read an early San Francisco wheat cent for themselves — its mint mark, its strike, and its colour — and use that knowledge before any individual coin is judged.