Mint Mark

A Mint Mark is a letter, inscription or symbol that is stamped on a coin or bar to show where it was produced. It was originally created as a form of insurance; if a coin or bar was over or underweight, the mint that produced it could be easily identified and the problem could be rectified. Today, mint marks are widely used. Common United States mint marks include P for the Philadelphia Mint and W for the West Point Mint, while German coinage is marked with the letters A, D, E, F, G and J for the country's six major mints in Berlin, Munich, Muldenhutten, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe and Hamburg. The Royal Mint uses mint marks pertaining to the place of manufacture, not all of which are in the UK, and the Royal Canadian Mint favours a privy mark, its famous maple leaf.