Public Apology & How Many Cents Coined From Die/Dies?

[lonegunlawyer]

I apologize for any part I played in going "off topic" to Sean's questions a few days ago and causing any frustration. I just got overly eager to contribute, but apparently detracted from the thread.

Now to the single question I thought I had an answer to: Approximately how many cents are coined from 1) an obverse die; and 2) a reverse die? (Proofs and circulation strikes)

Thank you for the anticipated answers.

[jallengomez]

That answer varies greatly. Especially comparing the dies that were used in early Wheat Cent production vs. the ones used today. Also, since die attrition is not a fixed constant, but can vary significantly, it just depends. Reverse dies seem to sustain more wear and tear than the obverse dies. I believe that on average, modern dies last around 800,000 strikes.

[Maineman750]

CPG says about 1 million coins, so Jodys answer is as good as any I've seen.

[jcuve]

I agree, modern cent dies are supposed to be something like i mill strikes. Modern proofs are supposed to be around 3,000 coins. Older proofs, from the '50s might be more, but I am not sure how many. I suspect that reverse dies are used for more strikes, but again, how many I don't know. The mid '80s saw die life extended to save money.