Severe budget cuts across all federal departments during the Harding and Coolidge administrations compelled the mints, particularly Denver and San Francisco, to run their dies way too long. As a result, 1924-S cents are among the many issues of this decade that are usually found poorly struck from very eroded dies. The coin presented here is thus a superior specimen in all respects.
Only a few persons interested in coinage matters commented at the time about such poor quality. One of these was Charles Moore, Chairman of the Federal Commission of Fine Arts: "By dint of many struggles our silver coinage, the nickel, and the penny, have been brought up to a fair standard as compared with other leading nations. The only questions now in relation to those coins are questions of quality of work in producing the coins themselves."
Mintage:
| Philadelphia | Denver | San Francisco |
| 75,178,000 | 72,520,000 | 11,696,000 |