The mintage of cents at Denver plunged in 1931, an inevitable response to the nation's devastated economy. Many of these cents were not released until a few years later, and collector complaints about the unavailability of this and other current issues prompted the Treasury to disseminate instructions on how to obtain up to two examples of each coin on hand. Both the real and merely perceived rarity of these early 1930s coins is what created the roll market that was so much a part of the coin business for decades.
1931-D cents were well made for the most part, but quite a few show signs of tired dies. Fully red gems are very scarce, and circulated pieces are slightly scarce.
Mintage:
| Philadelphia | Denver | San Francisco |
| 19,396,000 | 4,480,000 | 866,000 |