What are the mint marks on my coins?

Mint marks are pretty important when evaluating a coin.  The date, condition, and mint marks are among the top criteria in determining the value of your coin.  The mint mark tells you where your coin was minted.  Listed below are the various mints wher coins were made:

D    Denver

S    San Francisco

C    North Carolina

CC  Carson City

O    New Orleans

And if it doesn't have a mint mark, it was made in Philidelphia.

The mint marks are most often are placed in the fields of the coin(The open spaces) and can appear on botht the obverse and the reverse of the coin.  It takes a bit of looking on the coin if you are not familiar with exacly where to look.  It is also important to have good light and some magnificatio.  A simple magnifying glass will most often do the trick.  You might also glance at a coin book to get the location of the mint mark. They are small and not always well struck.  Also, the more the coin is worn, the more difficult to see the mint mark.
It is not uncommon for lower mintages to have higher values(in certain condditions).  we know that more coins were minted in Philidelphia than any other mint.  We also know that the fewest amount of silver was minted in Carson City.  The Carson City mint is one that is desired.  I love the that feeling you get when you discover a coin that was minted in Carson City