The History of the United States Mint

The United States Mint is the official coin factory for the United States government and manufactures the legal-tender American coinage that you find in your pocket change. While most of us carry around “pennies” (officially called one-cent coins), nickels, dimes, and quarters in our pockets and purses, or perhaps have a jar full of them at home, few really think about the United States Mint and its story.

It’s perhaps safe to say that most Americans don’t realize the U.S. Mint even makes anything other than the four denominations – cents, nickels, dimes, and quarters – that most of us are familiar with using for cash transactions. And some people mistakenly believe the U.S. Mint also prints “paper” currency. But that’s the job of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing – and the subject of another story for another day!

The Early Years of the United States Mint

The United States Mint was established by an Act of Congress on April 2, 1792, following years of discussion on how the young nation, founded in 1776 with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, should issue its own money. The United States Mint was built in Philadelphia, which during the 1790s served as the nation’s capital city before the seat of the United States government was later moved to Washington, D.C. in 1800.

By the spring of 1793, the first official United States coins were minted, including half cents and “large” cents – early one-cent coins that were nearly the size of a modern-day half dollar. Over the next few years, several other denominations were unveiled, including half dimes, dimes, quarters, half dollars, silver dollars, quarter eagles (gold coins with a face value of $2.50), half eagles ($5 gold coins), and eagles (a gold coin denominated at $10). All early examples of these coins are rare and valuable today. Other denominations, including the 1864 two-cent piece – the first United States coin to bear the motto “In God We Trust” – and double eagle $20 gold coins came along in the 19th century.

The Mint Grows

The 19th century was an exciting time for the United States. Among the most important events for our country was the addition of many new territories and states. As the young nation grew westward, so, too, did the United States Mint. By 1838, the United States Mint began operating a branch mint in New Orleans to mint silver and gold coins. Also coming online in 1838 were two branch facilities in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Dahlonega, Georgia, dedicated to minting only gold coins.

By the end of the 1840s, a gold rush in the San Francisco area lured thousands to the West Coast to look for gold. The U.S. Mint soon followed, opening the San Francisco branch mint in 1854. During the latter half of the 19th century, silver mining in the American Rockies led to new cities there and the establishment of branch mints in Carson City and Denver in 1870 and 1906, respectively. The most recent branch mint, located in West Point, New York, was built in 1937 as a bullion depository and began producing coins for supplemental purposes in the 1970s; the first coin bearing a West Point mintmark are dated 1984.

For easier reference, here’s a rundown of the various U.S. Mint facilities and their mintmarks in alphabetical order:

Charlotte, 1838-1861 – “C”
Carson City, 1870-1893 – “CC”
Dahlonega, 1838-1861 – “D”
Denver, 1906-present – “D”
New Orleans, 1838-1861; 1879-1909 – “O”
Philadelphia, 1793-present – “P”
San Francisco, 1854-present – “S”
West Point, 1984-present – “W”

What Coins Does the United States Mint Make?

The U.S. Mint has made many hundreds of different types of coins, including regular-issue coinage for everyday circulation, commemorative issues, medals and tokens, and a variety of coins for collectors and bullion investors. A full explanation of the many coins the United States Mint has made since its earliest days would easily consume a volume consisting of hundreds of pages (and, in fact, there are many such compendiums out there for you to read and enjoy!).

At Universal Coin & Bullion, we offer some of the most popular coins the United States Mint has ever produced. These include:

Indian Head cents
Shield nickels
Mercury dimes
Washington quarters
Walking Liberty half dollars
Kennedy half dollars
Morgan silver dollars
Peace silver dollars
Pre-1933 gold coins
American Silver Eagles
Gold American Eagles
And more

At Universal Coin & Bullion, we’re honored to have Dr. Michael Fuljenz – “America’s Gold Expert” himself – on our team. He’s been collecting coins nearly his entire life and is an award-winning author and speaker who has been featured on Fox Business News, Bloomberg TV, CNBC, and in other media outlets countless times over the last 30 years. He knows what quality collectible and bullion coins look like and selects only the best for our inventory.

For more information on our wide selection of bullion coins and collectible coins, call us today toll-free at 800.822.4653. Market prices have been on the increase, so be sure to buy your collectible and bullion coins before prices go up again!