United States Government Coin Mints
There are four active U.S. Mint locations. These four are located in Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and West Point. Their stories tell a mini-narrative of American history, from the founding of the nation and a need for an independent monetary system and facility in Philadelphia, across the western frontier with the gold rushes of the 19th century, and more facilities and production needed during World War II and beyond. Two of the four—Philadelphia and Denver—allow the public behind the scenes for tours today, and they all remain as busy as ever, storing, minting, and innovating coins for the purposes of everyday use, collection, and commemorating significant people, places and occasions.
U.S. Mint in Philadelphia
The first American mint became a reality in 1792 in Philadelphia. It was just the third building erected by the government of the new nation, and the first under the Constitution. The three-story facility was built, and the following year, it produced its first circulating coins in the form of 11,178 copper cents for commercial use in the colonies. The Philadelphia Mint became the first national agency to employ women when it hired Sarah Waldrake and Rachael Summers as adjusters in 1795. Today, it produces each type of everyday coin in use as well as commemorative ones, resulting in billions of coins every year. Public tours are given. Learn more about the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia.
U.S. Mint in San Francisco
The San Francisco Mint was a product of the gold rush of the mid-1800s. As ‘49ers flocked west to mine, the need for a place to assess and turn their gold into coins that was c/loser than Philadelphia< became apparent. In 1852 Congress approved the establishment of a mint in California. After an earthquake and fire struck San Francisco in 1906, that mint survived due to its strong foundation, and was the only national financial institution in the area to be able to get right back to business fairly quickly, and it became the treasury for disaster relief funds. Today it makes only commemorative coins and is not open to the public. Learn more about the U.S. Mint in San Francisco.
U.S. Mint in Denver
After gold was discovered in the Colorado mountains, it became clear that another facility was needed in that region to assess miners’ gold and convert it into coins. The government opened an assay office in 1863, but in the early 1900s it became an official mint and moved to a new building. It remains today in a historic building in downtown Denver that serves as a popular tourist attraction. It’s a prolific producer of coins for both circulation and commemoration. It was the site of the 1922 Great Mint Robbery, in which $200,000 in $5 notes was stolen from a truck outside. The mint at that time stored paper money for the federal reserve. Learn more about the U.S. Mint in Denver.
U.S. Mint in West Point
In 1938, the U.S. government opened a silver depository in West Point, New York, on the grounds of the West Point Military Academy. Coins were not produced at the facility for the first time until 1973, to ease production pressure on the other facilities. Fifteen years after that, it was officially classified as a United States Mint. However its circulation coin-producing days only lasted from 1973 to 1986, before then picking up again in 2019. Then in 1980 it began producing gold medals. Today it stores gold and produces gold coins. It operates mostly as a storage facility, and a producer of commemorative coins and collectibles. Security is extremely tight and tours are not given. Learn more about the U.S. Mint in West Point.
Government vs Private Mints
A number of private mints exist around the nation as well. They can produce any coins or medallions they like, but none of what they produce may be used as official legal tender currency. Only those produced at one of the four U.S. government mints have a legally-enforceable face value. Private mints often produce novelty coins and bars that collectors are drawn to that can be used for commemoration and may be extremely valuable, but they themselves cannot be used as direct payment of any kind. Learn more about Government vs Private Mints.
World Mints
Almost half the nations of the world outside of the United States have their own mints. Some have multiple and some have none. Some have their coins minted in other countries or do not have their own unique currency. Some of these, in countries much older than the U.S., are ancient and storied places of business, like the Monnaie de Paris in France, which was founded in the year 864. But they function just like American mints, operating under the government and manufacturing coins for both circulation and collection. Learn more about World Mints.