The enduring history of the United States Mint.

As the sole producer of our nation’s gold, silver, platinum, and palladium coins, the U.S. Mint has played a key role in American history.

United States Mint Facilities

The West Point Mint Facility is the newest U.S. Mint production and depository facility. Constructed near the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, in 1937 and officially opened in 1938, it was originally called the West Point Bullion Depository and functioned primarily as a storage facility for silver bullion. From 1973 to 1986, West Point produced pennies and began producing gold medals in 1980. The first American Eagle Gold bullion coins were produced at the facility in 1986, but it wasn't until 1988 when West Point became an official branch of the U.S. Mint. Today, the West Point Mint Facility is still used as a storage location for a large portion of the nation's gold reserves, and is now the production facility for all American Eagle coins, including gold, silver, platinum, and palladium issues.

The U.S. Mint's largest facility is the Philadelphia Mint. The current facility at Philadelphia, which opened in 1969, is the fourth Philadelphia Mint. The first was built in 1792, when Philadelphia was still the U.S. capital, and began operation in 1793. Until 1980, coins minted at Philadelphia bore no mint mark, with the exceptions of the Susan B. Anthony dollar and the wartime Jefferson nickel. In 1980, the P mint mark was added to all U.S. coinage except the cent. Until 1968, the Philadelphia Mint was responsible for nearly all official proof coinage. Philadelphia is also the site of master die production for U.S. coinage, and the engraving and design departments of the Mint are also located there.

The Denver branch began life in 1863 as the local assay office, just five years after gold was discovered in the area. By the turn of the century, the office was bringing in over $5 million in annual gold and silver deposits, and in 1906, the Mint opened its new Denver branch. Denver uses a D mint mark and strikes coinage only for circulation, although it did strike, along with three other mints, the $10 gold 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Commemorative. It also produces its own working dies, as well as working dies for the other mints. Although the Denver and Dahlonega mints used the same mint mark D, they were never in operation at the same time, so this is not a source of ambiguity.

The San Francisco branch, opened in 1854 to serve the goldfields of the California Gold Rush, uses an S mint mark. It quickly outgrew its first building and moved into a new facility in 1874. This building, one of the few that survived the great earthquake and fire of 1906, served until 1937, when the present facility was opened. It was closed in 1955, then reopened a decade later during the coin shortage of the mid-60s. In 1968, it took over most proof-coinage production from Philadelphia, and since 1975, it has been used solely for proof coinage, with the exception of the Anthony dollar and a portion of the mintage of cents in the early 1980s. (These cents are indistinguishable from those minted at Philadelphia.)

The Start of a Courageous Era

During one of the most fascinating periods in American history, the 1790s were witness to much of the struggle and triumph of our young country. Within this short time period, George Washington gave the first State of the Union address, the Supreme Court convened for the first time, the first U.S. Patent was issued, the United States Post Office was created, the New York Stock Exchange was founded, and Congress authorized the very first United States Mint to be built in Philadelphia. More than 200 years later, the United States Mint is the world’s largest producer of gold and silver bullion coins as well as the sole manufacturer of U.S. legal-tender coinage.

A Modern Legacy of National Coinage

Today, as an integral building block of our great Republic, the United States Mint is recognized as a national icon. The U.S. Mint has a total of six facilities all across America, including Washington, D.C. (headquarters); Philadelphia, PA (production facility); West Point, NY (production facility); Denver, CO (production facility); San Francisco, CA (production facility); and Fort Knox, KY (bullion depository). Each one of these facilities perform a variety of functions, but nearly all modern U.S. government-issued silver, gold, palladium, and platinum coins are minted at the West Point Mint Facility.

Enthusiastically recognized for their enormous historical appeal, silver, gold, platinum, and palladium coins from the United States Mint bear some of the most evocative and cherished designs ever struck on a nation’s currency. Employing the intricately crafted designs from among America's most accomplished engravers, U.S. government-issued coinage features significant historical figures such as Martha Washington, Lakota Chief Iron Tail, and President John F. Kennedy, as well as national icons like the Library of Congress, the American Bison, and the Statue of Liberty. To this day, when you hold one of these legendary coins from the United States Mint in your very own hand, you are holding a symbol of our shared history, a symbol of our American ideals, and a symbol of what it truly means to be a citizen of the United States.

“I am proud of our heritage, grateful for our liberty, and confident in our gold.”

Philip N. Diehl

A Unique Perspective from former U.S. Mint Director Philip N. Diehl

One who embodies the tenets of American exceptionalism is none other than 35th Director of the United States Mint Philip N. Diehl. Remarking on the extraordinary impact of the United States Mint, Diehl once said, “I believe the Mint's role in our nation's history is best captured in a celebrated photograph I saw of the San Francisco Mint, one of the few buildings to survive the 1906 earthquake and fire. In peacetime and war, good times and hard times, the United States Mint has remained a bulwark of our democracy and economy. I am honored to have played a role in this enduring legacy… and I am proud of our heritage, grateful for our liberty, and confident in our gold.”

Diehl also spoke to the historic independence and physical reminder of our freedoms protected through the ownership of precious metals. “The gold, silver, and platinum coins of the United States Mint bear the legacy of a simple but compelling idea—that We The People are capable of governing ourselves.”

Philip N. Diehl served as the 35th Director of the U.S. Mint from June 1994 through March 2000. Click here to read more.

Own your piece of American history

With the 35th U.S. Mint Director Philip Diehl serving as the President of our company, U.S. Money Reserve is proud to be one of the largest distributors of precious metals produced by the United States Mint. As a valued client, you can purchase these U.S. government-issued coins with the confidence of knowing that each coin is guaranteed for its weight, content and purity by the U.S. government.

In addition, all U.S. Mint products we offer are authorized by Congress and are produced with an official U.S. dollar denomination, designating them United States legal tender.

If you’re ready to move a portion of your hard-earned money into hard assets like gold, silver, platinum, and palladium coins from the United States Mint, give us a call for your FREE one-on-one consultation to get started today.

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