| Mint Marks are tiny letters referring to the locality | | | | 3. The blanks then are softened by running them |
| where the minting of coins took place. The position | | | | through an annealing furnace, through tumbling |
| of mint mark can be found typically on the back side | | | | barrels, and then through revolving cylinders |
| of coins that were minted before the year 1965 and | | | | containing chemical mixtures to burnish and clean the |
| on the front after the year 1967. | | | | metal. |
| Coins of every US mint branch are recognized by | | | | 4. The blanks then are washed and placed into a |
| mint marks. These coin marks date back to ancient | | | | drying device, then into the upsetting machines, that |
| times in Rome and Greece. | | | | produce the raised rim. |
| The Director of the Mint, through the Act of March | | | | 5. The Final stage: coining press. Each blank is clasp |
| 3, 1835, set rules to classify and distinguish the coins | | | | into position by a collar or ring as it is being struck or |
| released from every US Mint branch. This core | | | | hit under great pressure. Pennies need approximately |
| management set accurate standards and pattern of | | | | 40 tons of pressure and the larger coins need more. |
| production as well as responsible coinage. | | | | The upper and lower dies are stamped simultaneously |
| Coins that minted at the Philadelphia mint earlier than | | | | on the two sides of each coin. |
| the year 1979 have no mint marks. So it was in that | | | | The design: |
| year that the dollar was marked with the letter P | | | | The Director of the Mint chooses the design and |
| and other denominations had that same mark | | | | pattern for United States coins, then that is |
| thereafter. | | | | approved by the Secretary of the Treasury; |
| All dies for US coins are produced at the Philadelphia | | | | congress can recommend and suggest a design. The |
| Mint and prior to shipping the coins to their mint | | | | design then can not be changed for twenty five |
| branch, coins are marked first with the correct and | | | | years unless directed by the congress. |
| designated mint markings. The precise size and | | | | All emblems of United States coins minted currently |
| positioning of the coins mint mark can slightly vary; | | | | represent previous presidents of the United States. |
| this is influenced by how deep the punch was | | | | President Lincoln is on the one-cent coin, adopted in |
| impressed and where. | | | | the year 1909; Washington on the 25 cent coin that |
| The importance of mint marks: | | | | was minted first in 1932; Jefferson on the five cent |
| Collectors can determine the value of a coin though | | | | coin in 1938; Franklin Roosevelt on the dime, |
| mint mark, date and condition examination, making | | | | introduced in the year 1946; Kennedy on the half |
| the coins condition the most significant factor and | | | | dollar that was first minted in 1964. |
| standard when determining its value. | | | | The Act of 1997 known as the 50 States Quarters |
| Defining the Mint which hit the coin is tremendously | | | | Program supports and allows the redesigning of the |
| important in determining the value of the coin; the | | | | quarters - the reverse side is to show each of the |
| coin can be hit in huge quantities at a single Mint or in | | | | fifty states emblems. Every year starting in 1999 and |
| smaller quantities in another hit. | | | | until 2008, coins honoring five states, having designs |
| The process of minting: | | | | that are created by each state, will be issued in the |
| 1. The making of metal strips in the correct thickness: | | | | sequence or manner in which each state signed the |
| Zinc strips are used for pennies, alloy strips | | | | Constitution. |
| composed of nickel (25%) and nickel (75%) for nickel | | | | The phrase In God We Trust was used first in 1864, |
| and dollars, half-dollars, dimes, half-dimes are | | | | on a United States two-cent coin. It then was seen |
| fabricated from a fusion of three coatings of metals; | | | | on the quarter, nickel, half-dollar, silver dollar and on |
| the external layer are alloys and the center is copper. | | | | the $10, $5 and $20 in 1866; in 1909 on the penny, in |
| 2. These strips of metals are then put into blanking | | | | 1916 on the dime. Today, all United States coins carry |
| presses that are responsible for cutting round blanks, | | | | the motto. |
| approximately the dimension of the done coin. | | | | |