On Mints and Mint Marks By Eric Weisbrot

Mint Marks are tiny letters referring to the locality3. The blanks then are softened by running them
where the minting of coins took place. The positionthrough an annealing furnace, through tumbling
of mint mark can be found typically on the back sidebarrels, and then through revolving cylinders
of coins that were minted before the year 1965 andcontaining chemical mixtures to burnish and clean the
on the front after the year 1967.metal.
Coins of every US mint branch are recognized by4. The blanks then are washed and placed into a
mint marks. These coin marks date back to ancientdrying 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 March5. The Final stage: coining press. Each blank is clasp
3, 1835, set rules to classify and distinguish the coinsinto position by a collar or ring as it is being struck or
released from every US Mint branch. This corehit under great pressure. Pennies need approximately
management set accurate standards and pattern of40 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 thanon the two sides of each coin.
the year 1979 have no mint marks. So it was in thatThe design:
year that the dollar was marked with the letter PThe Director of the Mint chooses the design and
and other denominations had that same markpattern for United States coins, then that is
thereafter.approved by the Secretary of the Treasury;
All dies for US coins are produced at the Philadelphiacongress can recommend and suggest a design. The
Mint and prior to shipping the coins to their mintdesign then can not be changed for twenty five
branch, coins are marked first with the correct andyears unless directed by the congress.
designated mint markings. The precise size andAll 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 wasPresident 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 thoughcoin in 1938; Franklin Roosevelt on the dime,
mint mark, date and condition examination, makingintroduced in the year 1946; Kennedy on the half
the coins condition the most significant factor anddollar 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 tremendouslyProgram supports and allows the redesigning of the
important in determining the value of the coin; thequarters - the reverse side is to show each of the
coin can be hit in huge quantities at a single Mint or infifty 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 stripsConstitution.
composed of nickel (25%) and nickel (75%) for nickelThe phrase In God We Trust was used first in 1864,
and dollars, half-dollars, dimes, half-dimes areon 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 blanking1916 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.