Gold Coin Mint

A Mint is a location where coins are created. The United States Mint has been in existence since 1792, and it is one of the busiest Federal agencies. In 2009 alone, the US Mint created over 3.5 billion coins at its four facilities. Part of the National Treasury Department, creates collectors coins, national medals, gold, silver and platinum bullion and commemorative pieces to mark important dates and events.

Among its other responsibilities, the Mint is in charge of producing both domestic and foreign coins, creating and selling proof coin sets, overseeing the movement of bullion, dispersing gold and silver, and distributing coins to Federal Reserve Banks. Of all its responsibilities, the Mint is best known for creating coins.

Today’s coins are struck from dies, which are two cylindrical metal plates, each having the incised image that will be reflected on the coin. These images are incised because the coin has raised features created during the minting process.

In order to make a coin, a blank disk is inserted between the two dies, which are then pressed together with great force, creating the image of the coin. The metal flows to fill the patterns of the image, creating shape and feel of the coin that everyone recognizes.

After the coins are minted, they are cleaned, polished and inspected before being wrapped for delivery to the various Federal Reserve Banks. In the case of bullion, the coins are carefully packaged to preserve their quality and then sent to dealers and gold exchanges.

While the US Mint is one of the largest in the world, there are a number of other countries that mint gold and silver bullion, including Canada, France, China, Austria, South Africa and Australia.

Mints have developed over the years, transforming from hand-cut dies that frequently broke to state of the art facilities that can produce billions of coins that are suitable for daily circulation, prestigious medals and beautiful investment bullion. This large and successful branch of the US government has over two hundred years of meeting the monetary needs of American citizens.

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Kevin Johnson

Senior Staff Writer - GoldCoin.net