US Mint Coin Production Hits 16 Billion in 2016

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US Mint 2016 Coins
The U.S. Mint made 16,017,410,000 coins for circulation in 2016

U.S. coining presses were busy in 2016 but they did get a bit of relief from 2015 when they struck the most coins since 2001, according to annual production figures released by the United States Mint.

Production facilities in Philadelphia and Denver shipped over 16 billion coins to Federal Reserve Banks for distribution into the economy, marking a 6% decrease from the more than 17 billion made during the previous year. In 2015, demand for coinage was so high that the U.S. Mint expanded operations and hired more people to fulfill coin orders. The year marked a sixth straight for growth.

Still, the production pace in 2016 was easily the second quickest for a year since 2001, and 351.5% faster than when mintages reached their bottom in 2009 at just over 3.5 billion coins.

Here is a breakdown of the annual coin production levels adjusted on a per coin basis from 2015 to 2016:

US Mint Annual Coin Production (2016 vs 2015)

  Year 2015 Year 2016 2016 Unit Gain / Loss 2016 % Gain / Loss
Cents 9,365,300,000 9,118,400,000 -246,900,000 -2.6%
Nickels 1,599,600,000 1,546,560,000 -53,040,000 -3.3%
Dimes 3,041,010,000 2,954,000,000 -87,010,000 -2.9%
Quarters 2,990,820,000 2,356,030,000 -634,790,000 -21.2%
Half Dollars 4,600,000 4,200,000 -400,000 -8.7%
Native American $1 5,040,000 4,900,000 -140,000 -2.8%
Presidential $1s 40,330,000 33,320,000 -7,010,000 -17.4%
Total 17,046,700,000 16,017,410,000 -1,029,290,000 -6.0%

 

When looking at the above table, keep in mind that Presidential $1 Coins, Native American $1 Coins and Kennedy half-dollars are no longer produced for circulation — Federal Reserve Banks do not order them from the U.S. Mint. They are now only made in much smaller quantities for sale in products for coin collectors.

All U.S. coins for circulation originate from either the Denver Mint or Philadelphia Mint. Last year, the facility in Denver made over 7.8 billion coins while the one in Philadelphia made more than 8.2 billion coins.

In unit totals and as typical, Lincoln cents won among denominations with more than 9.1 billion made, representing 56.9% of last year’s production total. Ironically, each costs 1.5 cents to strike and distribute so the most made U.S. coin is a money-loser.

These next two tables show 2016 circulating coin mintages by production facility, denomination and design:

YTD 2016 Circulating Coin Production by Denomination

1 ¢ 5 ¢ 10 ¢ 25 ¢ 50 ¢ N.A. $1 Pres $1 Total
Denver 4420.4M 759.6M 1437.M 1164.4M 2.1M 2.1M 15.26M 7800.86M
Philadelphia 4698.M 786.96M 1517.M 1191.63M 2.1M 2.8M 18.06M 8216.55M
Total 9118.4M 1546.56M 2954.M 2356.03M 4.2M 4.9M 33.32M 16017.41M

 

2016 Circulating Coin Production by Design

  Denver Philadelphia Total
Lincoln Cents 4,420,400,000 4,698,000,000 9,118,400,000
Jefferson Nickels 759,600,000 786,960,000 1,546,560,000
Roosevelt Dimes 1,437,000,000 1,517,000,000 2,954,000,000
Shawnee National Forest Quarter 151,800,000 155,600,000 307,400,000
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Quarter 223,200,000 215,400,000 438,600,000
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Quarter 424,000,000 434,630,000 858,630,000
Theodore Roosevelt National Park Quarter 223,200,000 231,600,000 454,800,000
Fort Moultrie Quarter 142,200,000 154,400,000 296,600,000
Kennedy Half Dollars 2,100,000 2,100,000 4,200,000
Native American $1 2,100,000 2,800,000 4,900,000
Richard M. Nixon $1 4,340,000 5,460,000 9,800,000
Gerald R. Ford $1 5,040,000 5,460,000 10,500,000
Ronald Reagan $1 5,880,000 7,140,000 13,020,000
Total 7,800,860,000 8,216,550,000 16,017,410,000

 

Until 2016, mintages of the U.S. Mint’s series of America the Beautiful Quarters® had grown stronger each year. They topped 2.35 billion in 2016, falling 21.2% from the nearly 3 billion struck in the previous year. Mintages going back to the start of the series reached:

  • 347 million in 2010;
  • 391.2 million in 2011;
  • 568 million in 2012;
  • 1.455 billion in 2013;
  • 1.58 billion in 2014; and
  • 2.99 billion in 2015.

Thirty-five different quarter designs have been released through 2016. The year again brought a change to the quarter sitting with the highest mintage. The leader by design is now the 2016 Harpers Ferry National Historical quarter for West Virginia at 858.63 million.

The 2012 Chaco Culture National Historical Park quarter for New Mexico remains at the bottom of the production charts with a total mintage of 44 million. (The scarcest ABQ issue by production facility is the Denver Mint-struck 2012-D Acadia National Park quarter at 21.6 million. The ‘P’ and ‘D’ Chaco Culture quarters follow with each at 22 million.)

The U.S. Mint has made more than 9.6 billion America the Beautiful Quarters since the series launched in 2010. Each quarter honors a different national park or national site in the United States or its territories. Here is a breakdown of production totals by quarter design and coin production facility:

2010 – 2016 America the Beautiful Quarters Mintages

  Denver Philadelphia Total
2010 Hot Springs National Park 34,000,000 35,600,000 69,600,000
2010 Yellowstone National Park 34,800,000 33,600,000 68,400,000
2010 Yosemite National Park 34,800,000 35,200,000 70,000,000
2010 Grand Canyon National Park 35,400,000 34,800,000 70,200,000
2010 Mount Hood National Forest 34,400,000 34,400,000 68,800,000
2011 Gettysburg National Military Park 30,400,000 30,800,000 61,200,000
2011 Glacier National Park 31,200,000 30,400,000 61,600,000
2011 Olympic National Park 30,600,000 30,400,000 61,000,000
2011 Vicksburg National Military Park 33,400,000 30,800,000 64,200,000
2011 Chickasaw National Recreation Area 69,400,000 73,800,000 143,200,000
2012 El Yunque Quarter 25,000,000 25,800,000 50,800,000
2012 Chaco Culture Quarter 22,000,000 22,000,000 44,000,000
2012 Acadia Quarter 21,606,000 24,800,000 46,406,000
2012 Hawai’i Quarter 78,600,000 46,200,000 124,800,000
2012 Denali Quarter 166,600,000 135,400,000 302,000,000
2013 White Mountain Quarter 107,600,000 68,800,000 176,400,000
2013 Perry’s Victory Quarter 131,600,000 107,800,000 239,400,000
2013 Great Basin Quarter 141,400,000 122,400,000 263,800,000
2013 Fort McHenry Quarter 151,400,000 120,000,000 271,400,000
2013 Mount Rushmore Quarter 272,400,000 231,800,000 504,200,000
2014 Great Smoky Mountains Quarter 99,400,000 73,200,000 172,600,000
2014 Shenandoah National Park Quarter 197,800,000 112,800,000 310,600,000
2014 Arches National Park Quarter 251,400,000 214,200,000 465,600,000
2014 Great Sand Dunes Quarter 171,800,000 159,600,000 331,400,000
2014 Everglades National Park Quarter 142,400,000 157,601,200 300,001,200
2015 Homestead National Monument of America Quarter 248,600,000 214,400,000 463,000,000
2015 Kisatchie National Forest Quarter 379,600,000 397,200,000 776,800,000
2015 Blue Ridge Parkway Quarter 505,200,000 325,616,000 830,816,000
2015 Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge Quarter 206,400,000 275,000,000 481,400,000
2015 Saratoga National Historical Park Quarter 215,800,000 223,000,000 438,800,000
2016 Shawnee National Forest Quarter 151,800,000 155,600,000 307,400,000
2016 Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Quarter 223,200,000 215,400,000 438,600,000
2016 Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Quarter 424,000,000 434,630,000 858,630,000
2016 Theodore Roosevelt National Park Quarter 223,200,000 231,600,000 454,800,000
2016 Fort Moultrie Quarter 142,200,000 154,400,000 296,600,000
Total 5,069,406,000 4,619,047,200 9,688,460,000

 

Notably, the U.S. Mint’s program of Presidential $1 Coins ended in 2016 with the final three dollars honoring Nixon, Ford and Reagan. Mintages of the three reached a combined 33.32 million coins, down 5.2% from the 2015 Presidential dollar total of 35.14 million.

Since the inception of the series in 2007, over 2.56 billion dollars have been produced. Recent annual totals are modest compared to the pre-2012 years when the coins were made for circulation.

Here’s a look at the program’s combined mintages and splits by minting facility:

2007 – 2016 Presidential $1 Coin Mintages

  Denver Philadelphia Total
2007 George Washington $1 163,680,000 176,680,000 340,360,000
2007 John Adams $1 112,140,000 112,420,000 224,560,000
2007 Thomas Jefferson $1 102,810,000 100,800,000 203,610,000
2007 James Madison $1 87,780,000 84,560,000 172,340,000
2008 James Monroe $1 60,230,000 64,260,000 124,490,000
2008 John Quincy Adams $1 57,720,000 57,540,000 115,260,000
2008 Andrew Jackson $1 61,070,000 61,180,000 122,250,000
2008 Martin Van Buren $1 50,960,000 51,520,000 102,480,000
2009 William H. Harrison $1 55,160,000 43,260,000 98,420,000
2009 John Tyler $1 43,540,000 43,540,000 87,080,000
2009 James K. Polk $1 41,720,000 46,620,000 88,340,000
2009 Zachary Taylor $1 36,680,000 41,580,000 78,260,000
2010 Millard Fillmore $1 36,960,000 37,520,000 74,480,000
2010 Franklin Pierce $1 38,360,000 38,220,000 76,580,000
2010 James Buchanan $1 36,540,000 36,820,000 73,360,000
2010 Abraham Lincoln $1 48,020,000 49,000,000 97,020,000
2011 Andrew Johnson $1 37,100,000 35,560,000 72,660,000
2011 Ulysses S. Grant $1 37,940,000 38,080,000 76,020,000
2011 Rutherford B. Hayes $1 36,820,000 37,660,000 74,480,000
2011 James Garfield $1 37,100,000 37,100,000 74,200,000
2012 Arthur Presidential $1 4,060,000 6,020,000 10,080,000
2012 Cleveland (1st Term) Presidential $1 4,060,000 5,460,000 9,520,000
2012 Harrison Presidential $1 4,200,000 5,640,001 9,840,001
2012 Cleveland (2nd Term) Presidential $1 3,920,000 10,680,000 14,600,000
2013 William McKinley $1 3,365,100 4,760,000 8,125,100
2013 Theodore Roosevelt $1 3,920,000 5,310,700 9,230,700
2013 William Howard Taft $1 3,360,000 4,760,000 8,120,000
2013 Woodrow Wilson $1 3,360,000 4,620,000 7,980,000
2014 Warren G. Harding $1 3,780,000 6,160,000 9,940,000
2014 Calvin Coolidge $1 3,780,000 4,480,000 8,260,000
2014 Herbert Hoover $1 3,780,000 4,480,000 8,260,000
2014 Franklin D. Roosevelt $1 3,920,000 4,760,000 8,680,000
2015 Harry S. Truman $1 3,500,000 4,900,000 8,400,000
2015 Dwight D. Eisenhower $1 3,645,998 4,900,000 8,545,998
2015 John F. Kennedy $1 5,180,000 6,160,000 11,340,000
2015 Lyndon B. Johnson $1 4,200,000 7,840,000 12,040,000
Richard M. Nixon $1 4,340,000 5,460,000 9,800,000
Gerald R. Ford $1 5,040,000 5,460,000 10,500,000
Ronald Reagan $1 5,880,000 7,140,000 13,020,000
Total 1,259,621,098 1,302,880,700 2,562,501,798

 

December is traditionally a weak coin production month as the U.S. Mint readies its tooling for the next year’s coins. Some Decembers have actually come in at or near flat for production amounts. Last month was fairly strong historically at 707.79 million coins, though down 1.6% from December 2015. Compared to November, the production level fell 28.6%.

Here’s how the month ranks against others in the past year:

2015 – 2016 December Coin Production Figures

Month Mintages Rank
December 2016 696.68 M 13
November 2016 976.04 M 10
October 2016 1,297.36 M 9
September 2016 1,573.70 M 3
August 2016 1,302.95 M 8
July 2016 1,807.20 M 1
June 2016 1,582.06 M 2
May 2016 1,550.12 M 4
April 2016 1,339.06 M 7
March 2016 1,446.14 M 6
February 2016 930.26 M 11
January 2016 1,515.84 M 5
December 2015 707.79 M 12

 

Production in December was limited to the four main denominations, the cent, nickel, dime and quarter. This last table shows their mintages:

US Mint Circulating Coin Production in December 2016

Denomination Denver Philadelphia Total
Lincoln Cents 132,000,000 208,800,000 340,800,000
Jefferson Nickels 21,600,000 32,880,000 54,480,000
Roosevelt Dimes 66,500,000 74,500,000 141,000,000
2016 ATB Quarters 79,600,000 80,800,000 160,400,000
Kennedy Half Dollars 0 0 0
Native American $1s 0 0 0
Presidential Dollars 0 0 0
Total 299,700,000 396,980,000 696,680,000

 

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David

Very nice article, thanks for the hard work in putting it together!

Tom

BEWARE..EBAY has a fake 1844 silver dollar up for bid it has a CC mint mark and MOTTO on back which didnt come out till later years of mintage. bidding over at 3:30 PM so get your bids in..lol. so far 11 bids..@$44

Richard

Lots of fake coins (especially dollars) out there, not to mention some fake slabs. The Big Tree Coin Factory, out of China, is notorious for this, but there are others. The old adage, “Buy the book before the coin” really holds true. It is funny but aside from blunders like the wrong date/mint/type combinations sometimes you can just look at a coin and know it’s wrong. But that’s subtle and I wouldn’t trust not having a bad first impression as a reason to buy something.

Keep Calm & Stack On

Seth, what row and seat are you?

https://www.usmint.gov/pressroom/insidethemint/indexnew-coin-design-225th.html

Did the Eagle on the reverse have three different layers of frosting, or was it uniform?

Mammoth

Re: fake Chinese coins, there is a photograph out there on the Internet showing an ASE dated 1906.

China could shut down the country’s counterfeiting operations tomorrow, if their government really wanted to. But they don’t.

Munzen

57% of all coins struck are CENTS? Add the fact that ~45% of banknotes are $1 bills, and it seems clear something’s out of kilter.

TY

That’s a lot of pennies that are going into peoples’ floors, couches, and garbage cans.