The pace of striking coins at the US Mint has been much like watching a crawling turtle stroll through the mud. Mintage levels were way down last year, and slumped in January to start this one — numbers were less than half that of January 2009. February was no different, according to the latest round of coin production figures.
Circulating Coin Production in February
| Denver | Philadelphia | Total | |
| 2010 Lincoln Cents | 78,800,000 | 84,000,000 | 162,800,000 |
| 2010 Jefferson Nickels | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 Roosevelt Dimes | 0 | 19,000,000 | 19,000,000 |
| 2010 Quarters | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 Kennedy Half Dollars | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 Native American $1 | 0 | 12,600,000 | 12,600,000 |
| 2010 Presidential $1s | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 78,800,000 | 115,600,000 | 194,400,000 |
A highlight for the month includes action in Roosevelt dimes to the tune of 19 million in Philadelphia. It was last April when the United States Mint announced that it would produce no more dimes during 2009, and it didn’t. 146 million were struck in total for the year. The 2010-dated dime amount is token level, but better than the zero more than one collector was expecting. Will any come out of Denver this month?
Still no 2010 nickels. The last time a small batch of those were run through Mint presses was back in June 2009.
Now known are the final Millard Fillmore Presidential $1 coin mintages. The Mint struck a total of 74,480,000 Fillmore $1s, with 36,960,000 from Denver and 37,520,000 from Philadelphia (all in January). The Denver level is the second lowest for any of the prior 12 dollars, falling just behind the 2009-D Taylor $1s which came in at 36,680,000. 2010-P Fillmore $1s, however, now rank as the most scarce Presidential dollar minted from Philadelphia.
Fillmore dollar rolls may still be purchased from the US Mint. $25-coin rolls went on sale February 18, 2010, for $35.95. Taylor rolls are also currently available from the Mint.
As a final comparison, a total of 218,410,00 coins were minted in January. February’s total production was just 194.4 million. No America the Beautiful Quarters were struck in either month, but that should happen this month since coins will need to be ready for an expected April release of the first Hot Springs Park Quarter.
The following is a year-to-date breakout for the total coin production by design:
US Mint 2010 Production Figures by Coin Design
| Denver | Philadelphia | 2010 Total | |
| Lincoln Cent | 128,800,000 | 149,230,000 | 278,030,000 |
| Jefferson Nickel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Roosevelt Dime | 0 | 19,000,000 | 19,000,000 |
| Kennedy Half Dollar | 1,700,000 | 1,800,000 | 3,500,000 |
| 2010 Native American $1 | 14,000,000 | 23,800,000 | 37,800,000 |
| Fillmore Presidential $1 | 36,960,000 | 37,520,000 | 74,480,000 |
US Mint Director Ed Moy discussed coin mintages and distribution at a recent coin forum, which describes several production issues and expectations for this year. To read about the question and answer session, see Moy Talks Mintages, 2010 Designs.
