The amount of coins coming out of the United States Mint surged in May 2011, according to the latest coin production figures from the bureau.
The totals were the highest of the year, the second best over the past twelve months, and revealed the final mintages for the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential $1 which launched into circulation May 19.
The Mint pressed 807.41 million coins for circulation in May, topping the previous month by 26.1 percent and year ago levels by 22.9 percent.
Monthly US Mint Coin Production Figures / Mintages
| Month | Mintages | Rank |
| May 2011 | 807.41 M | 2 |
| April 2011 | 640.17 M | 9 |
| March 2011 | 485.5 M | 12 |
| February 2011 | 523.14 M | 11 |
| January 2011 | 764.73 M | 4 |
| December 2010 | 80.200 M | 13 |
| November 2010 | 531.46 M | 10 |
| October 2010 | 730.22 M | 6 |
| September 2010 | 690.02 M | 7 |
| August 2010 | 743.78 M | 5 |
| July 2010 | 772.08 M | 3 |
| June 2010 | 918.94 M | 1 |
| May 2010 | 657.22 M | 8 |
The production gap grew wider last month between the two United States Mint facilities responsible for striking American circulating coins, which are the Philadelphia and Denver Mints. The lack of Philadelphia quarters was a deciding factor in the balance.
Both Kennedy half dollars and Native American $1 coins were silent for a second straight month. The United States Mint again focused its attention on smaller denominated coins. The combined Philadelphia and Denver Mint totals for the cent, the Jefferson nickel and the Roosevelt dime were easily the highest of the year. As always, Lincoln cents led the pack. They accounted for 55 percent of the entire coin output.
May 2011 US Mint Coin Production
| Denver | Philadelphia | Total | |
| Lincoln Cents | 236,140,000 | 204,800,000 | 440,940,000 |
| Jefferson Nickels | 65,760,000 | 67,680,000 | 133,440,000 |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 93,000,000 | 121,000,000 | 214,000,000 |
| 2011 Quarters | 16,800,000 | 0 | 16,800,000 |
| Kennedy Half Dollars | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Native American $1s | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Presidential Dollars | 1,110,000 | 1,120,000 | 2,230,000 |
| Total | 412,810,000 | 394,600,000 | 807,410,000 |
As mentioned, the latest coin production figures reveal Ulysses S. Grant Presidential $1 mintages. Including the Grant dollar, there have been 18 Presidential $1 coins released since the series debuted in 2007. The Grant $1s rank fourth in terms of least produced. Their combined 76.02 million mintage falls behind the:
- 2011 Andrew Johnson $1 (72.66 million)
- 2010 James Buchanan $1 (73.36 million)
- 2010 Millard Fillmore (74.48 million)
How the Grant $1 compares against past Presidential $1 coins may be seen in the table below.
Circulating Presidential $1 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 Henry 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 |
Based on current coin production levels, the United States Mint had not yet started producing the next coin in the series, the Rutherford B. Hayes $1. That dollar is scheduled to launch into circulation on August 18.
Surprisingly, the latest figures from the Mint did not break out the preliminary mintages for the Olympic National Park Quarter. The quarter is set to enter circulation beginning on Tuesday, June 14. Extrapolating from the current data does provide an estimation. The Olympic quarter mintage is extremely close to 61 million. That total is arrived at by subtracting the known mintages of the already issued 2011 Gettysburg quarters (61.2 million) and 2011 Glacier quarters (61.6 million) from the current 2011 America the Beautiful Quarters® year-to-date production figure of 183.8 million.
For reference, the following table summarizes the latest annual United States mintage figures by coin design and denomination.
YTD 2011 Coin Production by Design
| Denver | Philadelphia | 2010 Total | |
| Lincoln Cents | 911,200,000 | 706,400,000 | 1,617,600,000 |
| Jefferson Nickels | 158,880,000 | 91,200,000 | 250,080,000 |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 315,500,000 | 194,500,000 | 510,000,000 |
| Gettysburg Park Quarters | 30,800,000 | 30,400,000 | 61,200,000 |
| Glacier Park Quarters | 31,200,000 | 30,400,000 | 61,600,000 |
| Kennedy Half Dollars | 1,700,000 | 1,750,000 | 3,450,000 |
| Native American $1 | 18,060,000 | 9,660,000 | 27,720,000 |
| Johnson Presidential $1 | 37,100,000 | 35,560,000 | 72,660,000 |
| Grant Presidential $1 | 37,940,000 | 38,080,000 | 76,020,000 |
