US Coin Production Highest Since 2001; Saratoga 25c Mintages

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Saratoga quarter and other US Coins
The latest U.S. Mint coin production figures unveiled mintages for the Saratoga quarter for New York

The United States Mint this year has struck more coins for circulation than in any year since 2001, according to production data the agency published on Thursday, Dec. 10. The figures also reveal mintages for the new quarter commemorating Saratoga National Historical Park in New York.

Coining presses did slow in November from their furious pace in October. More than 1.24 billion in pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters rolled out of U.S. Mint coining presses last month compared to the over 1.75 billion coins in October, the highest month on record since CoinNews started tracking the data in 2007.

In headline percentage comparisons, the total dropped 29.1% from the previous month yet surged 29.9% from the same month a year ago. Here’s how the month stacks up against others in the past year:

2014 – 2015 November Coin Production Figures

Month Mintages Rank
November 2015 1,245.73 M 10
October 2015 1,757.64 M 1
September 2015 1,476.37 M 7
August 2015 1,142.46 M 11
July 2015 1,665.76 M 4
June 2015 1,673.95 M 3
May 2015 1,459.86 M 6
April 2015 1,696.56 M 2
March 2015 1,403.44 M 8
February 2015 1,277.96 M 9
January 2015 1,539.15 M 5
December 2014 878.84 M 13
November 2014 958.78 M 12

 

Pennies cost the U.S. Mint about 1.7 cents each to make and distribute but the Federal Reserve always orders more of them than any other denomination. In November, the U.S. Mint produced 691.6 million Lincoln cents, representing 55.5% of the circulating-quality coins made for the month.

In month-over-month comparisons for coins used every day by Americans, November saw:

  • 27.3% fewer Lincoln cents,
  • 35.5% fewer Jefferson nickels,
  • 32.9% fewer Roosevelt dimes, and
  • 27.2% fewer America the Beautiful Quarters.

Presidential $1 Coins, Native American $1 Coins and Kennedy half-dollars are no longer ordered by Federal Reserve Banks but the United States Mint continues to strike them for coin collectors. In January, the U.S. Mint produced 2015 Kennedy halves in amounts needed for the entire year. That is typically how it works for Native American $1 Coins but in March their number grew slightly. In September, the Mint made a modest correction to the number of Presidential $1 Coins.

Here’s a summary of the coins actually produced last month:

US Mint Circulating Coin Production in November 2015

Denomination Denver Philadelphia Total
Lincoln Cents 343,200,000 348,400,000 691,600,000
Jefferson Nickels 57,360,000 57,360,000 114,720,000
Roosevelt Dimes 111,500,000 104,510,000 216,010,000
2015 ATB Quarters 106,800,000 116,600,000 223,400,000
Kennedy Half Dollars 0 0 0
Native American $1s 0 0 0
Presidential Dollars 0 0 0
Total 618,860,000 626,870,000 1,245,730,000

 

U.S. circulating coin production plants are located in Denver and Philadelphia. Last month, the Denver Mint made 618.86 million coins and the Philadelphia Mint struck 626.87 million coins.

Year To Date

For the January to November period, the Denver Mint made over 8.2 billion coins while the Philadelphia Mint pressed more than 8 billion coins. Their combined output tallies to 16,338,910,000 coins for a 31.7% increase over the 12,404,920,000 coins minted through the same months in 2014. It’s the most for a year since the 19.4 billion coins in 2001. Last year’s 12-month total reached just over 13.28 billion coins. This next table lists year to date totals by denomination.

YTD 2015 Circulating Coin Production by Denomination

1 ¢ 5 ¢ 10 ¢ 25 ¢ 50 ¢ N.A. $1 Pres $1 Total
Denver 4424.8M 802.08M 1465M 1555.6M 2.3M 2.24M 16.67M 8268.69M
Philadelphia 4464.1M 713.52M 1428.02M 1438.62M 2.3M 2.8M 20.86M 8070.22M
Total 8888.9M 1515.6M 2893.02M 2994.22M 4.6M 5.04M 37.53M 16338.9M

 

The U.S. Mint’s monthly pace averages to almost 1.5 billion coins. Stretched through 12 months, the agency is on track to make over 17.8 billion coins in 2015. In all likelihood, the annual total will come within the 17 to 17.5 billion range since production usually slackens in December as coining presses changeover for the next year’s coinage.

Mintages for NY’s 2015 Saratoga National Historical Park Quarter

Mintages for the Saratoga quarter are 215.8 million from Denver and 220.6 million from Philadelphia for a combined 436.4 million. That’s the lowest of the five quarters for 2015 but it still ranks seventh highest in the thirty America the Beautiful Quarters released since the series start in 2010.

Saratoga quarters entered circulation beginning on Nov. 16 and the U.S. Mint began selling rolls and bags of them on Nov. 30. The next quarter is scheduled for release in February 2016. Its design commemorates Shawnee National Forest in Illinois.

The following table offers a breakdown of this year’s mintages by coin design:

2015 Circulating Coin Production by Design

  Denver Philadelphia Total
Lincoln Cents 4,424,800,000 4,464,100,000 8,888,900,000
Jefferson Nickels 802,080,000 713,520,000 1,515,600,000
Roosevelt Dimes 1,465,000,000 1,428,020,000 2,893,020,000
Homestead National Monument of America Quarter 248,600,000 214,400,000 463,000,000
Kisatchie National Forest Quarter 379,600,000 397,200,000 776,800,000
Blue Ridge Parkway Quarter 505,200,000 325,600,000 830,800,000
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge Quarter 206,400,000 280,800,000 487,200,000
Saratoga National Historical Park Quarter 215,800,000 220,600,000 436,400,000
Kennedy Half Dollars 2,300,000 2,300,000 4,600,000
Native American $1 2,240,000 2,800,000 5,040,000
Harry S. Truman $1 3,500,000 4,900,000 8,400,000
Dwight D. Eisenhower $1 3,646,000 4,900,000 8,546,000
John F. Kennedy $1 5,320,000 6,160,000 11,480,000
Lyndon B. Johnson $1 4,200,000 4,900,000 9,100,000
Total 8,268,686,000 8,070,200,000 16,338,886,000

 

Coin production figures in this coin news article are based on data aggregated from the U.S. Mint webpage at: http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/?action=ProductionFigures.

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