U.S. coin production quickened in June for a second month in a row as United States Mint facilities in Philadelphia and Denver struck over 1.2 billion coins for circulation, the most since March.
In the first half of 2017, the U.S. Mint manufactured nearly 7.6 billion coins. That’s a sizable tally, but it’s tracking for a second slower year after production peaked in 2015 with the most coins since 2011. Totals in each month this year are lower than their companion months of a year ago.
Here’s how June stacks up against other months in just the past year:
2016 – 2017 June Coin Production Figures
| Month | Mintages | Rank |
| June 2017 | 1,252.88 M | 8 |
| May 2017 | 1,156.34 M | 9 |
| April 2017 | 959.54 M | 12 |
| March 2017 | 1,445.8 M | 5 |
| February 2017 | 983.40 M | 10 |
| January 2017 | 1,790.30 M | 2 |
| December 2016 | 696.68 M | 13 |
| November 2016 | 976.04 M | 11 |
| October 2016 | 1,297.36 M | 7 |
| September 2016 | 1,573.70 M | 4 |
| August 2016 | 1,302.95 M | 6 |
| July 2016 | 1,807.20 M | 1 |
| June 2016 | 1,582.06 M | 3 |
The Federal Reserve orders more 1-cent coins from the U.S. Mint than any other denominations even as it costs 1.5 cents to make and distribute each one. The agency produced 732.8 million Lincoln cents in June, for 58.5% of the circulating-quality coins produced for the month.
P-Mint Cents Change
2017-dated circulating cents from the U.S. Mint facility at Philadelphia include a ‘P’ mint mark for the first time in history. This is a one-year-only embellishment, added as a part of the Mint’s 225th anniversary celebration. These P-cents are far from rare, however, with a combined 2.1964 billion already made through the first half of this year.
Month-Over-Month
In the latest month-over month comparisons for coins used daily by Americans, June saw:
- 16% more Lincoln cents,
- 18.9% more Jefferson nickels,
- 17.9% fewer Roosevelt dimes, and
- 16% more America the Beautiful Quarters.
Native American $1 Coins and Kennedy half-dollars are no longer ordered by Federal Reserve Banks but they are still made in circulating quality for coin collectors. In January, the U.S. Mint tends to strike both coins to expected amounts needed for the entire year. In April, however, the Mint produced 140,000 more 2017-P Native American dollars.
Production facilities in Denver and Philadelphia manufacture all of America’s coins for commerce. In June, the Denver Mint made 625.84 million coins and the Philadelphia Mint made 627.04 million coins.
Here’s a summary of all circulating-quality coins produced during the month:
US Mint Circulating Coin Production in June 2017
| Denomination | Denver | Philadelphia | Total |
| Lincoln Cents | 356,000,000 | 376,800,000 | 732,800,000 |
| Jefferson Nickels | 63,840,000 | 73,440,000 | 137,280,000 |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 122,000,000 | 101,000,000 | 223,000,000 |
| ATB Quarters | 84,000,000 | 75,800,000 | 159,800,000 |
| Kennedy Half Dollars | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Native American $1s | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 625,840,000 | 627,040,000 | 1,252,880,000 |
Coin Production in First Half of 2017
Year-to-date figures at 3,684,020,000 coins from Denver and 3,904,240,000 coins from Philadelphia total 7,588,260,000 coins, marking a 9.3% drop from the 8,363,480,000 coins minted through the first half of 2016.
This next table lists 2017 coin production totals by denomination and by U.S. Mint facility:
YTD 2017 Circulating Coin Production by Denomination
| 1 ¢ | 5 ¢ | 10 ¢ | 25 ¢ | 50 ¢ | N.A. $1 | Total: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 2053.2M | 364.08M | 736M | 527.4M | 1.8M | 1.54M | 3684.02M |
| Philadelphia | 2196.4M | 365.52M | 759.5M | 579.2M | 1.8M | 1.82M | 3904.24M |
| Total | 4249.6M | 729.6M | 1495.5M | 1106.6M | 3.6M | 3.36M | 7588.26M |
This year’s monthly average of roughly 1.26 billion coins tracks over 12 months to about 15.18 billion coins. The U.S. Mint in 2016 struck over 16 billion coins for circulation after making more than 17 billion coins in 2015, the most since 2001.
Mintages by Coin Design
So far, the U.S. Mint released four 2017 coins bearing one-year-only designs. They include the:
- 2017 Native American $1 Coin, released on Jan. 25.
- 2017 Effigy Mounds Quarter for Iowa, released on Feb. 6.
- 2017 Frederick Douglass Quarter for D.C., released on April 3.
- 2017 Ozark Riverways Quarter for Missouri, released on June 5.
Mintages for the Native American dollar at 1.54 million from Denver and 1.82 million from Philadelphia combine to 3.36 million coins. Last year’s design ended with splits of 2.1 million from Denver and 2.8 million from Philadelphia for 4.90 million coins.
The following table offers a breakdown of this year’s mintages by coin design:
2017 Circulating Coin Production by Design
| Denver | Philadelphia | Total | |
| Lincoln Cents | 2,053,200,000 | 2,196,400,000 | 4,249,600,000 |
| Jefferson Nickels | 364,080,000 | 365,520,000 | 729,600,000 |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 736,000,000 | 759,500,000 | 1,495,500,000 |
| Effigy Mounds National Monument Quarter | 210,800,000 | 271,200,000 | 482,000,000 |
| Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Quarter | 185,800,000 | 184,800,000 | 370,600,000 |
| Ozark National Scenic Riverways Quarter | – | – | – |
| Ellis Island National Monument Quarter | – | – | – |
| George Rogers Clark National Historical Park Quarter | – | – | – |
| Kennedy Half-Dollars | 1,800,000 | 1,800,000 | 3,600,000 |
| Native American $1 Coins | 1,540,000 | 1,820,000 | 3,360,000 |
| Total | 3,553,220,000 | 3,781,040,000 | 7,334,260,000 |
Production figures include 254 million quarters that haven’t been officially assigned to a design yet. These are a portion of the recently released Ozar Riverways quarters. Their finalized mintages should be available by August.
