U.S. coin production rallied in July to a six-month high and ended above the 1 billion level for a third straight month, according to the latest manufacturing figures from the United States Mint.
U.S. Mint data also provided mintages for Minnesota’s Voyageurs National Park quarter, the third of five 2018-dated quarters with unique designs.
In headline figures, the Mint struck more than 8.3 billion coins through the first seven months of this year, boosted by the more than 1.4 billion coins produced in July. Here’s how the month compared against others months in the past year:
July 2017 to July 2018 Circulating Coin Production
| Month | Mintages | Rank |
| July 2018 | 1,403.16 M | 3 |
| June 2018 | 1,198.34 M | 8 |
| May 2018 | 1,291.76 M | 6 |
| April 2018 | 878.74 M | 12 |
| March 2018 | 902.924 M | 11 |
| February 2018 | 1,066.51 M | 10 |
| January 2018 | 1,601.54 M | 1 |
| December 2017 | 762.86 M | 13 |
| November 2017 | 1,346.26 M | 4 |
| October 2017 | 1,423.54 M | 2 |
| September 2017 | 1,316.22 M | 5 |
| August 2017 | 1,167.48 M | 9 |
| July 2017 | 1,254.74 M | 7 |
The Federal Reserve always orders more 1-cent coins than any other denomination even as it costs the U.S. Mint 1.82 cents to make and distribute each one. The Mint struck 782 million Lincoln cents in July, representing 55.7% of the circulating-quality coins produced for the month.
Month-Over-Month
In month-over month comparisons for coins used daily by Americans, production totals in July saw:
- 4.7% more Lincoln cents,
- 116.7% more Jefferson nickels,
- 42.9% more Roosevelt dimes, and
- 3.5% fewer America the Beautiful quarter dollars.
The amount of dimes minted, at 295 million, was the most since 300 million were made in March 2017.
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 the expected amounts needed for the entire year.
Higher Kennedy Half-Dollar Mintages
However, the Mint in February did produce 1.8 million more 2018-D Kennedy half-dollars. Then in March it struck another 3.2 million from Denver and 1.2 million more for Philadelphia. None was pressed in April, May, June, or July.
Mintages for the half-dollar are at 5.4 million from Denver and 4.8 million from Philadelphia for a combined 10.2 million coins — the most since 2001 and more than doubling 2017. Last year’s release ended with splits of 2.9 million from Denver and 1.8 million from Philadelphia for a combined 4.7 million coins.
Here’s a summary of all coins produced for circulation last month:
US Mint Circulating Coin Production in July 2018
| Denomination | Denver | Philadelphia | Total |
| Lincoln Cents | 362,000,000 | 420,000,000 | 782,000,000 |
| Jefferson Nickels | 81,120,000 | 80,640,000 | 161,760,000 |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 137,500,000 | 157,500,000 | 295,000,000 |
| ATB Quarters | 67,400,000 | 97,000,000 | 164,400,000 |
| Kennedy Half Dollars | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Native American $1s | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 648,020,000 | 755,140,000 | 1,403,160,000 |
U.S. Mint facilities in Denver and Philadelphia manufacture all of America’s coins for commerce. Last month, the Denver Mint made 648.02 million coins and the Philadelphia Mint made 755.14 million coins.
YTD Totals
Year-to-date figures at 4,028,300,000 coins from Denver and 4,314,674,000 coins from Philadelphia total to 8,342,974,000 coins, marking a 5.7% reduction from the 8,843,000,000 coins minted through the same time last year.
This next table lists 2018 coin production totals by denomination and by U.S. Mint facility:
YTD 2018 Circulating Coin Production by Denomination
| 1 ¢ | 5 ¢ | 10 ¢ | 25 ¢ | 50 ¢ | N.A. $1 | Total: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 2416M | 382.8M | 625M | 597M | 5.4M | 2.1M | 4028.3M |
| Philadelphia | 2578.8M | 386.16M | 691M | 652.514M | 4.8M | 1.4M | 4314.674M |
| Total | 4994.8M | 768.96M | 1316M | 1249.514M | 10.2M | 3.5M | 8342.974M |
The 2018 monthly average of about 1.19 billion coins tracks over 12 months to roughly 14.3 billion coins. In 2017, the U.S. Mint produced over 14.8 billion coins for circulation — the third quickest for a year since 2001, after the more than 16 billion coins were made in 2017 and the over 17 billion coins were made in 2015.
Mintages by Unique Design
The U.S. Mint so far this year has released five 2018-dated coins with one-year-only designs. They include the:
- 2018 Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore quarter for Michigan, released on Feb 5.
- 2018 Native American $1 Coin, released on Feb. 15.
- 2018 Apostle Islands National Lakeshore quarter for Wisconsin, released on April 9.
- 2018 Voyageurs National Park quarter for Minnesota, released on June 11.
- 2018 Cumberland Island National Seashore quarter for Georgia on Aug. 27.
Mintages for the 2018 Native American dollars are 2.1 million from Denver and 1.4 million from Philadelphia for a combined 3.5 million coins. Last year’s release ended with splits of 1.54 million from Denver and 1.82 million from Philadelphia for 3.36 million coins.
Production figures for July include 8.4 million quarters that have yet to be officially assigned to a design. These are likely a portion of Cumberland Island quarters that started circulating on Aug. 27.
This last table offers a breakdown of this year’s mintages by coin design:
2018 Circulating Coin Production by Design
| Denver | Philadelphia | Total | |
| Lincoln Cents | 2,416,000,000 | 2,578,800,000 | 4,994,800,000 |
| Jefferson Nickels | 382,800,000 | 386,160,000 | 768,960,000 |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 625,000,000 | 691,000,000 | 1,316,000,000 |
| Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Quarter (MI) | 182,600,000 | 186,714,000 | 369,314,000 |
| Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Quarter (WI) | 213,400,000 | 223,200,000 | 436,600,000 |
| Voyageurs National Park Quarter (MN) | 197,800,000 | 237,400,000 | 435,200,000 |
| Cumberland Island National Seashore Quarter (GA) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Block Island National Wildlife Refuge Quarter (RI) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kennedy Half-Dollars | 5,400,000 | 4,800,000 | 10,200,000 |
| Native American $1 Coins | 2,100,000 | 1,400,000 | 3,500,000 |
| Total | 4,025,100,000 | 4,309,474,000 | 8,334,574,000 |
