U.S. Mint production surged in January with the agency’s facilities in Denver and Philadelphia striking more than 1.5 billion coins for circulation. Those coins included in cents, nickels, dimes, quarters, half-dollars and dollars.
The production pace jumped 168.9% from December but slipped 5.9% from January 2018. Here’s how the month stacks up against others in the past year:
January 2018 to January 2019 Circulating Coin Production
| Month | Mintages | Rank |
| January 2019 | 1,507.30 M | 2 |
| December 2018 | 560.64 M | 13 |
| November 2018 | 1,031.24 M | 8 |
| October 2018 | 1,382.18 M | 4 |
| September 2018 | 976.82 M | 9 |
| August 2018 | 831.56 M | 12 |
| July 2018 | 1,403.16 M | 3 |
| June 2018 | 1,198.34 M | 6 |
| May 2018 | 1,291.76 M | 5 |
| April 2018 | 878.74 M | 11 |
| March 2018 | 902.924 M | 10 |
| February 2018 | 1,066.51 M | 7 |
| January 2018 | 1,601.54 M | 1 |
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 bureau produced 894 million Lincoln cents in January, representing 59.3% of the circulating-quality coins produced for the month.
Year-Over-Year
Comparing the production output in January from December offers little value in this round of data because the two months are aways far opposite of each other.
In year-over-year comparisons for coins used daily by Americans, production totals:
- Declined 11% for Lincoln cents,
- Fell 9.7% for Jefferson nickels,
- Climbed 10.5% for Roosevelt dimes, and
- Rose 3.2% for America the Beautiful quarter dollars.
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.
Published mintages for the 2019 Kennedy half-dollar combine to 3.4 million with equal splits between Denver and Philadelphia. Last year’s half-dollar was the most produced since the one from 2001. It saw 6.1 million from Denver and 4.8 million from Philadelphia for a combined 10.9 million coins.
So far, the U.S. Mint has released two annually issued coins with one-year-only designs. They include the 2019 Lowell National Historical quarter for Massachusetts, released on Feb. 4, and the 2019 Native American $1 Coin, released on Feb. 13.
Finalized mintages for the Lowell quarter should be available by March or April.
Reported mintages for the space-themed 2019 Native American dollars are 1.4 million from Denver and 1.4 million from Philadelphia for a combined 2.8 million coins, matching last year’s dollar mintages.
Here’s a summary of all circulating-quality coins produced last month:
US Mint Circulating Coin Production in January 2019
| Denomination | Denver | Philadelphia | Total |
| Lincoln Cents | 424,800,000 | 469,200,000 | 894,000,000 |
| Jefferson Nickels | 65,280,000 | 71,520,000 | 136,800,000 |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 127,000,000 | 152,500,000 | 279,500,000 |
| ATB Quarters | 100,400,000 | 90,400,000 | 190,800,000 |
| Kennedy Half Dollars | 1,700,000 | 1,700,000 | 3,400,000 |
| Native American $1s | 1,400,000 | 1,400,000 | 2,800,000 |
| Total | 720,580,000 | 786,720,000 | 1,507,300,000 |
In overall production totals, the Philadelphia Mint struck 786.72 million coins and the Denver Mint struck 720.58 million coins for the combined 1,507.3 million coins. If the current production pace stretched through to December, the annual mintage for 2019 would top 18 billion coins. The Mint made over 13.1 billion coins for circulation in 2018.
can we stop with the cent production already? sure, make some for collectors but no need for them in circulation. once supply dries up, people will be happy to round off to nickel.
US Mint should Stop making Hulk Amount of USELESS coins, for over 50 years they already waste more than 100 million Earth’s Resource . Average American family have more then $10 worth of coin in their home . what is the points to waste taxes money to create and store the coins in Vault ? Modern Coin Collectors are reducing a lot . New generation don’t want to collect . Kids only play game or Internet Social People use Plastic card or Electronic Card . Anyone using coins more than $10 ? I guess NO.
One reason we keep change at our house is to save money put it in a jar save till it comes time where you need money for college,gas money, even little thing you can get because there not in your budget, and ps I’m 17 and I’m a coin collector.
I can’t even remember using coins or paper money. Oh wait, I remember now… I needed quarters to put air in my car’s tires so I went to my bank and used my debit card to get the quarters. I sure miss the times when other people use to put gas and air in the car. Back in the…??? Wow I really can’t remember when that was, “FULL SERVICE GAS STATIONS” A lot of people are going… “WHAT?”
Meanwhile the pointless American Innovation dollars march on….
joera –
I am the same. I use my Visa debit card or one of my two credit cards for everything. I don’t use cash at all. My mother still carries cash & coins in her purse & writes checks at Wal-Mart for groceries & it drives me crazy! Lol
Sweden is the country that is the closest to a no coins or banknotes usage situation currently a study I read said.
NumisdudeTX