History of Mints Of The United States
When the United States government began minting coins in 1792, the original United States Mint was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was having difficulty producing enough currency for our young republic.

The demand for coins increased as the country grew and it became necessary to create additional mint facilities. The need for additional hard currency was made plain by discovery of gold, first in the East and later in the West which found people minting their own gold coins. In the mid-nineteenth century, additional mints were opened in Charlotte, NC; Dahlonega, GA; New Orleans, LA; and San Francisco, CA. In 1870, the Carson City, NV Mint opened, and in 1904 the Denver, CO Assay Office became, at that time, the newest U.S. mint. Currently, in order to keep the economy flowing, the United States Mint maintains facilities in Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and West Point, and a bullion depository in Fort Knox, KY.

The number of coins created today is staggering. Denver and Philadelphia can each produce tens of millions of coins every day. Minting the coins to meet the needs of the United States requires a vast amount of raw materials. To address this growing ecological concern the United States Mint has launched projects aimed at reducing our energy, water and material consumption for coin production.
Functions
The following is a list of the activities and responsibilities for each of the current United States Mint facility:

Headquarters, Washington, D.C.:
Policy formulation and central agency administration; program management; research and development; marketing operations; customer services and order processing; business unit management, all www.usmint.gov website services.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:
Sculpting-engraving of U.S. coins and medals; production of medal and coin dies; production of coins of all denominations for general circulation; production of regular uncirculated coin sets; production of commemorative coins as authorized by Congress; production of medals; and conducting of public tours.

Denver, Colorado:
Production of coins of all denominations for general circulation; production of coin dies; production of regular uncirculated coin sets; production of commemorative coins as authorized by Congress; and the conducting of public tours; and storage of gold and silver bullion.

San Francisco, California:
Production of regular proof coin sets in clad and silver; production of commemorative coins as authorized by Congress.

West Point, New York:
Production of all uncirculated and proof one-ounce silver bullion coins, and all sizes of the uncirculated and proof American Eagle gold bullion and platinum coins and the 24-karat one ounce American Buffalo Gold Bullion Coin; production of commemorative coins as authorized by Congress; storage of silver, gold, and platinum bullion.

Fort Knox, Kentucky:
Storage of U.S. gold bullion.

Tours
Tours are available for the Denver and Philadelphia facilities. Another option is the virtual tour on line to learn more about the coin making process and mints of the United States.