More U.S. coins for circulation were produced in 2013 than in any year since 2007, according to data released Thursday by the United States Mint.
U.S. Mint coin production figures show the annual total for 2013 at 11,906,940,000 coins, marking a 27.5% increase over the 9,336,230,000 coins minted in 2012. The tally is the highest since 14,440,650,000 coins were struck in 2007, before the Great Recession reared its ugly head and decimated demand.
Levels increased across every coin for circulation. America the Beautiful Quarters led percentage gains, jumping 156.2% from a year ago. Their high hurdle was due, in large part and without surprise, to 504.2 million Mount Rushmore quarters. The mintage is the highest for a 25-cent piece since the 2008 Hawaii state quarter scored 517.6 million.
Another no surprise, because the Mint no longer strikes dollars for circulation but only for numismatic products sold to collectors, Presidential $1 Coins dropped 24% and Native American $1 Coins sank 38.1% from their totals in 2012. Kennedy halves are also no longer made for circulation but their mintages leapt 174.3%.
Here is a breakdown of the annual coin production levels adjusted on a per coin basis from 2012 to 2013.
2012 vs. 2013 US Mint Annual Coin Production
| Year 2012 |
Year 2013 |
2013 Unit Gain / Loss | 2013 % Gain / Loss | |
| Lincoln Cents | 6,015,200,000 | 7,070,000,000 | 1,054,800,000 | 17.5% |
| Jefferson Nickels | 1,023,600,000 | 1,223,040,000 | 199,440,000 | 19.5% |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 1,676,000,000 | 2,112,000,000 | 436,000,000 | 26.0% |
| Quarters | 568,010,000 | 1,455,200,000 | 887,190,000 | 156.2% |
| Kennedy Half Dollars | 3,500,000 | 9,600,000 | 6,100,000 | 174.3% |
| Native American $1 | 5,880,000 | 3,640,000 | -2,240,000 | -38.1% |
| Presidential $1s | 44,040,000 | 33,460,000 | -10,580,000 | -24.0% |
| Annual Production | 9,336,230,000 | 11,906,942,013 | 2,570,712,013 | 27.5% |
Economic conditions dictate how many coins are produced for circulation, not the United States Mint. Federal Reserve Banks order coins from the Mint based on usage trends and orders they receive from financial institutions around the country.
Coins for circulation originate from either the Denver Mint or Philadelphia Mint. Last year, the two facilities were further apart in total output than in typical years. Denver produced less than 5.8 billion coins while Philadelphia struck more than 6.1 billion coins. Here is a table with 2013 coin mintages by U.S. Mint facility:
2013 Circulating Coin Production by Coin Design
| Denver | Philadelphia | 2013 Total | |
| Lincoln Cents | 3,319,600,000 | 3,750,400,000 | 7,070,000,000 |
| Jefferson Nickels | 615,600,000 | 607,440,000 | 1,223,040,000 |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 1,025,500,000 | 1,086,500,000 | 2,112,000,000 |
| White Mountain Quarter | 107,600,000 | 68,800,000 | 176,400,000 |
| Perry’s Victory Quarter | 131,600,000 | 107,800,000 | 239,400,000 |
| Great Basin Quarter | 141,400,000 | 122,400,000 | 263,800,000 |
| Fort McHenry Quarter | 151,400,000 | 120,000,000 | 271,400,000 |
| Mount Rushmore Quarter | 272,400,000 | 231,800,000 | 504,200,000 |
| Kennedy Half Dollars | 4,600,000 | 5,000,000 | 9,600,000 |
| Native American $1 | 1,820,000 | 1,820,000 | 3,640,000 |
| William McKinley $1 | 3,365,100 | 4,760,000 | 8,125,100 |
| Theodore Roosevelt $1 | 3,920,000 | 5,310,700 | 9,230,700 |
| William Howard Taft $1 | 3,360,000 | 4,760,000 | 8,120,000 |
| Woodrow Wilson $1 | 3,360,000 | 4,620,000 | 7,980,000 |
| Total | 5,785,525,100 | 6,121,410,700 | 11,906,935,800 |
This table offers the 2013 coin production breakdown by denomination and U.S. Mint facility:
2013 Circulating Coin Production by Denomination
| 1 ¢ | 5 ¢ | 10 ¢ | 25 ¢ | 50 ¢ | N.A. $1 | Pres $1 | Total: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 3319.6M | 615.6M | 1025.5M | 804.4M | 4.6M | 1.82M | 14.01M | 5785.53M |
| Philadelphia | 3750.4M | 607.44M | 1086.5M | 650.8M | 5M | 1.82M | 19.45M | 6121.41M |
| Total | 7070M | 1223.04M | 2112M | 1455.2M | 9.6M | 3.64M | 33.46M* | 11906.94M |
*There is a difference when subtracting the totals by coin design from the totals by denomination. The Presidential $1 coins are higher by 4,200 as a result of a rounding difference. The actual total for the dollars is 33,455,800 and not 33.46 million.
Annual Mintages Rising Sharply for America the Beautiful Quarters
In returning to the topic of America the Beautiful Quarters, annual mintages continue to advance as the series matures. When introduced in 2010, a total of 347 million were made. In 2011, the figure rose to 391.2 million. In 2012, the total surged to 568 million. Last year the tally moved above 1.4 billion, or more than the three prior years combined.
The biggest revelation in December was the published 2013 Mount Rushmore quarter mintages. At 504.2 million, no other America the Beautiful Quarter comes close. Nearest is the 2012 Denali quarter and its 302 million, which itself was higher than the four prior 2012 quarters combined.
Since the start of the series, the Mint has produced more than 2.76 billion quarters with each honoring a specific national park or national site in the United States or its territories. Here is a breakdown of coin production totals by America the Beautiful Quarter design and coin production facility.
2010 – 2013 America the Beautiful Quarters Mintages
| Denver | Philadelphia | Total | |
| 2010 Hot Springs National Park | 34,000,000 | 35,600,000 | 69,600,000 |
| 2010 Yellowstone National Park | 34,800,000 | 33,600,000 | 68,400,000 |
| 2010 Yosemite National Park | 34,800,000 | 35,200,000 | 70,000,000 |
| 2010 Grand Canyon National Park | 35,400,000 | 34,800,000 | 70,200,000 |
| 2010 Mount Hood National Forest | 34,400,000 | 34,400,000 | 68,800,000 |
| 2011 Gettysburg National Military Park | 30,400,000 | 30,800,000 | 61,200,000 |
| 2011 Glacier National Park | 31,200,000 | 30,400,000 | 61,600,000 |
| 2011 Olympic National Park | 30,600,000 | 30,400,000 | 61,000,000 |
| 2011 Vicksburg National Military Park | 33,400,000 | 30,800,000 | 64,200,000 |
| 2011 Chickasaw National Recreation Area | 69,400,000 | 73,800,000 | 143,200,000 |
| 2012 El Yunque Quarter | 25,000,000 | 25,800,000 | 50,800,000 |
| 2012 Chaco Culture Quarter | 22,000,000 | 22,000,000 | 44,000,000 |
| 2012 Acadia Quarter | 21,606,000 | 24,800,000 | 46,406,000 |
| 2012 Hawai’i Quarter | 78,600,000 | 46,200,000 | 124,800,000 |
| 2012 Denali Quarter | 166,600,000 | 135,400,000 | 302,000,000 |
| White Mountain Quarter | 107,600,000 | 68,800,000 | 176,400,000 |
| Perry’s Victory Quarter | 131,600,000 | 107,800,000 | 239,400,000 |
| Great Basin Quarter | 141,400,000 | 122,400,000 | 263,800,000 |
| Fort McHenry Quarter | 151,400,000 | 120,000,000 | 271,400,000 |
| Mount Rushmore Quarter | 272,400,000 | 231,800,000 | 504,200,000 |
| Total | 1,486,610,000 | 1,274,800,000 | 2,761,410,000 |
Since the inception of the Mint’s Presidential $1 Coin Program in 2007, more than 2.45 billion have been produced. Annual increases will continue to rise slower than earlier years now that collector demand determines how many are made.
In wrapping up mintages by coin design, here is a breakdown for the series of Presidential $1 Coins.
2007 – 2013 Presidential $1 Coin Mintages
| Denver | Philadelphia | Total | |
| 2007 George Washington $1 | 163,680,000 | 176,680,000 | 340,360,000 |
| 2007 John Adams $1 | 112,140,000 | 112,420,000 | 224,560,000 |
| 2007 Thomas Jefferson $1 | 102,810,000 | 100,800,000 | 203,610,000 |
| 2007 James Madison $1 | 87,780,000 | 84,560,000 | 172,340,000 |
| 2008 James Monroe $1 | 60,230,000 | 64,260,000 | 124,490,000 |
| 2008 John Quincy Adams $1 | 57,720,000 | 57,540,000 | 115,260,000 |
| 2008 Andrew Jackson $1 | 61,070,000 | 61,180,000 | 122,250,000 |
| 2008 Martin Van Buren $1 | 50,960,000 | 51,520,000 | 102,480,000 |
| 2009 William H. Harrison $1 | 55,160,000 | 43,260,000 | 98,420,000 |
| 2009 John Tyler $1 | 43,540,000 | 43,540,000 | 87,080,000 |
| 2009 James K. Polk $1 | 41,720,000 | 46,620,000 | 88,340,000 |
| 2009 Zachary Taylor $1 | 36,680,000 | 41,580,000 | 78,260,000 |
| 2010 Millard Fillmore $1 | 36,960,000 | 37,520,000 | 74,480,000 |
| 2010 Franklin Pierce $1 | 38,360,000 | 38,220,000 | 76,580,000 |
| 2010 James Buchanan $1 | 36,540,000 | 36,820,000 | 73,360,000 |
| 2010 Abraham Lincoln $1 | 48,020,000 | 49,000,000 | 97,020,000 |
| 2011 Andrew Johnson $1 | 37,100,000 | 35,560,000 | 72,660,000 |
| 2011 Ulysses S. Grant $1 | 37,940,000 | 38,080,000 | 76,020,000 |
| 2011 Rutherford B. Hayes $1 | 36,820,000 | 37,660,000 | 74,480,000 |
| 2011 James Garfield $1 | 37,100,000 | 37,100,000 | 74,200,000 |
| 2012 Arthur Presidential $1 | 4,060,000 | 6,020,000 | 10,080,000 |
| 2012 Cleveland (1st Term) Presidential $1 | 4,060,000 | 5,460,000 | 9,520,000 |
| 2012 Harrison Presidential $1 | 4,200,000 | 5,640,001 | 9,840,001 |
| 2012 Cleveland (2nd Term) Presidential $1 | 3,920,000 | 10,680,000 | 14,600,000 |
| 2013 William McKinley $1 | 3,365,100 | 4,760,000 | 8,125,100 |
| 2013 Theodore Roosevelt $1 | 3,920,000 | 5,310,700 | 9,230,700 |
| 2013 William Howard Taft $1 | 3,360,000 | 4,760,000 | 8,120,000 |
| 2013 Woodrow Wilson $1 | 3,360,000 | 4,620,000 | 7,980,000 |
| Total | 1,212,575,100 | 1,241,140,700 | 2,453,715,800 |
Changing from annual numbers and coin design mintages, production at 285.96 million coins for December fell sharply from November. This is typical as the Mint turns its attention toward newly dated coins. Here’s how December’s production total compares to past months in 2013:
2012 – 2013 December Coin Production Figures / Mintages
| Month | Mintages | Rank |
| December 2013 | 285.96 M | 12 |
| November 2013 | 991.14 M | 8 |
| October 2013 | 1,220.38 M | 3 |
| September 2013 | 1,099.34 M | 5 |
| August 2013 | 724.91 M | 11 |
| July 2013 | 1,225.96 M | 1 |
| June 2013 | 1,070.12 M | 7 |
| May 2013 | 1,084.36 M | 6 |
| April 2013 | 1,117.23 M | 4 |
| March 2013 | 932.56 M | 10 |
| February 2013 | 939.98 M | 9 |
| January 2013 | 1,223.68 M | 2 |
| December 2012 | 245.34 M | 13 |
Finally, all denominations needed for commerce — from the penny through to the quarter — were struck last month. Here is a table showing December production totals by denomination.
US Mint Circulating Coin Production in December 2013
| Denomination | Denver | Philadelphia | Total |
| Lincoln Cents | 76,800,000 | 126,000,000 | 202,800,000 |
| Jefferson Nickels | 13,200,000 | 11,760,000 | 24,960,000 |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 24,500,000 | 30,500,000 | 55,000,000 |
| 2013 ATB Quarters | 3,200,000 | 0 | 3,200,000 |
| Kennedy Half Dollars | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Native American $1s | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Presidential Dollars | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 117,700,000 | 168,260,000 | 285,960,000 |
Circulating coin production figures in this coin news article are based on data aggregated from the United States Mint webpage found at: http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/?action=coin_production.
Seems to be no need for the ATB quarters in circulation,as there are none in pocket change or available in bank rolls at least in the midwest. Fed must till have them stockpiled along with the older native americans and presidents.
One can always hope but with few cash transactions anymore, the chances of kids today turning into the numismatists of the future, chances look slim to none.
Boz, They’re floating around here in Texas.
The economy must be moving ahead better in Texas. That’s a good thing.
There have been a fair amount of 2013-D AtB quarters floating around Denver.
You have to give the ATB quarters time to reach everywhere. I see very few myself and I’m near some rather large cities. As of now, total production of ATB quarters since 2010 is just a few tens of millions shy of the total production of the first three State Quarters.
Overall, four years of ATB production is only about 7% of the State Quarters produced and about 3½% of all quarters produced since 1965.
Where does one find the production totals for the ATB quarters, circulation strikes, from the San Francisco mint? And why doesn’t the mint put these figures along side the P & D totals? The Red Book had figures for 2012, but where did they get the information? Production numbers are are important to me, and fascinating.
Thank you.