Coin Specifications for U.S. Circulating Change

The table shows coin photos and specifications for modern coins circulating in the U.S. In a given year, the United States Mint produces well over 15 billion coins for the purpose of buying and selling goods. All these coins are produced in the Mint facilities of Denver and Philadelphia. The approximate life span of a coin is 30 years.

How much does it cost to mint coins? That depends on the price of metals within each coin, which fluctuates daily. The latest cost numbers provided by the Mint lists the penny at 1.26 cents, 7.7 cents for a nickel, 4 cents for a dime, 10 cents for a quarter, and 16 cents for each dollar coin.

For the latest coin production figures starting from 2006, visit U.S. Mint Circulating Coin Production Figures.

Specifications
Table for Circulating Coins

	Cent	Nickel	Dime	Quarter	Half Dollar	Golden Dollar	Presidential $1
Obverse Image
Obverse Designer	Victor D. Brenner	Felix Schlag	John Sinnock	John Flanagan/ William Cousins	Gilroy Roberts	Glenda Goodacre	Variable*
Reverse Image
Reverse Designer	Frank Gasparro	Felix Schlag	John Sinnock	Variable*	Frank Gasparro	Thomas D. Rodgers	Don Everhart
Composition	Copper Plated Zinc2.5% CuBalance Zn	Cupro- Nickel25% NiBalance Cu	Cupro- Nickel8.33% NiBalance Cu	Cupro- Nickel8.33% NiBalance Cu	Cupro- Nickel8.33% NiBalance Cu	Manganese- Brass 88.5% Cu6% Zn3.5% Mn2% Ni	Manganese- Brass 88.5% Cu6% Zn, 3.5% Mn2% Ni
Weight	2.500 g	5.000 g	2.268 g	5.670 g	11.340g	8.100 g	8.100g
Diameter	0.750 in.	0.835 in.	0.705 in.	0.955 in.	1.205 in.	1.043 in.	1.043 in.
	19.05 mm	21.21 mm	17.91 mm	24.26 mm	30.61 mm	26.5 mm	26.5 mm
Thickness	1.55 mm	1.95 mm	1.35 mm	1.75 mm	2.15 mm	2.00 mm	2.00mm
# Reeds	N/A	N/A	118	119	150	N/A	N/A
Edge	Plain	Plain	Reeded	Reeded	Reeded	Plain	Edge-Lettering

* The quarter reverse designers have changed throughout the 50 state coin series, which started in 1999. Likewise, the obverse of the changing Presidential $1 coins first that have been issued in 2007 have different designers.