U.S. Mint annual coin production jumped last year, extending a string of yearly increases to three.
The United States Mint produced over 9.3 billion coins for circulation in 2012. That marks an increase of more than 1.1 billion coins, or 13.9%, from the 8.2 billion struck in 2011.
Aside from dollars, coin amounts increased across every denomination. America the Beautiful Quarters led percentage gains, up 45.2% from a year ago. That was due, in large part and in some surprise, to Denali National Park quarters notching a higher tally than the four prior releases combined.
No surprise, because the U.S. Mint no longer strikes $1 coins for circulation but only for numismatic products sold to collectors, Presidential dollars plunged 92.4% and Native American dollars sank 85.2% from totals logged in 2011.
For reference, the following table shows how annual coin production levels adjusted on a per coin basis from 2011 to 2012.
2011 vs. 2012 Annual Coin Production
| Year 2011 |
Year 2012 |
2012 Unit Gain / Loss | 2012 % Gain / Loss | |
| Lincoln Cents | 4,938,540,000 | 6,015,200,000 | 1,076,660,000 | 21.8% |
| Jefferson Nickels | 990,240,000 | 1,023,600,000 | 33,360,000 | 3.4% |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 1,502,000,000 | 1,676,000,000 | 174,000,000 | 11.6% |
| Quarters | 391,200,000 | 568,010,000 | 176,810,000 | 45.2% |
| Kennedy Half Dollars | 3,450,000 | 3,500,000 | 50,000 | 1.4% |
| Native American $1 | 77,560,000 | 5,880,000 | -71,680,000 | -92.4% |
| Presidential $1s | 297,360,000 | 44,040,000 | -253,320,000 | -85.2% |
| Annual Production | 8,200,350,000 | 9,336,230,000 | 1,135,880,000 | 13.9% |
While collectors like low mintages, the higher penny through quarter totals may be good news for more Americans because production increases for lower denominated coins is often seen as a positive economic indicator.
The flip side of this was realized in 2009 when annual coin production plunged to 3.548 billion coins, or nearly 5.8 billion less than 2012. As daily transactions declined that year, so did the need for coins. Further, masses of people tapped into hoarded change to pay bills. In a reversal of the typical supply process, older coins flowed back into circulation and flooded the vaults of local financial institutions. They, as a result, stopped ordering new coins from Federal Reserve Banks who in turn reduced orders to the U.S. Mint.
Since 2009, annual coin production ramped up to 6.373 billion in 2010; 8.2 billion in 2011; and the 9.336 billion in 2012.
Coins for circulation come from either the Denver Mint or Philadelphia Mint. This year, as in most, the two facilities were closely matched in output. Denver produced a bit more than 4.64 billion coins while Philadelphia struck slightly more than 4.69 billion coins.
The following table offers a detailed look at coin mintages by U.S. Mint facility.
2012 Circulating Coin Production / Mintages by Design
| Denver | Philadelphia | 2012 Total | |
| Lincoln Cents | 2,883,200,000 | 3,132,000,000 | 6,015,200,000 |
| Jefferson Nickels | 558,960,000 | 464,640,000 | 1,023,600,000 |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 868,000,000 | 808,000,000 | 1,676,000,000 |
| El Yunque Quarter | 25,000,000 | 25,800,000 | 50,800,000 |
| Chaco Culture Quarter | 22,000,000 | 22,000,000 | 44,000,000 |
| Acadia Quarter | 21,606,000 | 24,800,000 | 46,406,000 |
| Hawai’i Quarter | 78,600,000 | 46,200,000 | 124,800,000 |
| Denali Quarter | 166,600,000 | 135,400,000 | 302,000,000 |
| Kennedy Half Dollars | 1,700,000 | 1,800,000 | 3,500,000 |
| Native American $1 | 3,080,000 | 2,800,000 | 5,880,000 |
| Arthur Presidential $1 | 4,060,000 | 6,020,000 | 10,080,000 |
| Cleveland (1st Term) Presidential $1 | 4,060,000 | 5,460,000 | 9,520,000 |
| Harrison Presidential $1 | 4,200,000 | 5,640,001 | 9,840,001 |
| Cleveland (2nd Term) Presidential $1 | 3,920,000 | 10,680,000 | 14,600,000 |
| Total | 4,644,986,000 | 4,691,240,001 | 9,336,226,001 |
Returning to the topic of America the Beautiful Quarters, annual mintages have continued to rise since the series debuted in 2010. A total of 347 million were made that year. In 2011, the number climbed to 391.2 million. Last year the total soared to 568 million.
The biggest revelation in December was the published Denali National Park Quarter mintages. The U.S. Mint began striking this quarter-dollar in September. At a total of 302 million, no other ATB quarter comes close to its mintage. It was the amount since the 517.6 million mark was hit for the last 50 State Quarters® release in 2008 honoring Hawaii.
Here is a breakdown of coin production totals by America the Beautiful Quarter design.
2010 – 2012 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 |
| Total | 682,210,000 | 624,000,000 | 1,306,210,000 |
Since the beginning of the America the Beautiful Quarters series in 2010, the U.S. Mint has produced 1.306 billion with each honoring a specific national park or national site in the U.S. or its territories.
In wrapping up mintages by coin design, here is a breakdown for the series of Presidential $1 Coins.
2007 – 2012 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 |
| Total | 1,198,570,000 | 1,221,690,000 | 2,420,260,000 |
Since the inception of the Presidential $1 Coin Program in 2007, the U.S. Mint has produced more than 2.42 billion of them. Annual increases going forward will continue to rise slower than earlier years now that collector demand determines how many are made.
Finally, coin production figures for December dropped noticeably from November, though that is typical as the Mint turns its attention toward newly dated coins. The U.S. Mint in December struck all denominations needed for commerce — the penny through quarter. The total rang in at 147.6 million coins. Here is a table showing how December ranks against past months in 2012.
Monthly 2012 Coin Production Figures / Mintages
| Month | Mintages | Rank |
| December 2012 | 245.34 M | 13 |
| November 2012 | 765.76 M | 9 |
| October 2012 | 1,040.12 M | 1 |
| September 2012 | 905.34 M | 4 |
| August 2012 | 655.55 M | 10 |
| July 2012 | 906.62 M | 3 |
| June 2012 | 975.59 M | 2 |
| May 2012 | 819.86 M | 6 |
| April 2012 | 858.04 M | 5 |
| March 2012 | 781.70 M | 8 |
| February 2012 | 579.86 M | 11 |
| January 2012 | 802.50 M | 7 |
| December 2011 | 431.78 M | 12 |
For reference, production figures for December follow.
Circulating Coinage Production in December 2012
| Denomination | Denver | Philadelphia | Total |
| Lincoln Cents | 101,600,000 | 46,000,000 | 147,600,000 |
| Jefferson Nickels | 25,200,000 | 9,840,000 | 35,040,000 |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 37,000,000 | 22,500,000 | 59,500,000 |
| 2012 ATB Quarters | 400,000 | 2,800,000 | 3,200,000 |
| Kennedy Half Dollars | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Native American $1s | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Presidential Dollars | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 164,200,000 | 81,140,000 | 245,340,000 |
Coin production figures are based on data aggregated from the U.S. Mint webpage at: http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/?action=coin_production.
I was really hoping 2012’s quarter-dollar production would be the lowest in quite some time. I guess the glut of Statehood Quarters has finally passed and ATB quarters will soon start making frequent appearances in my till at work.