U.S. coin production picked up in May after slowing to a four-month low in April, according to the latest manufacturing figures from the United States Mint.
The data also shows mintages for DC’s Frederick Douglass quarter, the second of this year’s five differently designed quarters.
Overall for the month, the Mint’s coining presses struck more than 1.15 billion in cents, nickels, dimes, and quarters to log a 20.5% increase over the coins minted in April. The level was down, however, by 25.4% from the same month a year earlier. Here’s how the month stacks up against others in the past year:
2016 – 2017 May Coin Production Figures
| Month | Mintages | Rank |
| May 2017 | 1,156.34 M | 9 |
| April 2017 | 959.54 M | 12 |
| March 2017 | 1,445.8 M | 6 |
| February 2017 | 983.40 M | 10 |
| January 2017 | 1,790.30 M | 2 |
| December 2016 | 696.68 M | 13 |
| November 2016 | 976.04 M | 11 |
| October 2016 | 1,297.36 M | 8 |
| September 2016 | 1,573.70 M | 4 |
| August 2016 | 1,302.95 M | 7 |
| July 2016 | 1,807.20 M | 1 |
| June 2016 | 1,582.06 M | 3 |
| May 2016 | 1,550.12 M | 5 |
The Federal Reserve orders more 1-cent coins than any other denominations even as it costs 1.5 cents to make and distribute each one. The U.S. Mint produced a combined 631.6 million Lincoln cents in May, representing 54.6% of the circulating-quality coins produced for the month.
P-Mint Cents Change
2017-dated circulating cents from the U.S. Mint facility at Philadelphia include a ‘P’ mint mark for the first time in history. This is a one-year-only embellishment, added as a part of the Mint’s 225th anniversary celebration. These P-cents will be far from rare, though, with a combined 1.8196 billion already made through the first five months of this year.
Month-Over-Month
In the latest month-over month comparisons for coins used daily by Americans, production totals saw:
- 25.3% more Lincoln cents,
- 35.5% more Jefferson nickels,
- 35.8% more Roosevelt dimes, and
- 19% fewer America the Beautiful Quarters.
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 expected amounts needed for the entire year. In April, however, the Mint did make 140,000 more 2017-P Native American dollars.
Here’s a summary of all circulating-quality coins produced during the month:
US Mint Circulating Coin Production in May 2017
| Denomination | Denver | Philadelphia | Total |
| Lincoln Cents | 270,000,000 | 361,600,000 | 631,600,000 |
| Jefferson Nickels | 55,920,000 | 59,520,000 | 115,440,000 |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 127,000,000 | 144,500,000 | 271,500,000 |
| ATB Quarters | 61,200,000 | 76,600,000 | 137,800,000 |
| Kennedy Half Dollars | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Native American $1s | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 514,120,000 | 642,220,000 | 1,156,340,000 |
Production facilities in Denver and Philadelphia strike all of America’s coins for commerce. Last month, the Denver Mint made 514.12 million coins and the Philadelphia Mint produced 642.22 million coins.
Through the first five months of this year, the Denver Mint made 3,058,180,000 coins and the Philadelphia Mint made 3,277,200,000 coins for a combined 6,335,380,000 coins. The total is 6.6% lower than the 6,781,420,000 coins minted during the same period in 2016.
This next table lists 2017 coin production totals by denomination and by U.S. Mint facility:
YTD 2017 Circulating Coin Production by Denomination
| 1 ¢ | 5 ¢ | 10 ¢ | 25 ¢ | 50 ¢ | N.A. $1 | Total: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 1697.2M | 300.24M | 614M | 443.4M | 1.8M | 1.54M | 3058.18M |
| Philadelphia | 1819.6M | 292.08M | 658.5M | 503.4M | 1.8M | 1.82M | 3277.2M |
| Total | 3516.8M | 592.32M | 1272.5M | 946.8M | 3.6M | 3.36M | 6335.38M |
The 2017 monthly average of roughly 1.27 billion coins tracks over 12 months to 15.2 billion. Last year, the U.S. Mint made over 16 billion coins for circulation, registering as the second quickest for a year since 2001 after the more than 17 billion coins were made in 2015 — the most since 2001.
Frederick Douglass Mintages
So far this year, the U.S. Mint has released four coins with one-year-only designs. They include the:
- 2017 Native American $1 Coin, released on Jan. 25.
- 2017 Effigy Mounds Quarter for Iowa, released on Feb. 6.
- 2017 Frederick Douglass Quarter for D.C., released on April 3.
- 2017 Ozark Riverways Quarter for Missouri, released on June 5.
Mintages of Frederick Douglass quarters were reported for the first time, coming in at 185.8 million from Denver and 184.8 million from Philadelphia for a combined 370.6 million. These totals are nowhere near lows in the series.
Mintages for the Native American dollar at 1.54 million from Denver and 1.82 million from Philadelphia combine to 3.36 million coins. Last year’s design ended with splits of 2.1 million from Denver and 2.8 million from Philadelphia for 4.90 million coins.
The following table offers a breakdown of this year’s mintages by coin design:
2017 Circulating Coin Production by Design
| Denver | Philadelphia | Total | |
| Lincoln Cents | 1,697,200,000 | 1,819,600,000 | 3,516,800,000 |
| Jefferson Nickels | 300,240,000 | 292,080,000 | 592,320,000 |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 614,000,000 | 658,500,000 | 1,272,500,000 |
| Effigy Mounds National Monument Quarter | 210,800,000 | 271,200,000 | 482,000,000 |
| Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Quarter | 185,800,000 | 184,800,000 | 370,600,000 |
| Ozark National Scenic Riverways Quarter | – | – | – |
| Ellis Island National Monument Quarter | – | – | – |
| George Rogers Clark National Historical Park Quarter | – | – | – |
| Kennedy Half-Dollars | 1,800,000 | 1,800,000 | 3,600,000 |
| Native American $1 Coins | 1,540,000 | 1,820,000 | 3,360,000 |
| Total | 3,011,380,000 | 3,229,800,000 | 6,241,180,000 |
There are 94.2 million in quarters that the U.S. Mint hasn’t officially assigned to a design yet. These are likely a portion of the Ozark Riverways quarters.
