U.S. coin production in September ran the quickest since March but not as fast as a year earlier, manufacturing figures from the United States Mint show.
Over 1.3 billion in cents, nickels, dimes, and quarters were pressed for circulation last month, driving the year-to-date total to more than 11.3 billion coins.
In headline comparisons, September production increased 12.7% from August and declined 16.4% from September 2016. Here’s how the month stacks up against others in the past year:
2016 – 2017 September Coin Production Figures
| Month | Mintages | Rank |
| September 2017 | 1,316.22 M | 4 |
| August 2017 | 1,167.48 M | 8 |
| July 2017 | 1,254.74 M | 6 |
| June 2017 | 1,252.88 M | 7 |
| May 2017 | 1,156.34 M | 9 |
| April 2017 | 959.54 M | 12 |
| March 2017 | 1,445.8 M | 3 |
| February 2017 | 983.40 M | 10 |
| January 2017 | 1,790.30 M | 1 |
| December 2016 | 696.68 M | 13 |
| November 2016 | 976.04 M | 11 |
| October 2016 | 1,297.36 M | 5 |
| September 2016 | 1,573.70 M | 2 |
The Federal Reserve orders more 1-cent coins from the U.S. Mint than any other denominations even as it costs 1.5 cents to make and distribute each one. The agency produced 784 million Lincoln cents in September for 59.6% of the circulating-quality coins produced for the month.
P-Mint Cents
2017-dated circulating cents from the Philadelphia Mint bear a ‘P’ mint mark for the first time in history. This is a one-year-only embellishment, added as a part of the U.S. Mint’s 225th anniversary celebration.
These P-cents are not rare, however, with 3.33 billion already made through the first nine months of this year.
Month-Over-Month
In the latest month-over month comparisons for coins used daily by Americans, production totals in September advanced:
- 4% for Lincoln cents,
- 20.1% for Jefferson nickels,
- 26.6% for Roosevelt dimes, and
- 37.6% for 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 the expected amounts needed for the entire year. The agency in April did produce 140,000 more 2017-P Native American dollars.
Production facilities in Denver and Philadelphia manufacture all of America’s coins for commerce. In September, the Denver Mint made 646.24 million coins and the Philadelphia Mint made 669.98 million coins.
Here’s a summary of all circulating-quality coins produced during the month:
US Mint Circulating Coin Production in September 2017
| Denomination | Denver | Philadelphia | Total |
| Lincoln Cents | 382,800,000 | 401,200,000 | 784,000,000 |
| Jefferson Nickels | 56,640,000 | 59,280,000 | 115,920,000 |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 109,000,000 | 126,500,000 | 235,500,000 |
| ATB Quarters | 97,800,000 | 83,000,000 | 180,800,000 |
| Kennedy Half Dollars | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Native American $1s | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 646,240,000 | 669,980,000 | 1,316,220,000 |
YTD Totals
Year-to-date figures at 5,561,140,000 coins from Denver and 5,765,560,000 coins from Philadelphia total 11,326,700,000 coins, representing a 13.2% decline from the 13,047,340,000 coins minted by the same time last year.
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 | 3274M | 506.4M | 1018M | 759.4M | 1.8M | 1.54M | 5561.14M |
| Philadelphia | 3330M | 525.84M | 1091.5M | 814.6M | 1.8M | 1.82M | 5765.56M |
| Total | 6604M | 1032.24M | 2109.5M | 1574M | 3.6M | 3.36M | 11326.7M |
This year’s monthly average of nearly 1.26 billion coins tracks over 12 months to about 15.1 billion coins. The U.S. Mint produced over 16 billion coins in 2016 after making more than 17 billion coins in 2015, the most since 2001.
Mintages by Coin Design
The U.S. Mint has issued five of the six 2017-dated coins bearing 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.
- 2017 Ellis Island Quarter for New Jersey, released on Aug. 28.
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.
Production figures include 319 million quarters that have yet to be officially assigned to a design. These are Ellis Island quarters which started to circulate in late August. Their ending mintage should be available in November.
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 | 2,891,200,000 | 2,928,800,000 | 5,820,000,000 |
| Jefferson Nickels | 449,760,000 | 466,560,000 | 916,320,000 |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 909,000,000 | 965,000,000 | 1,874,000,000 |
| 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 | 200,000,000 | 202,400,000 | 402,400,000 |
| Ellis Island National Monument Quarter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| George Rogers Clark National Historical Park Quarter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 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 | 4,849,900,000 | 5,022,380,000 | 9,872,280,000 |
Coin production figures in this coin news article are based on data aggregated from the Mint’s webpage at: https://www.usmint.gov/circulating-coins-production.
