According to manufacturing figures from the United States Mint, coin production slowed in June compared to the previous month, but remained elevated compared to other months in the past year, with nearly 1.3 billion coins made for circulation.
In the longer time frame, the U.S. Mint has struck nearly 7.4 billion coins for circulation in the first half of 2023. This marks their second quickest six-month start since the first half of 2017, with 2022 ranking higher.
For the June total, production was spread across cents, nickels, dimes, and quarters. The count was 8.5% lower than in May but 13.6% higher than in June of last year. Here’s how the month ranks against others in the past year:
June 2022 to June 2023 Circulating Coin Production
| Month | Mintages | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| June 2023 | 1,297.18 M | 2 |
| May 2023 | 1,417.78 M | 1 |
| April 2023 | 1,250.32 M | 3 |
| March 2023 | 1,187.94 M | 5 |
| February 2023 | 1,054.16 M | 9 |
| January 2023 | 1,200.46 M | 4 |
| December 2022 | 846.50 M | 13 |
| November 2022 | 906.00 M | 12 |
| October 2022 | 1,177.14 M | 6 |
| September 2022 | 1,003.72 M | 10 |
| August 2022 | 948.06 M | 11 |
| July 2022 | 1,100.62 M | 8 |
| June 2022 | 1,141.60 M | 7 |
Fewer Pennies
The main mission of the U.S. Mint is to manufacture coins in response to public demand. The Mint produces, sells and then delivers circulating coins to Federal Reserve Banks to support their service to commercial banks and other financial institutions.
Even though it costs the Mint 2.72 cents to make and distribute each 1-cent coin, the Federal Reserve always orders more of them than any other denomination.
In June, the Mint struck 493.6 million Lincoln cents, which accounted for 38.1% of the circulating-quality coins made for the month. This continues a trend that began in May 2022, when the percentage of cents produced in a given month fell below 50%. Historically, before then, more than half of the coins produced in a given month were cents. For instance, in January of last year, 59.8% of the circulating coins minted were cents, which contrasts with the current situation.
Month-Over-Month
In month-over-month comparisons for coins used daily by Americans, production totals in June decreased by:
- 6.5% for Lincoln cents,
- 7.1% for Jefferson nickels,
- 7.5% for Roosevelt dimes, and
- 12.9% for quarters.
Mintages of Native American Dollars and Kennedy Halves
In addition to cents, nickels, dimes, and quarters, the U.S. Mint also produces dollars and half dollars in circulating quality. While the Federal Reserve no longer orders Native American $1 coins, they are still minted in circulating quality for coin collectors. This was also true for Kennedy half dollars until recently, specifically in 2021 and 2022.
Typically, in January, the U.S. Mint produces both denominations in the expected amounts needed for the entire year. However, this remains the case only for Native American dollars, as Kennedy halves saw their mintages increase in multiple months in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
In the past two fiscal years (2021 and 2022), the Federal Reserve unexpectedly ordered millions more Kennedy half dollars for circulation, with amounts of about 12 million and 7 million, respectively. It’s unclear whether any 2023-dated Kennedy half dollars have been produced for general circulation, but the total struck increased by 1.7 million in May, 2.5 million in April, 2.2 million in March, and 4.4 million in January. As of now, the combined total of halves is 10.8 million, with an equal mix of 5.4 million from Denver and 5.4 million from Philadelphia. This is in comparison to the 2022 production runs, which totaled 4.9 million from Denver and 4.8 million from Philadelphia, for a total of 9.7 million coins.
The mintages of Native American dollars have remained unchanged since January, with splits of 1.12 million from the Denver Mint and 1.12 million from the Philadelphia Mint, for a combined total of 2.24 million coins. In contrast, the 2022 dollar recorded equal splits of 980,000 from each facility, for a total of 1.96 million coins.
On Feb. 6, U.S. Mint started selling rolls, bags and boxes of 2023 Native American dollars. On May 15, the bureau started offering collectors rolls and bags of circulating 2023 Kennedy halves.
This next table shows a summary of all the circulating-quality coins produced last month:
U.S. Mint Circulating Coin Production in June 2023
| Denver | Philadelphia | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Cent | 240,800,000 | 252,800,000 | 493,600,000 |
| Jefferson Nickel | 77,040,000 | 80,640,000 | 157,680,000 |
| Roosevelt Dime | 171,000,000 | 178,500,000 | 349,500,000 |
| Quarters | 144,400,000 | 152,000,000 | 296,400,000 |
| Kennedy Half-Dollar | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Native American $1 Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 633,240,000 | 663,940,000 | 1,297,180,000 |
Regarding overall production totals for June, the Denver Mint struck 633.24 million coins, while the Philadelphia Mint made 663.94 million coins, resulting in a combined production of 1,297,180,000 coins.
Coin Production in First Half of 2023
Through the first half of this year, the Denver Mint has struck 3,795,800,000 coins, and the Philadelphia Mint has made 3,612,040,000 coins, for a total production of 7,407,840,000 coins. This figure is 3% lower than the 7,638,340,000 coins manufactured during the first half of 2022.
If the current production pace were to continue through December, the annual mintage for 2023 would exceed 14.8 billion coins. In comparison, the U.S. Mint produced over 13.6 billion coins for circulation in 2022.
This next table lists coin production totals by denomination and by U.S. Mint facility:
YTD 2023 Circulating Coin Production by Denomination
| 1 ¢ | 5 ¢ | 10 ¢ | 25 ¢ | 50 ¢ | N.A. $1 | Total: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 1456.4M | 475.68M | 1021M | 836.2M | 5.4M | 1.12M | 3795.8M |
| Philadelphia | 1359.2M | 442.32M | 970M | 834M | 5.4M | 1.12M | 3612.04M |
| Total | 2815.6M | 918M | 1991M | 1670.2M | 10.8M | 2.24M | 7407.84M |
New 2023 Quarter Mintages
In addition to the 2023 Native American dollar with its one-year-only design, the U.S. Mint through June released the first three of five issues for 2023 from their four-year program of American Women Quarters™. These three quarters represent the sixth, seventh, and eighth overall in the series, and each one features a unique design.
The Bessie Coleman quarter, the first quarter design for this year, began circulating on Jan. 3. On February 14, the Mint made rolls and bags of the quarter available for purchase by the public.
The Edith Kanakaʻole quarter, this year’s second 25-cent design, started circulating on March 27 and is available in Mint rolls and bags. The latest Mint figures offer, for the first time, their production totals, with 368.6 million from Denver and 372.8 million from Philadelphia, for a combined 741.4 million quarters. This is the highest mintage total for any quarter in the series to date.
Lastly, the Eleanor Roosevelt quarter launched on June 6. As of year-to-date, out of the total coin production, 309.6 million quarters have not yet been officially assigned a design by the U.S. Mint. These quarters are Roosevelt quarters, with millions more yet to be minted.
This last table offers a breakdown of this year’s mintages that have been reported by coin design, including the first two quarters:
2023 Circulating Coin Production by Design
| Denver | Philadelphia | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Cent | 1,456,400,000 | 1,359,200,000 | 2,815,600,000 |
| Jefferson Nickel | 475,680,000 | 442,320,000 | 918,000,000 |
| Roosevelt Dime | 1,021,000,000 | 970,000,000 | 1,991,000,000 |
| Bessie Coleman Quarter | 317,200,000 | 302,000,000 | 619,200,000 |
| Edith Kanaka’Ole Quarter | 368,600,000 | 372,800,000 | 741,400,000 |
| Eleanor Roosevelt Quarter | – | – | – |
| Jovita Idar Quarter (expected release on Aug. 15) | – | – | – |
| Maria Tallchief Quarter (expected release on Oct. 23) | – | – | – |
| Kennedy Half-Dollar | 5,400,000 | 5,400,000 | 10,800,000 |
| Native American $1 Coin | 1,120,000 | 1,120,000 | 2,240,000 |
| Total | 3,645,400,000 | 3,452,840,000 | 7,098,240,000 |
My local bank has been telling me there have been cent shortages for much of the year now. I didn’t believe them until I only received my first 2023 cent in my till in mid-June (typically I see new cents in between mid-February and mid-March). I’ve only seen two 2023 cents so far but I am thinking the cent shortages may be real only because the rolls of cents I open at work now are clearly not from around here being nearly all Denver mintmarked cents (which is unusual given a typical roll of cents will contain 10% or fewer… Read more »
Well I agree cents are claimed to be more than the value printed on the coin, at least metal content wise. What I wonder is, is it illegal to melt them or destroy them. Sure you can melt your own and nobody would know, but would you take em to a scrap yard. Can’t really flip em to sell as you can’t offer a penny for a penny, that’s dumb. You can’t offer 1/2 a cent (I guess if selling 100 of em you could get offered 2 quarters, or 5 dimes, or a half dollar, or 10 nickels) and… Read more »
D & C,
It has been illegal to melt 1-cent & 5-cents coins since sometime after the cost to produce them went above face value in 2006.
NumisdudeTX
Kaiser,
People can just use those big jars of copper cents as weight lifts for exercise…for pennies on the dollar rather than buying dumbbells or treadmill.
NumisdudeTX
D & C-
I understand that the US Mint mgmt wants to do just what you’re talking about – stopping production, if not outright demonetizing both the cent and 5-cent coins. Canada has done so with their cent; I believe both Australia and New Zealand have done the same. Remaining cents are only legal tender up to 20c worth.
Sam-I-Am,
You are right for sure. The Mint wants to stop the cents & 5-cent coinage, but the USA Congress doesn’t due to selfish reasons.
NumisdudeTX
Kaiser,
Yep! And not to mention Jarden Zinc Co. that supplies the Mint with most of the zinc cent planchets. Big business equals big power in Congress.
NumisdudeTX
Sir Kaiser-
I think the Mint wants to do that, too!
Kaiser,
The studies done show just what you said, sometimes you would gain a cent or two & sometimes lose a cent or two.
NumisdudeTX
Oh no, I get it. It is rather pointless for the United States to keep issuing the cent given its almost utter lack of purchasing power (and probably, realistically due to inflation over the years, the nickel and dime and even quarter by this point). But I think, like all collectors, the cent will always be with us in our hearts. Also, the loss of the cent and nickel would be a shame if only because they are the last two denominations where older dates can still be found. I mean, yeah, one will get an anomalous silver dime or… Read more »
Two thoughts; first, I see a great reduction in the number of “old” pre-1982 copper cents in circulating change, as compared to even a few years ago. I suppose most of the US public has caught on to the melt/face value ratio. Second, I’ve been finding quite a number of Edith Kanaka’ole quarters from the change machines at the laundromat. These seem to have a MUCH brighter finish than all previous issues. They appear close to proof level polish. Can anyone enlighten me on the reason? PS – I’ve been a lurker here for a while; this is my first… Read more »
Sam-I-Am,
Welcome!
I rarely use cash, so I don’t see circulation coins much. But, last week my mother came over to run errands – she had two Edith quarters to show me & I noticed immediately that they were brighter in appearance than other such quarters – very shiny & very well struck. They have the “D” Mint mark on them. Maybe they are first strikes off a new pair of dies, but not Proof coins of course.
NumisdudeTX
Seth and Jeff,
Thanks for the kind welcome! I’ve been following (off & on) the conversations here for a couple of years now, since the 2021 Morgan/Peace dollar fiasco.
Sir Kaiser, since others confirm my observation of the brighter finish on the Edith “D” quarters, might you have any unshared information? You seem to be the recognized RKI here.
Sam-I-Am
I tried to get a roll of quarters at credit union today. No dice. Asked for roll of half dollars. No dice. Makes you wonder where businesses get theirs from. As we all know No veterans ever open businesses with a credit union only for service members and family. She was also quite rude about it. I was gonna go to chase but was afraid I’d get tubes of rocks.
Maybe they have perfected sky net already and the coin is made from the skeleton of the melted terminator. I guess I’ll be back is more catchy than I’ll be obverse.
Honestly I just think it’s something the Denver mint does and I’ve noticed it for at least 20 years now. Denver coins (at least the cupronickel and cupronickel plated ones) tend to have a glossier finish than their Philadelphia counterparts. But then the design also seems less sharply struck to me too when the finishes are like that
Maybe it’s just coins struck from a freshly (but harshly) repolished die or maybe it’s just what ever-so-slightly weaker strikes look like because the difference isn’t there for Mint sets..
Hi Sam-I-Am, I noticed they looked brighter in the pictures, but I have not seen one yet in real life. I do not know the reason, but hopefully someone with that knowledge here will fill us in. Congratulations on making your first post here, I remember it was a big step for me. I was observing and learning for a couple of years before I felt comfortable enough to make my first post. Fortunately, people like Kaiser Wilhelm made me feel welcome instead of unwanted or ignorant so here I am many years later still posting occasionally. For a while… Read more »
Yeah. Kaiser and major d and senza mike hunt got me to cross the threshold and start posting here. Kaiser like fog horn leg horn, and I’m more like Wylie coyote – “genius”. (According to his business card). I almost had em as a dik dastardly but can’t place who his Mutley would be. Or perhaps the gentleman from are you being served. But stick around long enough and you’ll notice I’m always quick and to the point, none of those Greek epics like others on here. Yall know who you are.
Major D-
Thanks for the reply. I’ve only found the Edith “D” quarters so far. Like you, I’m holding on to the really bright ones.
I, too, pull the 1982 cents; I just keep them separate from the other pre-82’s. One day, I plan to sort them all…
Perhaps it is the location of the mines. Where in the earth it is mined, with what other minerals or chemocal reactions that may slightly change it enough that it makes a slight spectrum change. Like heavy water. Or perhaps as it ages or decays it changed shade. Or faster or slower decay. I’m thinking more like diamonds. Even in the same river, or mine the quality of each diamond varies not only in clarity, but color too. Pink, chocolate. White gold, rose gold, yellow gold. No yelling what happens when blackholes erupt or stars implode, or how cosmic dust… Read more »
But without the 1 cent coins, politicians and tik tok influencer would never be able to put their 2 cents in
The 2024 Women quarter designs are final.
I’m glad to see the lady on the box of butter was able to find work again relatively soon.
Yeah, sometimes it is a slow burn. But at least give me credit for refraining from the syrup lady moving up to a Jackson. Which is poetic in a way, as she would be avenging the butter lady being forced to move by the aforementioned tenant on the $20. Looks like it came full circle. I wonder if this is the same level of redemption England felt when they erased George Washington from the British military leaders commemorative with Hessian leaders.