Coin production increased in October for the fourth straight month, according to U.S. Mint figures shared this week with CoinNews, reaching its highest level since August 2023 – the last time it surpassed 1 billion coins – while recording the 14th consecutive month below that threshold, after an earlier streak of eight months above it.
In October, the Mint produced 826.6 million coins for circulation, including cents, dimes, quarters, and half dollars. Dime production resumed after a three-month hiatus, while no nickels were struck for the fourth consecutive month and the sixth time this year. The monthly total reflects a 70.1% increase over September and a 64.7% rise compared to October 2023.
Here’s how the month compares to others in the past year:
October 2023 to October 2024 Circulating Coin Production
| Month | Mintages | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| October 2024 | 826.60 M | 1 |
| September 2024 | 486.00 M | 6 |
| August 2024 | 405.20 M | 7 |
| July 2024 | 235.20 M | 11 |
| June 2024 | 168.22 M | 12 |
| May 2024 | 396.08 M | 8 |
| April 2024 | 368.20 M | 10 |
| March 2024 | 332.70 M | 9 |
| February 2024 | 644.86 M | 3 |
| January 2024 | 755.98 M | 2 |
| December 2023 | 151.80 M | 13 |
| November 2023 | 604.409 M | 4 |
| October 2023 | 501.911 M | 5 |
The primary mission of the U.S. Mint is to manufacture coins in response to public demand. The Mint produces, sells, and subsequently delivers circulating coins to Federal Reserve Banks and their coin terminals to support their services to commercial banks and other financial institutions.
Even though it costs the Mint 3.07 cents to make and distribute each 1-cent coin, the Federal Reserve always orders more of them than any other denomination. In October, the Mint produced 528 million Lincoln cents – the highest monthly total since matching that figure in May 2023 – accounting for 63.9% of all circulating-quality coins minted for the month and marking a 57.1% increase from September’s total.
Meanwhile, quarter production held steady at 150 million, unchanged from the previous month.
Mintages of Native American Dollars and Kennedy Halves
The U.S. Mint also strikes other coins in circulating quality, namely half dollars and dollars. Native American $1 coins are no longer ordered by the Federal Reserve, but they are still made in circulating quality for coin collectors. The same was true for Kennedy half dollars until recently – years 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Usually, in January, the U.S. Mint produces both denominations to the expected amounts needed for the entire year. Nonetheless, this has not been the case for Kennedy halves in each of the three prior years, as the Federal Reserve unexpectedly ordered millions more for circulation – roughly 12 million, 7 million, and 18 million in fiscal years 2021, 2022, and 2023.
It has not been disclosed whether any 2024 Kennedy half dollars have been produced for general circulation, although it is likely. Half dollar production figures changed in January (+5.7 million), March (+ 1.9 million), April (+2.6 million), May (+3.2 million), June (+4.9 million), July (+3.2 million), and October (+5.6 million) with the latest results showing 12.3 million coins from Philadelphia and 14.8 million from Denver, totaling 27.1 million. These figures compare to production runs in 2023 totaling 27.8 million from Denver and 30.2 million from Philadelphia, amounting to 58 million coins – the highest since 1983, when it reached 66.6 million.
Unlike the usual practice, the mintages of the Native American dollar were adjusted in February instead of being completed in January. This change was prompted by the absence of reported minting activity for the dollar in Denver throughout January. Since February, the total dollar mintage has remained at 2.24 million coins, with 1.12 million each from Denver and Philadelphia, matching the 2023 total.
On Jan. 29, the U.S. Mint started selling Denver- and Philadelphia-minted rolls, bags, and boxes of 2024 Native American dollars. On April 23, the bureau started offering rolls and bags of circulating 2024 Kennedy halves.
This next table shows 2024 circulating coin mintages by production facility, denomination, and design.
U.S. Mint Circulating Coin Production in October 2024
| Denver | Philadelphia | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Cent | 220,000,000 | 308,000,000 | 528,000,000 |
| Jefferson Nickel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Roosevelt Dime | 44,000,000 | 99,000,000 | 143,000,000 |
| Quarters | 75,000,000 | 75,000,000 | 150,000,000 |
| Kennedy Half-Dollar | 3,200,000 | 2,400,000 | 5,600,000 |
| Native American $1 Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 342,200,000 | 484,400,000 | 826,600,000 |
In the overall production totals for October, the Denver Mint produced 342.2 million coins, while the Philadelphia Mint produced 484.4 million coins, resulting in the combined total of 826.6 million coins.
YTD Totals
Year-to-date, the Denver Mint has struck 2,308,400,000 coins, and the Philadelphia Mint has made 2,310,640,000 coins, for a combined total to 4,619,040,000 coins – the slowest ten-month start since CoinNews began reporting on monthly production figures in 2011. This marks a 56.5% decline compared to the 10,625,461,000 coins manufactured during the same period in 2023.
If the current production pace were to continue through December, the annual mintage for 2024 would reach 5.5 billion coins. In comparison, the U.S. Mint manufactured over 11.38 billion coins for circulation in 2023, marking the lowest output since 2012.
This next table lists coin production totals by denomination and by U.S. Mint facility:
YTD 2024 Circulating Coin Production by Denomination
| 1 ¢ | 5 ¢ | 10 ¢ | 25 ¢ | 50 ¢ | N.A. $1 | Total: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 1,311.6M | 32.88M | 182M | 766M | 14.8M | 1.12M | 2,308.4M |
| Philadelphia | 1,322M | 36.72M | 191.5M | 747M | 12.3M | 1.12M | 2,310.64M |
| Total | 2,633.6M | 69.6M | 373.5M | 1,513M | 27.1M | 2.24M | 4,619.04M |
Mintages for 2024 Celia Cruz Quarters
In addition to the 2024 Native American dollar with its one-year-only design, the U.S. Mint has also released all five issues for 2024 from their four-year program of American Women Quarters™. These four coins represent the 11th through 15th releases in the series, each featuring a unique design.
The Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray quarter, the first quarter design for this year, began circulating on Jan. 2. On Feb. 1, the Mint made rolls and bags of the quarter available for purchase by the public. First reported in March figures and unchanged since, a total of 354.2 million Murray quarters were minted, with 185.8 million coming from Denver and 168.4 million from Philadelphia.
Patsy Takemoto Mink quarters entered circulation on March 25, and on March 28, the U.S. Mint began selling rolls and bags of them to the public. The latest figures show Patsy Takemoto Mink quarter mintages at 187.2 million from Denver and 210.2 million from Philadelphia, for a combined 397.4 million.
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker quarters entered circulation on June 3, and on June 17, the U.S. Mint started selling rolls and bags of them to the public. The latest figures show Dr. Mary Edwards quarter mintages at 159.4 million from Denver and 141.2 million from Philadelphia, for a combined 300.6 million. This marks the lowest mintage total for any quarter in the series to date. In terms of production by facility across the series, both the 2024-P and the 2024-D also rank as the scarcest.
For the first time, the U.S. Mint has released mintage figures for the Celia Cruz quarter. Cruz quarters entered circulation on Aug. 5, with U.S. Mint rolls and bags of them offered to the public on Aug. 7. According to the latest data, Celia Cruz quarter mintages stand at 156.2 million from the Denver Mint and 149.6 million from the Philadelphia Mint, for a combined total of 305.8 million. This represents the second-lowest combined mintage total for any quarter in the series, with the Dr. Mary Edwards Walker quarter still holding the lowest overall total. Notably, the 2024-P Celia Cruz quarter is now the scarcest in the series from the Philadelphia Mint, with a mintage of 156.2 million. Conversely, the 2024-D Dr. Mary Edwards Walker quarter remains the scarcest in the series from the Denver Mint, with a mintage of 141.2 million.
CoinNews also received mintage figures for this year’s final quarter design, featuring Zitkala-Ša. However, these figures are likely preliminary. Zitkala-Ša quarters entered circulation on Oct. 21, and on Oct. 28, the U.S. Mint began selling rolls and bags of them to the public. The provided data shows 77.4 million quarters struck in Denver and 77.6 million in Philadelphia, for a combined total of 155 million.
2024 Circulating Coin Production by Design
This last table offers a breakdown of this year’s mintages that have been reported by coin design, including the first three quarters:
| Denver | Philadelphia | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Cent | 1,311,600,000 | 1,322,000,000 | 2,633,600,000 |
| Jefferson Nickel | 32,880,000 | 36,720,000 | 69,600,000 |
| Roosevelt Dime | 182,000,000 | 191,500,000 | 373,500,000 |
| Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray Quarter | 185,800,000 | 168,400,000 | 354,200,000 |
| Patsy Takemoto Mink Quarter | 187,200,000 | 210,200,000 | 397,400,000 |
| Dr. Mary Edwards Walker Quarter | 159,400,000 | 141,200,000 | 300,600,000 |
| Celia Cruz Quarter | 156,200,000 | 149,600,000 | 305,800,000 |
| Zitkala-Ša Quarter (expected release on Oct. 28) | 77,400,000 | 77,600,000 | 155,000,000 |
| Kennedy Half-Dollar | 14,800,000 | 12,300,000 | 27,100,000 |
| Native American $1 Coin | 1,120,000 | 1,120,000 | 2,240,000 |
| Total | 2,308,400,000 | 2,310,640,000 | 4,619,040,000 |
