The United State Mint, created through the Coinage Act of 1792, is the nation's sole manufacturer of legal tender coinage, and is also responsible for circulating coinage so the United States can conduct its trade and commerce. Its first director was renowned scientist David Rittenhouse, who held the position from 1792 to 1795. The mint produced its first circulating coins in 1793, and since then, it has made over 720 billion coins, including 28 billion in the year 2000 alone. The first branch of the mint was the Philadelphia Mint, which opened in 1792, but today, there are three additional coin producing facilities at Denver, San Francisco, and West Point. Two other significant facilities of the US Mint are its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and the United States Bullion Depository in Fort Knox, Tennessee. Branches Statistics Employees: 1,845 Directors of the US Mint since 1792: 38 Chief Engravers since 1793: 12 Total Coins Made (1890-2014): 732,978,653,826 Total Number of Pennies Made (1890-2014): 487,107,466,951 Total Number of Nickels Made (1890-2014): 59,050,954,240 Total Number of Dimes Made (1890-2014): 94,019,321,377 Total Number of Quarters Made (1890-2014): 81,334,824,912 Total Number of Half Dollars Made (1890-2014): 5,164,687,209 Total Number of Dollar Coins Made (1890-2014): 6,306,587,137 Total Value of all the Coins Made by the US Mint (1890-2014): $46,460,441,489 |
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