How Coins are Made

When out in the classrooms, I am constantly being asked how coins are made. Therefore, I have decided to educate not only myself, but you as well, just in case your students ask you how coins are made.

Step 1- Blanking
The U.S. Mint purchases strips of metal 13 inches wide and 1,500 feet long used to process the coins. The strips come rolled in a coil. Each coil is fed through a blanking press, which punches out round discs called blanks. The leftover strip is then recycled.

Step 2-Annealing, Washing & Drying
The blanks are heated in an annealing furnace in order to soften them. They are then run through a washer and dryer.

Step 3- Riddling
The newly washed blanks are sorted on a riddler to screen out any that are the wrong size or shape.

Step 4- Upsetting
The good blanks then go through an upsetting mill. This raises a rim around the blanks edges.

Step 5- Striking
Finally, the blanks head to the coining press. Here, they are stamped with the designs and inscriptions, which make them genuine United States coins.

Step 6- Inspection
A press operator uses a magnifying glass to spot-check each batch of new coins. Then all the coins go through a coin sizer to remove any misshaped or dented coins.

Step 7-Counting & Bagging
An automatic counting machine counts the coins and drops them into large canvas bags. The bags are sewn shut, loaded on pallets, and taken by forklifts to be stored in vaults. New coins are shipped by truck to Federal Reserve Banks. From there, the coins go to your local financial institution.

For more information please visit the US Mint website.