There are four active coin-producing mints in the United States: Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and West Point. Counting the two non-production sites the U.S. Mint also operates, the Fort Knox Bullion Depository and the Washington, D.C., headquarters, the system spans six locations and employs nearly 1,700 people.1United States Mint. Tours and Locations The Mint pays for itself through coin sales to the Federal Reserve, bullion sales, and numismatic products, so none of it runs on tax dollars.2United States Mint. About the United States Mint
What Each Active Mint Does
The four production facilities split the work. Philadelphia and Denver make the coins that end up in your pocket. San Francisco and West Point make coins for collectors and investors.3United States Mint. Production and Sales Figures
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania opened in 1792 as the nation’s first mint and remains its largest producer of circulating coins. It is also the design hub: the Mint’s medallic artists work here, and every master hub and die used across the system originates in Philadelphia before being shipped out.4United States Mint. U.S. Mint at Philadelphia
Denver, Colorado has been striking coins since 1906. It produces circulating coinage, commemoratives, and uncirculated coin sets, and makes its own working hubs and dies from master dies sent by Philadelphia. Its building on West Colfax Avenue is the oldest continuously operating U.S. Mint facility.5United States Mint. U.S. Mint at Denver
San Francisco, California opened in 1854 to process gold from the California Gold Rush. It no longer strikes circulating coins. Today it specializes in clad and silver proof coin sets and commemoratives.6United States Mint. U.S. Mint at San Francisco
West Point, New York is the youngest of the four. It began in 1938 as a bullion depository and gained full mint status on March 31, 1988. West Point produces American Eagle proof and uncirculated coins in gold, silver, and platinum, American Buffalo gold bullion coins, and congressionally authorized commemoratives. It also continues to store gold, silver, and platinum bullion.7United States Mint. U.S. Mint at West Point
How to Tell Which Mint Made Your Coin
Look for a small letter on the coin’s face. That’s the mint mark, and it identifies the facility. Four marks are in current use:8United States Mint. Mint Marks
- P for Philadelphia, used since 1942. Many older Philadelphia coins carry no mark at all.
- D for Denver, from 1906 forward.
- S for San Francisco, from 1854 forward.
- W for West Point, from 1984 forward.
If a coin in your change has no mint mark, it almost certainly came from Philadelphia. S and W coins are collector or bullion pieces and rarely turn up in circulation.
Older coins may carry marks from mints that no longer exist: C for Charlotte, an earlier D for Dahlonega before Denver inherited the letter, O for New Orleans, and CC for Carson City.8United States Mint. Mint Marks
The Two Non-Production Facilities
The United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, Kentucky, is not a mint and produces no coins. It stores roughly half the Treasury’s gold reserves, currently 147,341,858 fine troy ounces, behind granite, concrete, and steel. That gold is carried on the government’s books at $42.22 per ounce, a statutory price unchanged since 1973. Fort Knox has also held other national treasures over the years, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights during World War II. No visitors are permitted; the only recorded exception was a 1974 visit by journalists and members of Congress arranged by the Treasury Secretary to counter rumors that the vaults were empty.9United States Mint. Fort Knox Bullion Depository
The Mint’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., handles administration, coin program management, research and development, and marketing. No coins are struck there, but the building has a public coin store open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding federal holidays.10United States Mint. U.S. Mint Headquarters
Mints That Have Closed
Five branch mints operated at various times in American history. Most were built to process metals near where they were being mined, and most closed once the mines gave out or the Civil War intervened.
- Charlotte, North Carolina (1837–1861) struck $1, $2.50, and $5 gold coins from the state’s pre-Gold Rush gold fields. The Confederacy seized the building in 1861.8United States Mint. Mint Marks
- Dahlonega, Georgia (1838–1861) coined gold from the Georgia Gold Rush and was seized when Georgia seceded.
- New Orleans, Louisiana (1838–1909) produced gold and silver coinage, shut down during the Civil War in 1861, reopened in 1879, and struck coins until 1909. Its coins carry an “O” mark.8United States Mint. Mint Marks
- Carson City, Nevada (1870–1893) processed silver from the Comstock Lode. It was shut down in 1885 for political reasons, briefly reopened in 1889, and ceased coinage in 1893. Its mint status was formally withdrawn in 1899.11United States Mint. The History of the Carson City Mint
- Manila, Philippines (1920–1941) was the only U.S. branch mint located outside the continental United States. It took over Philippine coinage from San Francisco and struck coins from 1920 to 1922 and again from 1925 until Japan invaded the Philippines in 1941. No U.S. coins were produced there after Philippine independence in 1946.
Visiting an Active Mint
Only Denver and Philadelphia offer public tours, and both are free. Denver runs tours Monday through Thursday at six times a day starting at 7:30 a.m. Reservations must be booked online through the Mint’s Tour Reservation System up to 30 days in advance; the staff won’t take requests by phone or email. You can book up to five tickets per request, all visitors must be at least seven years old, and late arrivals are turned away.12United States Mint. Tour the Denver Mint
Philadelphia suspended public tours and closed its gift shop on March 9, 2026, for facility renovations, so check the Mint’s website before planning a trip.13United States Mint. Tour the Philadelphia Mint San Francisco, West Point, and Fort Knox are closed to visitors.