U.S. coin production in October topped 1 billion coins for a second straight month after hitting a 20-month low in August, according to the latest United States Mint manufacturing figures.
U.S. Mint data also revealed mintages for the Nina Otero-Warren quarter, the fourth of this year’s five quarters with unique designs.
In the headline figure for October, the Mint struck just over 1.177 billion coins for circulation — spread across cents, nickels, dimes, and quarters, marking an increase of 17.3% from September but a decline of 3% from October 2021.
Here’s how the month compares against others in the past year:
October 2021 to October 2022 Circulating Coin Production
| Month | Mintages | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| October 2022 | 1,177.14 M | 7 |
| September 2022 | 1,003.72 M | 11 |
| August 2022 | 948.06 M | 13 |
| July 2022 | 1,100.62 M | 10 |
| June 2022 | 1,141.60 M | 8 |
| May 2022 | 1,255.32 M | 4 |
| April 2022 | 1,278.88 M | 2 |
| March 2022 | 1,452.58 M | 1 |
| February 2022 | 1,260.12 M | 3 |
| January 2022 | 1,249.84 M | 5 |
| December 2021 | 953.37 M | 12 |
| November 2021 | 1,104.7 M | 9 |
| October 2021 | 1,213.86 M | 6 |
The U.S. Mint’s main mission is to manufacture coins based on the nation’s demand and then transport them to Federal Reserve Banks and their coin terminals for distribution into circulation.
The Federal Reserve orders more 1-cent coins from the U.S. Mint than any other denomination even as data shows that it costs 2.1 cents to make and distribute each one. The Mint struck 458 million Lincoln cents in October, representing 38.9% of the circulating-quality coins produced last month. Historically, the percentage has been around the low to mid 50s. That has not been the case for several months this year. Including October’s new low, September was at 42.4%, August was at 47%, July was at 39.4% and June was at 40.2%.
Month-Over-Month
In month-over month comparisons for coins used daily by Americans, production totals in October increased:
- 7.6% for Lincoln cents,
- 21.7% for Jefferson nickels,
- 26.6% for Roosevelt dimes, and
- 23.4% for quarters.
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 is true, or was until last year, for Kennedy half-dollars.
Traditionally in January, the U.S. Mint produces both denominations to the expected amounts needed for the entire year. That remained the case for Native American dollars but not for Kennedy halves, which saw their mintages increase in multiple months this year (January, May and June) and last year (February, March, April, May and August) with millions placed in circulation.
Published mintages of 2022 Native American dollars show equal splits of 980,000 from Denver and 980,000 from Philadelphia for a combined 1.96 million coins. In contrast, the 2021 dollar logged splits of 1.26 million for Denver and 1.26 million for Philadelphia for 2.52 million coins.
In May, mintages for the 2022 Kennedy half-dollar increased for the second time this year, posting a combined increase of 3.6 million to more than double the 3.2 million made in January. They climbed again in June by 2.9 million. Unchanged since, half dollar mintages stand at 4.9 million from Denver and 4.8 million from Philadelphia for a total of 9.7 million. Last year’s half-dollar ended with a mix of 7.7 million from Denver and 5.4 million from Philadelphia for a combined 13.1 million.
The U.S. Mint started selling rolls, bags and boxes of 2022 Native American dollars on Feb. 9. It released rolls and bags of 2022 Kennedy halves on May 5.
Here’s a summary of all the circulating-quality coins produced last month:
U.S. Mint Circulating Coin Production in October 2022
| Denver | Philadelphia | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Cent | 231,200,000 | 226,800,000 | 458,000,000 |
| Jefferson Nickel | 81,840,000 | 76,800,000 | 158,640,000 |
| Roosevelt Dime | 161,500,000 | 150,000,000 | 311,500,000 |
| Quarters | 129,000,000 | 120,000,000 | 249,000,000 |
| Kennedy Half-Dollar | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Native American $1 Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 603,540,000 | 573,600,000 | 1,177,140,000 |
Minting facilities in Philadelphia and Denver are tasked with making all U.S. coins for commerce. Last month, the Denver Mint struck 603.54 million coins and the Philadelphia Mint pressed 573.6 million coins for the combined 1,177,140,000 coins.
YTD Totals
Year to date, the Denver Mint made 5,985,140,000 coins and the Philadelphia Mint made 5,882,740,000 coins for a total of 11,867,880,000 coins, which is 4.6% fewer than the 12,435,400,000 coins minted through the same period in 2021.
This next table lists coin production totals by denomination and by U.S. Mint facility:
YTD 2022 Circulating Coin Production by Denomination
| 1 ¢ | 5 ¢ | 10 ¢ | 25 ¢ | 50 ¢ | N.A. $1 | Total: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 2887.6M | 676.56M | 1325.5M | 1089.6M | 4.9M | .98M | 5985.14M |
| Philadelphia | 2853.2M | 659.76M | 1279M | 1085M | 4.8M | .98M | 5882.74M |
| Total | 5740.8M | 1336.32M | 2604.5M | 2174.6M | 9.7M | 1.96M | 11867.88M |
If the current production pace stretched through to December, the annual mintage for 2022 would reach just over 14.2 billion coins. The U.S. Mint manufactured nearly 14.5 billion coins for circulation in 2021.
2022 Quarter Mintages
In addition to the 2022 Native American dollar with its one-year-only design, the U.S. Mint through October released the first five issues from their four-year program of American Women quarter dollars. Each features a unique design. They include:
- the 2022 Maya Angelou quarter which began circulating in early January. (The Mint started selling collectible Maya Angelou quarters in rolls and bags on Feb. 7.)
- the 2022 Dr. Sally Ride quarter which started circulating toward the end of March. (The Mint started selling collectible Dr. Ride Sally Angelou quarters in rolls and bags on March 22.)
- the 2022 Wilma Mankiller quarter which began circulating in early June. (The Mint started selling collectible Mankiller quarters in rolls and bags on June 14.)
- the 2022 Nina Otero-Warren quarter which started circulating mid-August. (The Mint started selling collectible Nina Otero-Warren quarters in rolls and bags on Aug 16.)
- the 2022 Anna May Wong quarter which started circulating Oct. 24. (The Mint started selling collectible Anna May Wong quarters in rolls and bags on Oct. 25.)
For the first time, Mint data revealed mintages for the Nina Otero-Warren quarter. They are the lowest to date in the American Women quarter dollar series.
This last table offers a breakdown of this year’s mintages that have been reported by coin design:
2022 Circulating Coin Production by Design
| Denver | Philadelphia | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Cent | 2,887,600,000 | 2,853,200,000 | 5,740,800,000 |
| Jefferson Nickel | 676,560,000 | 659,760,000 | 1,336,320,000 |
| Roosevelt Dime | 1,325,500,000 | 1,279,000,000 | 2,604,500,000 |
| Maya Angelou Quarter | 258,200,000 | 237,600,000 | 495,800,000 |
| Dr. Sally Ride Quarter | 278,000,000 | 275,200,000 | 553,200,000 |
| Wilma Mankiller Quarter | 296,800,000 | 310,000,000 | 606,800,000 |
| Nina Otero-Warren Quarter | 219,200,000 | 225,000,000 | 444,200,000 |
| Anna May Wong Quarter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kennedy Half-Dollar | 4,900,000 | 4,800,000 | 9,700,000 |
| Native American $1 Coin | 980,000 | 980,000 | 1,960,000 |
| Total | 5,947,740,000 | 5,845,540,000 | 11,793,280,000 |
From the overall production total, there are 74.6 million in quarters that the U.S. Mint has yet to officially assign to a design. These are Anna May Wong quarters with more yet be made.
That may sound like a lot of coins but it works out to only three each per U.S. inhabitant.
The Mint is still banging out Cents to beat the band; the jars and sidewalks are calling.
I have a roll of them. On another note, I received my first UK coins with King Charles’ portrait on them yesterday. They look nice.
One of the actual coins I received, the Crown or 5 Pounds. I also have the 50 Pence but you get the idea.
That is a fine looking coin. For better or worse, I think he looks more distinguished and “royal” this way than in real life.
I suppose that’s the idea. Queen Victoria looked younger on her coins than in real life.
Because she was still ageing so yeah the coin portrait was her younger self
Jeremy and Antonio,
There is always going to be a somewhat lengthy interval between updates of the monarch’s portrait on any coin, so as the years go by until the new effigy is released the image on a given coin will look ever younger compared to real life.
Queen Elizabeth II had the most portraits, five. Unless one counts Queen Victoria’s portrait on the Florin, in which case Elizabeth had as many as her great great grand mother’s.
That’s a great lineup of Queen Elizabeth’s successive effigies; thanks for posting that picture, Antonio. I think she was a rather striking looking woman her entire life; the British were indeed fortunate to have had such a regal appearing Queen, and for so long at that.
He doesn’t look under fed like he does in real life, perhaps that’s why they call it a 50 pound coin. I too have received my coins of Britain. Not of Chucky though. If I ever open the boxes I’ll post a pic. If I were Chuck, I’d restore Harry and Megan’s title, except he’d be Prince A. Pals, and Megan would be the Drama Queen
I’m struck by how weird it is that this time the brand new King of England is already an old man. His mom really did not want to let go.
If I were the mint guy, I’d think for April fools I’d create an error and replace the g with a t and make him a t Rex. Complete with the oversized English teeth. Sharpened to a point. I think it’d be worth getting the guillotine
How appropriate for us numismatists that being a royal very much represents the two sides of a coin. On the one hand these folks have the world at their feet, while on the other they are by the nature of the office trapped in a fish bowl for life. I think I would prefer life on the Love Boat, where everything is always “exciting and new.” And lots of babes.
T Rex. 🙂 Good one, Dazed and Coinfused.
Why have stopped making half dollars??
Because congress would try to spend both halves of the same dollar and claim it was 2
The production report up above lists 9,700,000 Kennedy Half Dollars produced so far this year. If what you meant, Curt, was why there weren’t any Half Dollars minted in October, that’s because certain coins aren’t made all year round.
Interesting that the Nina Otero-Warren quarter was issued publicly before the election. I have yet to see any of the Anna May Wong quarters. My bank told me they won’t likely have them until early December.
Please Antonio, not even a hint of a conspiracy theory on this sensible site of ours. Let’s leave that to the dingbats, wingnuts and kumquats howling in the wilderness.
But you saw the results and Nancy won’t be the Speaker any more (or any less?).
What goes up must come down,
Spinnin’ wheel got to go ’round.
Well I suppose I have to join this shit show to comment to the liberal Kaiser. It’s not a conspiracy if it’s the truth. And the current administration has pushed their Socialist agenda to the limits so far lately, to the steeple gimmedats, that the rationally, sane thinking voter,feels as if we must call it like we see it to the point it’s ridiculous. So deal with it, and vote with your children in mind instead of what the libs might give you for your vote, in the future. FJB. And may God bless what’s left of this sacred Country,… Read more »
I just change the channel. Then Google what I seek. I will not do business with SD anymore. Bad customer service. And Dementia is barely better than F mentia
Yet another instant classic, even though this one took me several readings to apprehend. Nevertheless, kudos to the Wordmaster.
Are you talking about LGBT Q anon
Good one, Dazed and Coinfused. I always enjoy your original thinking!