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Minting Facts Revealed - Learn More About Minting Money

As a precatice coins generally have some identification mark indicating the mint where it was struck. These are refered to as mint marks. This practice appears to be quite old -- coins from the Roman or Greek civilizations also show marks.

In united States, the mint marks were stamped on the reverse side of the coin prior to 1965, however, after 1967 they were got shifted to the front side. Looking at the mint marks, one can tell where they got "manufactured".

The rules for categorizing and differentiating coins produced in different US mints are set by the Director of the Mint via the march 3, 1835 Act. He is also responsible for setting standards for quality as well as quantity of coin production in the US.

Mint marks were introduced at the Philadelphia mint in the year 1979 for the dollar coins; the earlier coins from here did not bear mint marks. Later the marks were introduced to other denomination coins also.

The mint marks are placed on the coin discs before they are shipped for producing the finished coins at the designated mint locations. The exact placing of the mint marks can vary slightly depending on the force and location of the punch.

Utility of mint marks

You can judge the worth of a coin by looking at the condition of the mint mark along with other factors. Another important use of mint marks is that they identify the location (of the mint) where the coin originated. Sometimes this can also be a factor in determining the coin's worth.

The minting process

1. Preparation of the metal strip with correct thickness: For pennies, zinc strip is used while alloy strips are used for coins of one dollar, half dollar, dime and nickel. Half dimes are made by coating a copper thin strip with alloy on both sides -- kind of copper sandwich.

2. Preparing round blanks: The strips are cut into round discs, roughly the size of the finished coins

3. Softening the blank rounds: The round blanks are the softened and cleaned by exposing them to higher temperatures in an annealing furnace, putting them in the tumbling barrels and finally into moving cylinders containing some chemicals.

4 Making raised rims: After washing the blanks are dried and fed to an upsetting machine to make raised rims.

5. Making coins: Finally, the finished coins are produced by inserting the blanks into a holding collar and striking with high pressure. Pennies are pressed with a pressure of roughly 40 tons. Higher pressure is required for larger coins. Both sides of the blanks are stamped simultaneously with the upper and the lower dies.

Design of the US coins

The design of the US coins is selected by the Director of the Mint, followed by approval of the Secretary of the Treasury. the US Congress can also suggest or recommend a design. Once approved, the coin design can't change for next 25 years unless the Congress approves it.

Currently all US coins feature past presidents of the country, eg., the one-cent coins feature President Lincoln since 1909; the five cent coins feature Jefferson since 1938; Franklin Roosevelt was introduced on the dime in 1946; the half dollars show Kennedy minted first in 1964; washington on the quarter dollar coins since 1932.

The "fifty States Quarters Program" or "Act of 1997" allows the quarters to be redesigned . The back side of the quarter dollar coin will feature emblems of all the US states one after the other. During 1999 to 2008, each year five states will be honored by issuing quarter coins with designs created by them -- the states being chosen in the same sequence they signed the consitution

"In God We Trust" was first used on a US 2-cent coin in 1864. By 1866, it found its way on to US nickel, quarter, half-dollar, dollar and on the five-, ten- and twenty- dollar coins. It moved on to the penny in 1909 and on the dime in 1916. Now you find this phrase on all US coins.

About the Author

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