United States Mint coining facilities slowed last month, striking the lowest number of coins for circulation since January 2021, and registering August as the first month since December where the production total ended under 1.1 billion coins.

U.S. Mint production plants in Philadelphia and Denver shipped just over 948 million coins to Federal Reserve Banks for distribution into the economy, representing declines of 13.9% from July and 20.2% from August 2021.

Here’s how the month compares against others in the past year:

August 2021 to August 2022 Circulating Coin Production

The U.S. Mint’s main mission is to manufacture coins based on the nation’s demand and then transport them to 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 446 million Lincoln cents in August, representing 47% of the circulating-quality coins produced last month. That’s lower than typical, but higher than each of the prior two months with cents per totals of 39.4% in July and 40.2% in June. Generally, the percentage ranges from the low to mid 50s.

In month-over month comparisons for coins used daily by Americans, production totals in August saw:

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 was the case for Native American dollars in 2021 and for this year (so far), but not for Kennedy halves which saw their mintages increase in multiple months both this year (January, May and June) and last year (February, March, April, May and August).

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 August 2022

Minting facilities in Philadelphia and Denver are tasked with making all U.S. coins for commerce. Last month, the Denver Mint struck 359.8 million coins and the Philadelphia Mint pressed 588.26 million coins for the combined 948,060,000 coins. The monthly total was the lowest since January 2021 when mintages combined to 919.52 million coins.

Year to date, the Denver Mint made 4,845,520,000 coins and the Philadelphia Mint made 4,841,500,000 coins for a total of 9,687,020,000 coins, which is 3.6% fewer than the 10,052,260,000 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

If the current production pace stretched through to December, the annual mintage for 2022 would top 14.5 billion coins. The U.S. Mint manufactured nearly 14.5 billion coins for circulation in 2021.

In addition to the 2022 Native American dollar with its one-year-only design, the U.S. Mint through August released the first four issues from their four-year program of American Women quarter dollars. Each features a unique design. They include:

From the overall production total, there are 68 million in quarters that the U.S. Mint has yet to officially assign to a design. These are likely Nina Otero-Warren quarters with many more yet be produced.

This last table offers a breakdown of this year’s mintages that have been reported by coin design, including the first two quarters:

Lots of cents STOP Makes no sense STOP Copper state senators happy STOP

Where’s the Copper? Since 1983, the Cent is made of 97.5% zinc and plated with a thin copper coating (copper composition = 2.5%). However, the Nickel is 75% copper, the Dime is 91.7% copper, the Quarter Dollar is 91.7% copper, the Half Dollar is 91.7% copper, and the Dollar is 88.5% copper.

No more copper cents here. They’re laughing at us up north in Canada, they ditched their copper plated cents in 2012. No centavos in Mexico either.

Why are all the other coin denominations copper but not the copper-looking cent?

However, if the Mint had previously already put the kibosh on these curious “antiques” we wouldn’t currently have any reason to engage in this rather interesting discussion, and that, I think, would be a real shame.

Then again, fellow coin collectors one and all, with all that is going on in the world of numismatics we will always find a subject of notice.

We don’t even have a “penny”, but aside from that, yes, absolutely eliminate it!

Except…where would we then display the likeness of our greatest president?

again, half of the coins made are cents that are destined for the sidewalks and couch cushions across america.

and again, if they didn’t make them anymore, would anyone really care? ok besides coin collectors, so just make collector coins, it would get similar numbers as the half dollar and dollar coins (a million or so, all for collector sets). heck, they could even make them out of bronze again.

That makes sense, we can’t have that. Cut it out!

Unfortunately, that about sums it up.

To borrow your accurate observation, “again, half of the coins made are cents that are destined for the sidewalks and couch cushions across America.” Not to mention piggy banks, jars, jugs, buckets, cans, boxes, bags and the random drawer.

In other words, making cents instead of sense is a total waste of metals, energy and time. Doesn’t the Mint have better ways to apply its always limited resources?

most people if they get change tend to hang onto it as a sort of ‘savings’ – then when they get a full jar (or bucket) they drag it down to the coinstar so they can have the privilege of giving 8% of their money away to the coinstar machine (or they can get a gift card and not lose any money, at least not until their gift card expires).

but the vast majority of people use plastic to pay, and don’t even touch coins. so somehow all these coins are being used by a small number of people.

It’s either the allegedly ubiquitous Illuminati or the surviving descendants of lost Atlantis; one of those population groups is up to no good with our nation’s coinage.

Using change in personal commerce involves two specific requirements. The first, which is merely a bother, is to be willing to carry it around. The second, which is more tangibly difficult, is to be able to calculate change, and that sometimes poses a problem.

whenever i get change, I try to use it again (after a quick scan for anything unusual) so I don’t collect too much of it. my favorite way to use change is at grocery store self-checkout lanes that will take pretty much any denomination, including cents, that way I don’t feel like I’m causing issues for a cashier to have to spend time counting what I hand them.

Quick re-use of any change acquired would indeed seem to be the most efficient way to get coinage back into much-needed general circulation. Unfortunately, as for one possible way of spending it, the self-checkout machines in my neck of the woods only take bills; I would be forced back into the “personned” lanes which I try to avoid due to the lousy bagging.

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