Philadelphia. Lately, you have heard that city’s name in the numismatic hobby like crazy. Not only is it the site for the most recent buzzworthy coin, but it is also THE site when talking about the United States Mint. Also referred to as the ‘Mother Mint’, the Philadelphia Mint was the first official mint in the United States and dates all the way back to the 1700s. From the first United States coinage to commemorative coins to the circulating coins that now riddle the pockets of millions across the country, the Philadelphia Mint is a major function in the overall United States Mint’s landscape.
The First Mint - ‘Ye Olde Mint’
After the United States Constitution was ratified by a majority of the states in 1788, many of its founders felt the need for a national Mint to create an identity among a brand new economy. It was not long until the Coinage Act on April 2, 1792, was made into law and established the United States Mint. Philadelphia was chosen by Congress as it was, back then, the nation’s capital.
Scientist David Rittenhouse was appointed by the very first President of the United States, George Washington, to become the first Director of the Mint. Rittenhouse purchased two lots at the corner of 7th and Arch Streets to build a three-story facility for which would become the first federal building erected under the Constitution. Construction of the foundation started in July and was finished in early September of the same year. At the time, it would be the tallest building in Philadelphia as they would make it even more prominent by painting the words “Ye Olde Mint” on the face of the building.
Coinage was immediately produced upon opening. In copper, the half-cent and cent were produced. The half-dime, dime, quarter, half-dollar, and dollar were produced in silver as the $2.50 quarter eagle, $5 half-eagle, and $10 eagle were produced in gold. In March of 1793, the Mint would produce its first-ever circulating coins in the form of 11,178 copper cents. Silver and gold were stored in the basement of the Mint’s vaults in order to produce a large number of coins. The coinage of silver and gold coins started in 1794 and 1795 as the first coins produced did not circulate.
Coins were struck on the first floor while the second floor was the home of offices. The third floor was where the assay office was located. In 1795, the Mint at Philadelphia became the first federal agency to employ women. Sarah Waldrake and Rachael Summers were hired as adjusters where they weighed blank coins and “adjusted” those coins weighing too much by filing them down.
The smelt house and mill, which were a part of the original built Mint, were destroyed in a fire in 1816. Smelting operations took place at other locations as repairs were never made after destruction. A brick building was built to replace the mill that was lost in the fire as they replaced the horse-powered machines with steam engines. The very first mint would be in production until 1833 when they moved to a second location in Philadelphia. The land and the original mint was sold off in hopes of preservation, but the buildings were eventually taken down in the early 1900s.
The Second Mint at Philadelphia
The second location of the Philadelphia branch of the United States Mint started being built on July 4, 1829, when the foundation was laid down on the intersection of Chestnut and Juniper. The building was reminiscent of the old Greek style so much so that its nickname was “Grecian Temple” as it was built with white marble and columns. The second building was much larger than the original building and opened in 1833. Some of the equipment salvaged was from the first mint but a lot of the minting techniques and machines were updated which improved the production throughout the mint.
The second location in Philadelphia existed throughout the American Civil War and the continuing growth of the nation as a whole. Growth meant that the demand for coinage became higher and Philadelphia was having trouble keeping up. Expansion was necessary which ended with the second location being no longer of use and a third location imperative for the progression of the United States Mint.
The Third Mint at Philadelphia
James Knox Taylor was the designer for the third location of Philadelphia. Its address was 1700 Spring Garden Street which ended up being just a block away from the United States Smelting Company. The third location was simply built to be able to handle the high demand and expand production. It was built in 1901 and the second location was torn down in 1902.
The design of the new location had a Roman Temple style opposed to the second location’s Greek style. The building was very large and covered an entire city block. In a single year, the new building was able to produce 501 million United States coins and 90 million coins for foreign countries. Today, the building is still in existence but is now part of the Community College of Philadelphia that acquired the building in 1973.
The Philadelphia Mint Today
Built in 1969, the fourth and current Philadelphia branch of the United States Mint is just two blocks away from the original building from 1792. Designer Vincent G. Kling designed the building and was the largest mint in the world until 2009. Coin production became so modernized that in just half an hour, one million coins can be produced.
In 2019, over six billion coins were minted at Philadelphia for circulation. Approximately 11.9 billion were produced overall between the Mother Mint and the branch mint at Denver. So far in 2020, nearly two billion coins have been produced at Philadelphia of the overall four billion in total. Currently, the Philadelphia Mint is in charge of producing circulating coins, numismatic products that include annual uncirculated coin sets, commemorative coins authorized by Congress, and medals.