On April 2, 1792, Congress passed the Coinage Act, which created the Mint and authorized the first federal building erected under the Constitution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. President George Washington appointed David Rittenhouse, as the first Director of the Mint. The Mint produced it’s first coins – 11,178 copper cents, which were delivered March 1793.
Today, the Mint is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and operates in Denver, Colorado; San Francisco, California;West Point, New York; and a bullion depository at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
The Denver Mint
The US Denver Mint was established after the discovery of gold in Arvada, Colorado in 1858. The Denver Mint started as a Assay Office. The Mint was authorized by Washington, D.C. with President Lincoln’s signature making it an official Mint in 1862, but it took decades before Denver struck it’s first coin. Part of this delay was due to the instabilities of the Civil War of the 1860’s. It wasn’t until February 20, 1895 that Congress voted to construct a fully equipped facility for the Denver Mint. The site for the new Denver Mint was purchased on April 22, 1896 for $60,000 from a former governor John Evans. Construction began in July 1899. The Italian Renaissance Style building measures 100 by 200 feet, is 3 stories and has 100 rooms. The final cost of $800,000 and the new Mint was ready for occupancy in 1904. In it’s first year, the Denver Mint produced 167 million gold and silver coins, totaling $27 million face value. The Denver Mint was by far the most successful beginning of any US mint.
The Mint Today
In 2008, the Denver Mint struck 5.37 billion coins. The Denver Mint has a capacity to strike much more than that. Visitors can visit this facility and learn more about it’s history by taking a gilded public tour. All tours are free and are by reservation only. See the artwork and the marble of the grand hall. Visitors can enjoy special exhibits and artifacts of the Mints early years. The tour includes viewing the coin-making process. Stamping presses can turn out 530 coins per minute. There are no restaurants at the Denver Mint, but there is a store open to the public.
United States Denver Mint
Tour Information
320 West Colfax Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80204-2693
Getting to the Mint:
Exit I-25 at Colfax Avenue and go east. The Denver Mint is between Delaware and Cherokee Streets. There is no parking at the Mint, but there is street parking and commercial parking nearby. Most commerical parking lots will cost $10 to $12 dollars for the day.
Reservations for tours are required. Tours are free, but you may have to pay for parking- Tour last about 20 minutes
Hours Open Monday-Friday Closed Weekends, federal holidays and anytime the Homeland Security level is orange or above.
Leave everything behind when you visit the Denver Mint except ID and Money. EVERYTHING ELSE IS PROHIBITED
Click Here for On line Reservations
Click here for Denver Mint website
Source Denver Mint Website
