United States Mint

Whispers of gold and silver. Fortunes made and lost. That’s the legacy of the United States Mint in Philadelphia. Right here, at 151 North Independence Mall East, stands a fortress of finance. It’s the fourth incarnation of the Philadelphia Mint, a lineage stretching back to 1792. The United States Mint’s story begins with the Coinage Act of 1792. Philadelphia, then the nation’s capital, was chosen as the site for the first federal building erected under the Constitution. This wasn’t the White House or the Capitol Building. It was the first United States Mint, a small three-story brick structure on Seventh Street. Can you imagine horses powering the rolling mill in the basement? Gold and silver were stored in basement vaults. The first floor housed the coin press. The United States Mint operated within those humble walls until 1833. The current United States Mint building opened in 1969. Designed by Philadelphia architect Vincent G. Kling, it was the world’s largest mint at the time. Inside, Tiffany glass mosaics, salvaged from the third mint building, grace the ceilings. These mosaics depict ancient Roman coinmaking methods, a nod to the long history of currency. Today, the United States Mint in Philadelphia can produce an astounding one million coins in just 30 minutes. It’s not just coins, though. The mint also produces medals and awards for military, governmental, and civilian service. All the dies and strikers for U.S. currency are engraved right here. On your tour, you’ll walk along an enclosed catwalk above the minting facility. You’ll see the modern minting process in action. And, if you listen closely, you might hear the echoes of those horses, a reminder of the humble beginnings of the United States Mint.