Austin Rare Coins & Bullion
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U.S. Mint History Since 1792
Four U.S. Mint facilities are presently striking coins for circulation in the United States– The Philadelphia Mint, the Denver Mint, the San Francisco Mint, and and the newest U.S. Mint in West Point, New York.

Four other historic U.S. Mint facilities are long-closed and almost forgotten except by serious U.S. coin collectors who highly prize these official mints located in the Old South before the Civil War.

The first Southern branch mint opened in New Orleans in 1838.  Later, as gold was discovered in Georgia, official branches of the U.S. Mint were opened in Charlotte, North Carolina and Dahlonega, Georgia.

U.S. Mint Marks
The coins of each branch of the U.S. Mint are identified by a small letter on the coins called "mint marks."  These marks date back to ancient Greece and Rome.  Through the Act of March 3, 1835, the Director of the Mint set regulations to identify the coins issued from each U.S. Mint branch.  This central control made exact standards of production and responsibility for coinage possible.

Most rare coins stayed close to the U.S. Mint where they were minted.  San Francisco and Carson City coins circulated on Western Frontiers and seldom appeared back East, while Philadelphia and New Orleans coins stayed to the east.  Collectors soon realized that it was a rare occasion when they found coins "out of region."



Historic Branches of the
United States Mint
Amerian Eagle Gold Coins America the Beautiful Silver Quarter-Dollars American Eagle Silver Dollars
2011 American Eagle Gold Coins America the Beautiful Silver Quarter-Dollars 2011 American Eagle Silver Dollars