The United States Mint, San Francisco

“The Congress shall have the Power . . . To coin Money.” The Constitution of the United States, Article I, Section 8

When the framers of the U.S. Constitution created a new government for their untried Republic, they realized the critical need for a respected monetary system. Soon after the Constitution’s ratification, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton personally prepared plans for a national Mint. On April 2, 1792, Congress passed The Coinage Act, which created the Mint and authorized construction of a Mint building in the nation’s capital, Philadelphia. This was the first federal building erected under the Constitution.

Since our institution’s founding in 1792, the men and women of the United States Mint have taken great pride in rendering the story of our nation in enduring examples of numismatic art. To hold a coin or medal produced by the U.S. Mint is to connect to the founding principles of our nation and the makings of our economy.