The enduring history of the United States Mint.

The West Point Mint Facility is the newest U.S. Mint production and depository facility. Constructed near the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, in 1937 and officially opened in 1938, it was originally called the West Point Bullion Depository and functioned primarily as a storage facility for silver bullion. From 1973 to 1986, West Point produced pennies and began producing gold medals in 1980. The first American Eagle Gold bullion coins were produced at the facility in 1986, but it wasn't until 1988 when West Point became an official branch of the U.S. Mint. Today, the West Point Mint Facility is still used as a storage location for a large portion of the nation's gold reserves, and is now the production facility for all American Eagle coins, including gold, silver, platinum, and palladium issues.


The Start of a Courageous Era

During one of the most fascinating periods in American history,
the 1790s were witness to much of the struggle and triumph of our young country.
Within this short time period, George Washington gave the first State of the Union address, the Supreme Court convened for the first time
the first U.S. Patent was issued, the United States Post Office was created, the New York Stock Exchange was founded,
and Congress authorized the very first United States Mint to be built in Philadelphia.
More than 200 years later, the United States Mint is the world’s largest producer of gold and silver bullion coins as well as the sole manufacturer of U.S. legal-tender coinage.

A Modern Legacy of National Coinage

Today, as an integral building block of our great Republic, the United States Mint is recognized as a national icon. The U.S. Mint has a total of six facilities all across America, including Washington, D.C. (headquarters); Philadelphia, PA (production facility); West Point, NY (production facility); Denver, CO (production facility); San Francisco, CA (production facility); and Fort Knox, KY (bullion depository). Each one of these facilities perform a variety of functions, but nearly all modern U.S. government-issued silver, gold, palladium, and platinum coins are minted at the West Point Mint Facility.

Enthusiastically recognized for their enormous historical appeal, silver, gold, platinum, and palladium coins from the United States Mint bear some of the most evocative and cherished designs ever struck on a nation’s currency. Employing the intricately crafted designs from among America's most accomplished engravers, U.S. government-issued coinage features significant historical figures such as Martha Washington, Lakota Chief Iron Tail, and President John F. Kennedy, as well as national icons like the Library of Congress, the American Bison, and the Statue of Liberty. To this day, when you hold one of these legendary coins from the United States Mint in your very own hand, you are holding a symbol of our shared history, a symbol of our American ideals, and a symbol of what it truly means to be a citizen of the United States.


A Unique Perspective from former U.S. Mint Director Philip N. Diehl

One who embodies the tenets of American exceptionalism is none other than 35th Director of the United States Mint Philip N. Diehl. Remarking on the extraordinary impact of the United States Mint, Diehl once said, “I believe the Mint's role in our nation's history is best captured in a celebrated photograph I saw of the San Francisco Mint, one of the few buildings to survive the 1906 earthquake and fire. In peacetime and war, good times and hard times, the United States Mint has remained a bulwark of our democracy and economy. I am honored to have played a role in this enduring legacy… and I am proud of our heritage, grateful for our liberty, and confident in our gold.”

Diehl also spoke to the historic independence and physical reminder of our freedoms protected through the ownership of precious metals. “The gold, silver, and platinum coins of the United States Mint bear the legacy of a simple but compelling idea—that We The People are capable of governing ourselves.”

Philip N. Diehl served as the 35th Director of the U.S. Mint from June 1994 through March 2000. Click here to read more.