Mint production jumps in April

The U.S. Mint more than doubled its rate of output in the month of April as compared to March at 358,600,000 coins.

Most of the enlarged output, or roughly 64 percent, was devoted to cents. April mintage figures for the lowest denomination totaled 229,600,000 pieces. All of them are the new Formative Years in Indiana reverse design.

Philadelphia outpaced Denver with cent production, cranking out 157,200,000 pieces as compared to the Colorado mint’s 72,400,000. This monthly pace would allow the Mint over the next two months to easily match the 634,800,000 cent output depicting the Birthplace design.

Nickel and dime output have become a focus of collector attention following news that the Federal Reserve needs no more of them for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. Commencement of the new fiscal year in October opens the possibility of a new order for the denominations.

Philadelphia nickel production in April totaled 12,960,000 coins, bringing the total for the first four months to 39,840,000 coins.

Denver struck just 3,120,000 nickels in April, but its four-month total was virtually identical to the Philly number at 39,360,000.

Dime production showed a wide divergence between Philadelphia and Denver. The P-mint struck 18 million coins and the D-mint produced 8 million. The four-month total shows Philadelphia at 96,500,000 pieces, almost double the 49,500,000 total for Denver.

Quarter output in April might ordinarily be described as leisurely, but it is downright active compared to the virtual halt to production in March.

Philadelphia struck 26,520,000 quarters, all likely of the Guam design, and Denver struck 19,600,000 coins.

No half dollars were produced in April.

Native American golden dollar production was zero in Philadelphia and 11,200,000 in Denver.

Presidential dollar production was 29,540,000 pieces in Philadelphia and 6,300,000 in Denver.

Overall, the monthly pace if maintained would see production exceed the 3 billion-coin pace that the Federal Reserve says it requires in the fiscal year.

The Mint has said it will stockpile some coins and it will schedule downtime for maintenance, so collectors will have to watch the monthly numbers for any potentially developing scarcity.

So far in calendar 2009, the Mint has produced 1,556,480,000 coins. If the pace is maintained, that would yield over 4.4 billion coins by New Year’s.