How Many Coins Has the U.S. Mint Produced Over the Past 100 Years?

The U.S. Mint produces billions of coins every year. Since 1921, the Mint has created coins that amount to more than $169 billion in today’s dollars. Many of these coins, including the Lincoln wheat cents of the early 20^th century, are highly collectable and coveted by many numismatists. Just how many coins does the U.S. Mint produce every year?

Custom coin and pin website WizardPins.com created a visualization highlighting how many coins the U.S. Mint has produced in the last 100 years. The vast majority of coins produced since 1921 have been pennies (65.3%). The Mint produced the most coins in 2000, when 28.1 billion coins were made. The least coins were produced in 1933, which was the height of the Great Depression. Just 22.3 million coins were created that year.

Custom coins have become increasingly popular collectables, similar to coins minted as legal tender. They are often created for organizations, clubs, businesses, and military units as commemorative tokens of appreciation. Challenge coins in particular, which were popularized during World War II and have roots dating back to the Roman Empire, have a high collectibility value.