How are Coins Made?

The process of making coins involves several steps, from designing to minting. Here’s an overview of the key steps involved:

1. Designing the Coin:
   • Concept and Design: Artists create sketches and digital designs of the coin’s obverse (front) and reverse (back).
   • Approval: The design is reviewed and approved by relevant authorities, such as a mint’s advisory committee and sometimes government officials.
2. Creating the Dies:
   • Master Die: A master die is created based on the approved design. This involves engraving the design into a piece of metal.
   • Working Dies: The master die is used to create working dies, which are used for actual coin production. These dies are hardened to withstand the pressures of striking.
3. Preparing the Blanks:
   • Blanks (Planchets): Metal strips of the desired composition are fed into a blanking press, which punches out round metal disks called blanks.
   • Annealing: Blanks are heated in an annealing furnace to soften them, making them easier to strike.
   • Cleaning and Upsetting: The blanks are cleaned and then passed through an upsetting mill, which raises a rim around their edges.
4. Striking the Coins:
   • Coin Press: The prepared blanks are fed into a coin press, where the working dies strike the blanks with high pressure, impressing the design onto both sides of the coin.
   • Quality Control: Struck coins are inspected for quality. Any coins with defects are removed.
5. Finishing:
   • Edge Treatments: Some coins receive additional edge treatments, such as reeding (grooves) or inscriptions.
   • Packaging: Finished coins are counted, packaged, and prepared for distribution.

Each mint may have variations in its processes, but these steps outline the general procedure for coin production.

---

Coins fall within one of three states and are graded from 1 – 70 based on their quality and clarity of details.

• Mint State (MS)
• Proof State (PF)
• Specimen (SP)

Coins freshly minted for circulation comprise the high end of the “Mint State” category. These coins grade from 60 to 70 and appear exactly as the mint intended.  Their clear details stand out against a characteristic frosted field, appearing nearly flawless to the naked eye. 

---

Coins minted for circulation that score below 60 earn specific titles based on their grades rather than “MS.” 

• Proof state coins are minted for collection rather than circulation. Their ultra-clear designs stand out against a mirror finish field, grading between 60 – 70. Proof coins grading 59 and below are identified as “impaired proofs.” 
• Specimen Proof coins reflect the limited technology during their years of mintage, 1712 – 1816.  They do not have the characteristic mirror finish of modern proof coins but display similar attention to detail.
• Both NGC and PCGS use Sheldon’s Scale to grade their coins. Have a look for further details.