A circulating coin begins its life as an idea. Once the U.S. Mint designs and makes the coin, it gets passed around to people and businesses before it retires. Before the Mint designs a coin, Congress tells us to make new coins by passing a law. Sometimes the law includes certain designs that must be put onto the coins, like people or places.
The Mint makes most circulating coins from large sheets of metal rolled into coils. Imagine a big roll of wrapping paper! The metal of the coil matches the types of metal in the finished coin.
Round discs called blanks are punched out from the metal sheet. The blanks are heated to make them softer and then washed. They pass through a machine that squeezes them, forcing the sides up to form a rim. The coin press uses the die to stamp the blanks with the coin design. Mint employees inspect the coins to make sure there are no flaws. The coins are counted and weighed, then put into large bags to send all over the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment