First Year of Regular Production at the United States Mint
- When
- 1793
- Where
- First United States Mint building ("Ye Olde Mint"); United States Mint, Philadelphia
- Episodes
- 2
In 1793 the first United States Mint building in Philadelphia began operation, and the half cent—the smallest denomination of US coin ever minted—was struck for the first time, marking the start of regular coinage production.
Episodes
- Mint Begins Operation in Philadelphia
The first Mint building, constructed in 1792 in Philadelphia, began operation in 1793, initiating regular coinage production.
- First Minting of the Half Cent
The half cent, the smallest denomination of US coin ever minted, was first minted in 1793 following its authorization by the Coinage Act of 1792.
Background and detail
Background. The first United States Mint was created in Philadelphia in 1792 under the Coinage Act of 1792, which Congress passed to establish a bureau for producing coinage. The first Mint building was in Philadelphia, then the capital of the United States, and was the first building of the United States raised under the Constitution.
Commencement of Production. The first Mint building, built in 1792 when Philadelphia was still the U.S. capital, began operation in 1793. That year the half cent was first minted, having been authorized by the Coinage Act of 1792; it would continue to be produced until 1857.
The 1793 Half Cent. The 1793 half cent featured the Liberty Cap design facing left, designed and engraved by Henry Voigt. It was slightly smaller than a modern U.S. quarter, with a diameter of 22 mm, and its edge was lettered TWO HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR.
People involved
- David Rittenhouse · First Director of the United States Mint (1792–1795)
- Henry Voigt · Designer and engraver of the 1793 Liberty Cap half cent
Sources
- United States Mint Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-26
- Half cent Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-01
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.