April 2nd, 2017 is the 225th Anniversary of the first US Coinage Act which includes establishing a US Mint. On April 5th, I visit the Philadelphia Mint for the first time. Philadelphia is the 2nd closest US Mint to me. West Point is actually closer to home, but I don’t think they allow tours there.
Some Things to Know Before You Visit The Philadelphia Mint Building
- The Mint does not have parking for visitors. If you are lucky, you may find parking on the street, but no promises. So, you’ll have to look for a parking garage like I did. I find one at the Independence Mall Visitor Center which is conveniently close to the Mint, but not cheap. What parking garage is cheap in a big city? It costs me $17.50 for an hour and 45 minutes. Two hours or more would had cost $20 in case you decide to visit other places nearby. Remember, these prices are from 2017.
- Of course, they have a metal detector at the entrance. So prepare yourself to remove most of the metal before going through. I have to remove all my change, keys, cell phone and my belt. That’s right! I had to take off my belt.
- No photography inside the Mint. I am hoping to be able to take pictures in the history section, but no. You can’t take pictures anywhere.
- The tour I take is self-guiding. So you can take your time going through the building. Expect 45 minutes to an hour on average to view everything. There is a tour book that you can get there to help you with your tour. This handbook is also located on the usmint.gov website that you can download.
- Visiting the Mint is free (makes up for the parking fee) and open Monday through Friday from 9am to 4:30pm. It’s also open Saturday and some Holidays during the summer.
Taking the Philadelphia Mint Tour
Starting off in the Lobby, or 1st Floor, you’ll see some mosaics made of Tiffany glass. They are originally for the Third Location of the Philadelphia Mint, but move it here to the Fourth Location. According to the handbook, it depicts “ancient Roman coin making”. There are also displays of coins made at the mint including silver, gold and bullion. You might find other pamphlets there beside the handbook. When I went, they had pamphlets on the 2017 Commemoratives including Lions Club and Boys Town.
Fun On The Second Floor
Next, you take the escalator up the 2nd Floor or Mezzanine. This floor shows to the history of the US Mint. There are displays from each of the four mints including the first Philadelphia Mint press. There is also a theater, the David Rittenhouse Theater. You can see a 6 minute film on establishing a US Mint and creating coinage for the new country. David Rittenhouse, who is a scientist, is appointed by President George Washington to become the first Director of the US Mint. He had a lot of involvement of establishing the first Mint which is not too far from the current building.
The 2nd floor has some fun things to do. This include “History in Your Pocket”. The idea is to take a coin out of your pocket and look at the timeline for the year and see what happens at that time.
There is also a video where there are 30 million coins and you have to get the people to put all the money in the bank. You need to keep them away from obstacles like a storm grate where the coins can fall and a couch where the coins can fall under the cushions. I don’t fully understand how to do it and when time runs out, I only have 9 million coins left. Then, I watch some kids try it and they save 20 million coins. At that point, I head up the next escalator.
The Factory Tour
The 3rd floor is the Gallery and Factory floor. There are windows so you can look down at the factory floor and there are signs showing the different machinery. As you walk along, you’ll see a gallery of each process of creating a coin. Each process is color coded and displays in the following order:
- Art – Legislation of a new coin and the process of the design
- Die Making – Where tools are used to cut and shape the coin
- Blanking – Round Blanks are punched out of metal strips
- Annealing and Upsetting – Preparing blanks for striking to create a planchet
- Striking – Planchet is struck with the designs of the obverse and reverse dies
- Inspecting – Press operators check the coins to make sure they are mint quality
- Bagging – The inspected coins are bagged and sent to the Federal Reserve Banks and circulated to us
There are also some interactive displays where you can get a better understanding of the process. I remember there was one display where you could design your own coin. I was wishing we could actually design a Washington Quarter, similar to a Statehood or America The Beautiful Quarter. Unfortunately, the finished quarter gets displayed on a screen with other people’s designs. Still cool to do.
While I’m there, I see Lincoln Cents in creation down the factory floor. There are also a couple of windows showing medals.
Don’t Forget The Gift Shop
Go back to the lobby and you can enter the Gift shop. There are coin sets, medals, bullion coins, mint sets and proof sets you could buy. I buy a T-Shirt with a Lincoln Cent obverse design on it.
I ask the cashier if there is anything there for the 225th anniversary. He says beside the 2017 cent with the P mint mark, there are dollar coins, I think American Eagle Silver Dollars, with a mark for the anniversary, but they sold out in a half hour the day before I am there. He also says the Gold Liberty coins with the African American woman on the obverse will come out in the next day or so. At one ounce of gold, I don’t expect to be getting one of them anytime soon.
Other Places To Visit Nearby
After you have your coin fixation at the Philadelphia Mint, you can visit other Historical Buildings nearby. Across the street is the National Constitution Center. Independence Hall in also nearby. To the right side is the Visitor Center. I think the Liberty Bell is further down on the right, but don’t get a chance to go down there.
Come Visit The Philadelphia Mint
Old City Philadelphia is a nice place to visit for a day. Like any other big city in the United States, getting in and out is not always easy with all the traffic going through. I get into Philadelphia around 10;30am and traffic isn’t too bad. Getting out is another story. I headed back on the highway around 1pm and it is stop and go almost to the airport south of the city. All I can say is plan accordingly and enjoy your stay.