U.S. Coin Production Jumps in January as 2026 Coins Debut

U.S. Mint coin production reached an eight-month high in January as the first 1776-2026 Semiquincentennial coins entered circulation. Despite the rebound, overall output remained well below year-earlier levels when cents were still being produced for commerce.

The U.S. Mint produced 448.5 million coins for circulation during the month, reflecting a 60.6% increase from December but a 29.2% decline from year-earlier levels, when cent production alone accounted for 242.4 million coins.

Here’s how the month’s output compared with other months over the past year:

January 2025 to January 2026 Circulating Coin Production

*The May total excludes a negative adjustment reflected in the Mint’s May data for 3.22 million Native American dollars — an amount that, based on CoinNews tracking, had inflated monthly totals by 700,000 in February, 1.4 million in March, and 1.12 million in April. Those figures have also been updated.

The U.S. Mint’s primary mission is to manufacture coins in response to public demand. It manufactures, sells, and delivers circulating coins to Federal Reserve Banks and their coin terminals, ensuring commercial banks and other financial institutions have the necessary supply.

Month-Over-Month Production Changes

Last year, and at the direction of the Treasury, the U.S. Mint stopped producing cents for circulation. The smallest denomination had often accounted for more than half of the Mint’s annual output. Cents are now struck only for collector products, with those figures not published by the Mint.

In month-over-month comparisons for coins commonly used by Americans, January production showed sharp increases. Nickel output rose 95.4% and quarter production increased 103% from December levels, while dime production matched December’s total.

Mintages of Half Dollars and Native American Dollars

The U.S. Mint also produces other circulating-quality coins, including half dollars and dollars. While Native American $1 coins are no longer ordered by the Federal Reserve, they continue to be struck in circulating quality for collectors, with monthly production figures published by the Mint. The same applied to half dollars until recent years — specifically 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 — when they were again ordered for general circulation, albeit in very small quantities compared with other denominations.

It remains unclear whether any 2026 half dollars have been produced for general circulation at this point. The year is unique for the denomination, as the long-running Kennedy half dollar design is replaced with a one-year-only “Enduring Liberty” theme marking the nation’s 250th anniversary. To date, production figures show 7.5 million half dollars struck at the Denver Mint and 6.3 million at the Philadelphia Mint, for a combined total of 13.8 million coins. By comparison, 2025 production totaled 19.8 million coins at Denver and 14.2 million at Philadelphia, or 34 million coins overall.

Collectors can expect rolls and bags of circulating 2026 P&D Semiquincentennial half dollars to become available on May 5.

Mintage levels for the 2026 Native American dollar remain incomplete. So far, just 140,000 coins have been reported struck, all at the Denver Mint. In contrast, 2025 production reached a combined 5.18 million coins, including 2.52 million from Denver and 2.66 million from Philadelphia.

On Jan. 27, the U.S. Mint began selling rolls and bags of 2026 P&D Native American dollars.

The following table details 2026 circulating coin mintages by production facility, denomination, and design.

U.S. Mint Circulating Coin Production in January 2026

In total January production, the Denver Mint struck 237.64 million coins, while the Philadelphia Mint produced 210.86 million, bringing the combined output to 448.5 million coins.

If the current production pace continues through December, the 2026 annual mintage would near 5.4 billion coins. For comparison, the U.S. Mint produced nearly 4.95 billion coins for circulation in 2025, marking a fifth straight year of declines and the lowest output since 2009.

Mintages of 2026 Semiquincentennial Quarters

As part of the nation’s 250th anniversary, the U.S. Mint will strike five unique 2026 Semiquincentennial quarters. The five recognize the Mayflower Compact, the Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address.

The Mayflower Compact quarter entered circulation on Jan. 5, with the U.S. Mint offering rolls and bags to the public beginning Feb. 5. In December, the Mint reported production of 79.8 million coins, including 48.8 million from Denver and 31 million from Philadelphia. January figures showed an additional 85.6 million coins struck at Denver and 73.2 million at Philadelphia, bringing cumulative totals to 134.4 million from Denver and 104.2 million from Philadelphia — a combined total of 238.6 million coins.

2026 Semiquincentennial Quarter Mintages

Also in December, the Mint reported production of 1 million 2026 Revolutionary War quarters at the Denver Mint. The design is scheduled for release in March. January figures showed an additional 800,000 coins struck at Denver and 800,000 at Philadelphia, bringing cumulative totals to 1.8 million from Denver and 800,000 from Philadelphia, or 2.6 million coins overall.