US Mint First-Quarter 2026 Coin Production Falls Nearly 50%

The United States Mint produced 973.7 million coins for circulation in the first three months of 2026, marking the opening quarter of its 1776 ~ 2026 Semiquincentennial coin rollout. That was nearly 50% fewer than in the same period last year, though cents were still being produced then and they accounted for 923.4 million coins in the quarter alone.

In March, the U.S. Mint struck 228.42 million coins, spanning nickels, dimes, the first three of five quarter designs — including the first reported production of the Declaration of Independence quarter — and half dollars. That was down 23% from February and 65.9% from a year earlier, when cent production alone totaled 328 million coins.

The following table shows how March’s production compares with other months over the past year:

March 2025 to March 2026 Circulating Coin Production

*The May total excludes a negative adjustment 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

Beginning in July of 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, March production fell 19.4% for nickels, 20.4% for dimes, and 33.2% for quarters.

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, when they were again ordered for general circulation in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, albeit in very small quantities compared with other denominations.

It remains unclear how many 2026 half dollars have been produced specifically for general circulation, though some are known to be in circulation. This year is unique for the denomination, as the long-running Kennedy half dollar design has been replaced with a one-year-only “Enduring Liberty” theme marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.

In January, production figures showed 7.5 million half dollars struck at the Denver Mint and 6.3 million at the Philadelphia Mint. February figures lifted Denver’s total by 3 million to 10.5 million and Philadelphia’s by 1.8 million to 8.1 million. March figures then raised Denver’s total by another 7.6 million to 18.1 million and Philadelphia’s by 3.2 million to 11.3 million, bringing the combined total to 29.4 million.

For comparison, 2025 production totaled 19.8 million coins at Denver and 14.2 million at Philadelphia, or 34 million overall.

On May 5, the U.S. Mint is expected to begin sales of semiquincentennial 2026-P and 2026-D Enduring Liberty half dollars in branded rolls and bags.

For 2026 Native American dollars, the Mint reported 140,000 struck in January at the Denver Mint, while none were produced at Philadelphia. Denver recorded no further production in February or March, while Philadelphia struck 840,000 in each of those months, for a total of 1.68 million, lifting the dollar’s overall total to 1.82 million.

On Jan. 27, the U.S. Mint began selling rolls and bags of 2026 P&D Native American dollars. Through March 29, combined sales totaled 990,600 coins, including 486,775 with Denver mint marks. That figure far exceeds the 140,000 Denver pieces reported as struck, suggesting the production total will need to be revised.

For comparison, 2025 production reached 5.18 million coins, including 2.52 million from Denver and 2.66 million from Philadelphia.

The following table shows March 2026 circulating coin mintages by production facility and denomination.

U.S. Mint Circulating Coin Production in March 2026

In March, the Denver Mint struck 177.2 million coins, while the Philadelphia Mint produced 51.22 million, bringing the combined output to 228.42 million coins.

First Quarter 2026

In the first quarter of this year, the Denver Mint struck 529.0 million coins, and the Philadelphia Mint produced 444.6 million coins, bringing the total to 973.7 million coins. This is 48.4% fewer than the 1,885,590,000 coins manufactured during the first quarter of 2025.

This next table lists year-to-date coin production totals by denomination and by U.S. Mint facility:

YTD 2026 Circulating Coin Production by Denomination

If the current production pace continues through December, the 2026 annual mintage would top 3.89 billion coins. For comparison, the U.S. Mint produced nearly 4.95 billion coins for circulation in 2025, marking a fifth straight yearly decline and the lowest output since 2009 — though cent production was held at zero beginning in July, accounting for much of the drop compared to previous years.

Mintages of 2026 Semiquincentennial Quarters

As part of the nation’s America 250 celebration, the U.S. Mint will strike five unique 1776-2026 Semiquincentennial quarters. The five feature designs recognizing 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. Production totals reported by the Mint show the following:

• December: +48.8 million from Denver and +31 million from Philadelphia
• January: +85.6 million from Denver and +73.2 million from Philadelphia
• February: +35 million from Denver and +40.4 million from Philadelphia
• March: +600,000 from Philadelphia

Combined production through March totals 169.4 million coins from Denver and 145.2 million from Philadelphia — 314.6 million coins overall.

Also in December, the Mint reported production of 1 million 2026 Revolutionary War quarters at the Denver Mint. It entered circulation on March 23, with the U.S. Mint offering rolls and bags to the public beginning March 27.

• December: 1 million coins — all from Denver
• January: +800,000 from Denver and +800,000 from Philadelphia
• February: +16.4 million from Denver and +31.8 million from Philadelphia
• March: +51.8 million from Denver and +28.8 million from Philadelphia

Combined production through March totals 70.0 million coins from Denver and 61.4 million from Philadelphia — 131.4 million coins overall.

Also in March, the Mint reported 1.4 million Denver-struck quarters for the third 2026 design honoring the Declaration of Independence. The 2026 Declaration of Independence quarter is scheduled for release in June.

2026 Semiquincentennial Quarter Mintages