Celebrating United States Mint Employees This Labor Day

Did you ever stop to think about who made the United States coins in your collection? Of course, those little pieces of metal residing in your proverbial coin cabinet (or PCGS Registry Set!) didn’t just magically manifest at the United States Mint. They were made by people – workers who will be celebrating a little time off from their duties over Labor Day weekend.

And what about all those people who labor, day in and day out, each year to produce billions of coins for commerce? Well, you may be surprised just how many people are involved in making coins at the United States Mint. There are more than 1,650 people working across six facilities under the tutelage of Director of the United States Mint Ventris C. Gibson.

Gibson oversees an incredible operation involving employees skilled in everything from designing, engraving, and sculpting dies for coins to coining metallurgists and technicians – not to mention the U.S. Mint’s own police force! These people work at the four mint locations in Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and West Point. The U.S. Mint also helms operations at its famed bullion depository in Fort Knox, Kentucky. Meanwhile, the U.S. Mint headquarters are situated in Washington, D.C.

That’s a lot of people power, isn’t it? What’s more, all those people work together – some physically side by side, and everyone together in the spirit of the U.S. Mint mission. They make all those coins for us to spend, save, and – yes – even collect. They work hard to ensure that those coins will do their part as workhorses of the American economy – and maybe some of those coins will spend a good part of their lives in your collection.

So, as we go into the Labor Day holiday, let us stop and think for a moment about the people who make our coins and give us numismatists something to collect and enjoy. It’s more than just money. It’s a way of life for those hundreds upon hundreds of U.S. Mint workers – just as it’s more than mere money to us numismatists. Happy Labor Day, everyone!