US: First Ever Circulating Coins with 'W' Mint Mark

[Bimat]

The United States Mint has announced that new circulating 25c coins from the "America: The Beautiful Quarters" series will be issued with "W" mint mark, struck at West Point. These will be the first ever circulating US coins with "W" mint mark. Both Philadelphia and Denver mints will continue to mint the coins with "P" and "D" mint marks and coins from West Point will be mixed with these coins.

Aditya

[Figleaf]

More about the West Point mint (not to be confused with the military academy) here. With the Philadelphia mint on the East coast also, the San Francisco mint having closed and a worldwide tendency for mints to close, one wonders what the economic rationale for two East coast mints is.

Peter

[chrisild]

Interesting change - for a long time circulation coins would come from Denver (D) and Philadelphia (P) only - with Philly being so "prominent" that, on some coins, no mint mark translated to Philadelphia. Then San Francisco (the mint facility there is alive and well ) started making circulation coins too, and now West Point ... Since many Americans collect "US only" but then take years and mint marks into account, that will be both attractive and challenging.

Christian

[Bimat]

My first impression was that it's an April Fool's prank given the timing ; but it's not! Here is the official press release by the United States Mint. As per the release, only 1% of the quarters will have the "W" mint mark, so it won't be easy to find them in change!

Aditya

[Figleaf]

Then San Francisco (the mint facility there is alive and well ) started making circulation coins too

Alive, yes, but it produces no circulating coins and it no longer receives visitors. I prefer the New Orleans mint, which occasionally produces souvenir medals and is an interesting museum.

Peter

[chrisild]

Been to Nawlins, except the museum was closed when I got there. Nice street market nearby though.   In San Francisco, by the way, the mint building (opened about 80 years ago) can indeed not be visited. The Old Mint however is open on special occasions - you just missed one a month ago ...

Whether it economically makes sense for the US Mint to operate four minting facilities (D, P, S, W), I don't know. After all, all the US paper money is produced at two facilities only.

Christian

[Prosit]

As a side note there are souvenir medals from the "CC" Carson City mint too although I do not know if they still do any today.
Dale

Alive, yes, but it produces no circulating coins and it no longer receives visitors. I prefer the New Orleans mint, which occasionally produces souvenir medals and is an interesting museum.

Peter

[Figleaf]

That's another former mint now museum I visited a long time ago. IIRC, they were striking the medals on an old press. I believe (not sure at all) the press has since moved, so they would no longer be able to do it. I got into the Philadelphia and San Francisco mint also as a tourist. At the time, San Francisco had a neat coin collection. It was the first time I saw a French 2 centimes essai 1961 (KM E103).

Peter

[eurocoin]

The first pieces have now been found. PCGS gives 5,000 dollars to the first person who sends one in for grading.