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Celebrating the Steam Press: The Evolution of Mint Technology

2021-03-22 17:00:00
Celebrating the Steam Press: The Evolution of Mint Technology
Posted in: News, News

Celebrating the Steam Press: The Evolution of Mint Technology

While the production of American coinage today is entirely mechanical, the U.S. Mint once relied solely on manpower to strike early coins. Today, a single modern press at the Philadelphia Mint can strike a staggering 720 coins per minute, but production wasn’t always this fast. Nearly 200 years ago, the United States Mint began a modernization process by implementing the first steam press used to strike an American coin.

The earliest machine used by the Mint to strike coins was the screw press. Manually operated by turning a large wheel or handle, the screw press uses the force of the turn to translate into a tightened press, forcing the metal blank to conform to the die. These screw presses required at least two people to operate, one to position the coin into the dies and one to turn the handle. Each screw press could only produce about a dozen coins in one minute. This slow pace forced Congress to continue to allow certain foreign coins, like the Spanish milled dollar, to be used as legal American currency during the earliest stages of our country.

Following the implementation of the steam press on March 23, 1836, Mint Director Robert Patterson wrote to President Andrew Jackson, “The workmen are now engaged in making other steam presses; and as these are completed, the coining by human labor be abandoned, and the work that can be executed in [the Mint] will be greatly increased.” A single worker could operate the new steam press yielding 100 coins per minute, nearly ten times faster than the previous screw press.

The first steam-powered press to be used at the Philadelphia Mint was bought by a die-sinker named George Soley shortly after it was retired. Soley used the machine to strike medals honoring the Centennial Exposition in 1876. By 1927, The Franklin Institute had purchased the historic model and refitted it to run off of electricity. The press then produced souvenir tokens featuring an image of Benjamin Franklin. Currently, the steam press is part of the American Numismatic Association’s museum collection in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

While Mint Director Robert Patterson’s reports suggest that March 23 was the day that the first steam press was used in the Philadelphia Mint, a token was made at an earlier date and reads: “United States Mint, First Steam Coinage, Feb. 22, 1836.” Whether this token was a test run or a novelty is unknown, but it certainly is an intriguing piece of US history. 

By 1901, electricity had replaced steam when it came to powering Mint presses. From coins of the screw press like the Draped Bust Dime to modern coins such as the American Silver Eagle, the US Mint's innovation in creating coinage is constantly evolving with new technology.