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MORE ON AUTHORIZED U.S. MINT FACILITIES
Last week we reprinted portions of a June 13, 2011 E-Sylum article answering the question, "How many different building facilities has the United States authorized to mint coinage?", originally posed by Bob Neale.
Here are some additional thoughts from readers, further proving the value of the collective knowledge of our readers.
-Editor
Tom DeLorey writes: The "Best of E-Sylum" article from 2010 on "How Many Mint Buildings" for some strange reason compels me to wax pedantic. Did not the "Ye Olde Firste Philadelphia Minte" actually consist of multiple buildings that need be counted?
Interesting questions. Here is where we may need to parse the original question - it asked about "facilities", not buildings. Although most U.S. Mint facilities from the Second Philadelphia Mint onward consisted of a single large building, not so with the first Mint. Now if the question asked about facilities for "striking" U.S. coins, then perhaps we could narrow the answer down to just the building(s) where coin blanks are struck; but it used the term "mint", which could encompass the entire process from refining metal to cutting blanks all the way through the actual striking.
But Tom's point is probably deserving of a footnote, at least.
-Editor
David Ganz adds: ... and of course the Capitol. (Washington). Numerous commemorative coin proposals have been introduced, and several were enacted. In 1987, the Olympics were commemorated for 1988 (even though the United States was not a host). The following year, the bicentennial of Congress was commemorated with a special coin, and on June 9, 1989, the United States capitol was authorized to become a United States Mint for a single day, when a first strike ceremony was authorized.
Since the question does ask about "authorized" mint facilities, I think Dave makes a good case for adding the U.S. Capitol building to the list, although with a footnote indicating the special nature of the event. We don't want to give anyone the impression that Congress makes money there - they only seem to spend it.
-Editor
Tom DeLorey adds another footnote-worth facility to the list. He writes: Also, the mythical, fabled and long-lost 1964-D Peace dollars were struck in a different building across the street from the Denver Mint.... should it be counted as well?
These types of "collective brainpower" articles are harder to edit, but among the most interesting and productive. Are there other footnote-worthy "authorized Mint facilities" to add to this list? Who's got another interesting question for E-Sylum readers to tackle?
-Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
E-SYLUM'S BEST: HOW MANY DIFFERENT MINT BUILDINGS?
(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v14n32a05.html)
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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