Coin Fun Facts There was a nickelless nickel. During World War II (1942 to 1945), the five cent coin was made of an alloy of copper, manganese, and silver. Nickel was kept aside for use in the war effort. The buffalo was once a newcomer. When the bison appeared on the Buffalo nickel (1913 to…

COIN FUN FACTS The Mint has branches— and some get pruned… The United States Mint began making coins in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which was the capital of the United States at the time. The first branches opened in Louisiana, Georgia, and North Carolina because gold was discovered nearby, but those branches are not operating today. Branches…

Coin Fun FactsHow much was in that first batch? The Mint produced its first circulating coins—all $111.78 worth of them—in March 1793. That first batch consisted of 11,178 copper cents. Soon after, the Mint began issuing gold and silver coins as well. Ben Franklin helped to stop counterfeiters… In the 1700s, it was pretty easy…

Coin Fun Facts This museum was made from gold. The donation of $508,316 in gold, from the estate of English scientist James Smithson, was examined in the Philadelphia Mint before being used to create the Smithsonian Institution. Today, the Smithsonian Institution is the largest museum complex in the world, and includes many world renowned museums…