HOW COINS ARE DISTRIBUTED

United States coins are all produced by the Treasury Department through the US Mint. After production, the Mint ships the coins directly to Federal Reserve banks and branches. The Federal Reserve banks then release the coins as they are required by local banks. Demand for money by the public varies from day to day, from week to week and from season to season. Banks are usually first to feel the impact of the public's demand for cash, so banks turn to their regional Federal Reserve bank for coins when supplies are low.

To assure a smooth and sufficient flow of coins, the US Mint continually revises its techniques for estimating coinage demand. In planning production and coin shipments, the Mint uses several economic indicators and historic seasonal trends to decide how many coins to produce. Since forecasting coin demand cannot be done with total accuracy, the Mint typically produces a sufficient amount of coins that would absorb any deviation that might occur. Armored carriers usually transport ten-cent coins, quarter-dollar coins and half-dollar coins, while tractor trailer trucks transport one-cent coins and five-cent coins.

Federal Reserve banks arrange in advance to receive new coin shipments for the coming year. They do this in amounts and on a schedule that will maintain their inventories at the required levels. Under this arrangement, the US Mint can schedule its production efficiently. However, even with advance planning, there are occasions when coin shortages arise. The Federal Reserve banks must follow the advance shipping schedules and unless there is an emergency, there are no provisions for obtaining additional coins.

Federal Reserve banks receive coins at face value. They store the coins until orders need to be filled from the commercial banks in their district. The Federal Reserve banks fill orders with both new and circulated coins. They also fill orders without regard to date or mint mark. Shipments of coins leave the Federal Reserve banks by armored car, registered mail, or express mail.

If a commercial bank has excess coins on hand, they can return the coins to their Federal Reserve Bank where the coins are sorted for fitness. Badly worn or bent coins are returned to the US Mint where they are melted and made into new coins. Foreign and counterfeit coins are removed from circulation. According to Federal Reserve sources, over 20 billion coins valued at well over $2 billion pass through their coin processing units each year.

Coinland.com offers a large selection of US Silver Eagle and US Gold Eagle coins. Please browse our site to see what other coins, coin collecting supplies and coin sets we offer.