The 225th anniversary of the United States Mint fell on April 2, 2017.

The Mint created an excellent timeline that traces discussion of starting a mint back to the Revolution. While the discussion of coinage began early, the country actually started minting coins in 1792 after the passage of the Coinage Act (the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is in charge of paper currency). The Mint’s original location was in Philadelphia, but over time various other locations, including a branch established in New Orleans in 1835, have been added or closed.

The Mint has many historical items on its web page for anyone interested in their history, but the Library of Congress also offers a lot to anyone researching this topic. You can find many images of the various branches of the Mint on the Library’s web page, including the closed locations in New Orleans, Dahloneg, GA, and Carson City as well as those still in operation, from the headquarters in Washington, D.C. to locations in Denver and the one in San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. I have also found photographs that show employees working in the smelting room in Philadelphia and one of women in the Adjusting Department in New Orleans. There are even photographs of several Directors of the Mint, including George E. Roberts (1898-1907 and 1910-1914), Raymond T. Baker (1917-1922), Frank E. Scobey (1922-1923), and Robert J. Grant (1923-1933).

Searching the word “coinage” or “coinage act” or “mint” or “coin” on the Library of Congress homepage brings up more than just photographs. There are the papers from many people, including presidents, which is how I found something by Thomas Jefferson from 1784 about the establishment of a unit of money. I also found a letter about coinage from 1783 from Gouverneur Morris, a prominent politician from Pennsylvania, who at the time, was an assistant superintendent of finance and later Delegate to the Constitutional Convention.

The United States Mint is still housed within the Department of the Treasury over 225 years later.