Coins of the United States were first minted in 1792. The penny was the first currency authorized by the United States from the Mint Act of 1792 signed by George Washington. The design for this first one-cent coin was suggested by Benjamin Franklin, and for over two centuries, the penny's design has symbolized the spirit of the nation, from Liberty to Lincoln.

Today, circulating coins exist in denominations of 1¢ (i.e. 1 cent or $0.01), 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, and $1.00. Circulating coins are the coins that the United States Mint produces for everyday transactions. Circulating coins are also included in the United States Mint’s annual coin sets, which are the staple of coin collecting.

The United States dollar (sign: $) is the official currency of the United States and its territories per the United States Constitution since 1792. In practice, the dollar is divided into 100 smaller cent (¢) units.

Besides the coins now in circulation, there were also half cents, two cent pieces, three cent pieces and 20 cent pieces.

Manufacturing Process for U.S. Coins

A major alteration was made in the content of the United States one-cent coin in 1982. It was changed from the standard alloy of 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc to copper-plated zinc. The five-cent coin is composed of a homogeneous alloy containing 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel. The ten-cent coin, quarter-dollar coin, half-dollar coin and one-dollar coin are all "clad" coins, produced from three coin strips that are bonded together and rolled to the required thickness.

The face of these coins is 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel and the core, which is visible along the edges of the coins, is composed of pure copper. In 2000, the United States Mint released the Golden Dollar coin, changing the alloy of the dollar coin to a clad composition manganese-brass, containing 88.5 percent copper, 6 percent zinc, 3.5 percent manganese, and 2 percent nickel.