The production and distribution costs of two of the four commonly circulating U.S. coin denominations exceed their face values, according to the U.S. Mint’s latest annual report.
While it costs the mint more than face value to strike and distribute its one- and five-cent coins, the cost for both the 10- and 25-cent coins is less than half their face values.
The copper-plated zinc cent, which depicts a right-facing portrait of 16th U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, costs 1.99 cents to produce and distribute (down from 2.06 cents in 2018 but up nearly 20 cents since 2017).
The copper-nickel five-cent coin, depicting a profile of U.S. Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, who was that country’s third president, costs the mint 7.62 cents (up from 7.53 cents in 2018 and 6.6 cents in 2017).
The copper-nickel clad dime, depicting 32nd U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, has cost 3.73 cents since 2018 but is up from 3.33 cents in 2017.
Lastly, the cost of the “America the Beautiful” copper-nickel clad quarters – with five designs issued each year from 2010 through 2021 – is 9.01 cents, up from 8.87 cents in 2018 and 8.24 cents in 2017.
Released this January, the U.S. Mint’s 2019 annual report highlights the mint’s activities for fiscal year 2019, which ran from Oct. 1, 2018, through September 2019.