Does anyone know how the mint arrives at mintage figures?

FC57Coins

I've read a lot about all sorts of different things, but I don't recall ever reading how the mint comes up with projected mintages for each coin - does anyone know???

Frank

Placid

I think they flip a coin

FC57Coins

Now is that from each denomination? Or do they just take out a bag of 1860 Seated Libs they keep in the treasury for sh*ts and giggles just to torture us collectors? LOL

Frank

Dog97

They figure that if they minted & shipped out 50 tons of 25¢ then that's 5 million 25¢. Just my example. Weighing bags is how they determine the quanity.

Pushkin

Its all done by individual counting. They hire special bean counters who are bored and looking for a challenge, so now they can count coins rather than beans. (some get to use those little counters that you push with your thumb - like traffic counters).

They used to count both the obverse and reverse and compare the numbers, until somebody realized that it wasn't necessary to count both sides.

If somebody makes a mistake, its really a problem because thay have to start all over again to ensure that the "books" balance.

In the old days they used to weigh the gold - thats how they caught that mint official in the late 1800s that was taking little pieces of gold by making small cuts with his pocket knife. Now its all done by high tech lasers, at night the watchmen shine the lasers around the buildings near the mints and fool people into thinking they are UFOs.

Deb and Harold used to enjoy watching the lasers at night, but then Harold died, leaving Deb with her own beans to count.

Bear

Pushkin - Its a pleasure to have someone who can give us the real inside scoop on how the Mint really works.

Pushkin

Thanks Bear,

I'll share one more secret with the forum, but remember it is TOP SECRET. Those fingerprints on PCGS slabs, they are not the work of PCGS disgruntled employees. My research has shown that most Mint workers retire with almost all of their fingers and thumbs "flattened". The Mint has a special process to remove the human "soiling" but it turns out that there are certain chemicals in human DNA that react only with the special plastics used by PCGS for their slabs. The reaction results in the finger prints reappearing. Actually, these clashes (the die-finger clash, Breen 2342314-34423) are very rare and may make their owners rich someday, as the Mint is working dilligently on a solution.

Excuse me, gotta go - I think I see a UFO (or is it a laser being played with by a flat fingered Mint worker?)

FC57Coins

Talk about useful information!!!