Let us continue from yesterday's article...
After the cleaned blanks are steam dried in the dryer, they go through the process of Upsetting. To "upset" a coin's edge in order to produce a higher rim is to use the word "upset." The blanks are fed into the upsetting mill's groove at a small angle to its diameter. As a result, a rim is formed around the edge of the metal. The coin's rim makes it stackable and shields it from damage.
A planchet is a blank with a rim. Some individuals still refer to a coin before it is struck as being "blank" in general.
The majority of the blanks the Mint purchases are planchets that are ready to be struck. Planchet shipments are meticulously examined by inspectors at the Mint to make sure they adhere to the necessary standards. Penny planchets are then immediately sent to the presses for striking.
Planchets that have special proof or are not in circulation undergo a cleaning procedure called burnishing. In order to polish and smooth the surface, they are put in a drum with cleaning solutions and tiny metal pellets. The planchets are then rinsed and towel-dried by a worker.
Source: YouTube- US MINT, Upsetting Mill & Coining Pree B-Roll
The planchets are transported to the coin presses where the design is struck. The Mint features a variety of presses, all of which operate in the same way. To strike both sides of the coin simultaneously, the press pushes the obverse and reverse dies against the planchet simultaneously. Depending on the denomination, rotating coin presses provide between 35 and 100 metric tons of pressure to strike the coins. The America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Coins were produced using presses that could exert up to 540 tons of power.
Source: YouTube - US MINT, Hub & Die Process
The planchet metal flows into the shape of the design when the dies come together. The planchet is fitted with a collar to avoid excessive metal expansion. It also creates the edge pattern, whether it is lettered, reeded, or smooth. Dollars travel through a second machine that rolls the inscription onto the edge after receiving a smooth edge from the collar. The planchet becomes a coin after it has the design on it.
The finish of the coin determines how it is struck. Uncirculated, bullion, and circulation coins are all struck only once. At least two proof coin strikes take place. Coins are struck more quickly by circulating coin presses than by proof, uncirculated, and bullion coin presses.
Coins are struck by the press and then fall into a tray or bin. A inspector checks samples for mistakes. They proceed to packaging if they pass inspection. Circulating coins are sent to a waffler if they don't meet specific requirements. Before the coins are delivered for recycling, the waffler twists them into wavy patterns.
Source: YouTube - US MINT, Counting and Bagging B-Roll
Circulating coins are weighed and counted after being found to be in good condition. The coins are dropped into bulk storage bags after passing through a counting machine. Each bag is weighed before being placed in storage until it is time to transport it to a Federal Reserve Bank for distribution around the nation.
Numismatic coins are packaged by robots and automated equipment into blister packs, lenses, and other containers before being sold to the general public. Some coins are also hand-packed at the Philadelphia and Denver Mint operations. To ship to authorized dealers, gold coins are wrapped in 500-coin monster boxes.
YouTube -US MINT, High Tech Robots at the San Francisco Mint
SOURCE: US MINT
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