I have had the pleasure of providing chair massage inside the Mint for Employee Health Day many years ago. It was interesting getting my aluminum massage chair in the Mint because everyone and everything must go through a metal detector. Employees are not allowed to have coins in their pockets. While I had previously gone on the public tour, it was quite interesting to speak with the employees about other functions of the mint. I have a mild interest in numismatics, I greatly enjoyed talking with the ladies who examine and create the dies for the coins and proof coins for proof sets.
This branch of the United States Mint was established by an April 21, 1862, Act of Congress after the Treasury Department proposed that a Branch Mint be established for the coinage of gold. The need for this new facility was because of the discovery of gold at the Platte River near Denver. The United States Mint at Denver opened for business in September 1863, as a United States Assay Office. Coin production operations at this facility began in the facilities of Clark, Gruber & Company - a private mint then located at 16th and Market Streets. The Clark, Gruber & Company was later acquired by the federal government for $25,000.
In 1874, Congress gave the United States Mint at Denver the authority to produce coins for the United States and some foreign countries. The Denver facility became a functional branch of the United States Mint on February 20, 1895. The site for the newly enacted United States Mint at Denver was located at the West Colfax and Delaware Street. The site was purchased April 22, 1896, for approximately $60,000, and construction began in 1897. The transfer of assaying duties did not begin at Denver until September 1, 1904, and the production of gold and silver coins began in 1906. Although the United States Mint at Denver facility has expanded over the decades, today, the facility is still located at West Colfax Street location.
Only Denver and Philadelphia offer free public tours. Because of security concerns, visit the Denver Mint Tour page for specific hours of tours and restricted items. No free samples are given at the finish of the tour!