"The United States Mint at Denver celebrated what it called "100 Years of Change" on February 1, 2006. It was on February 1, 1906, when the current building opened and struck its first coins using three coining presses. Denver's Mayor Hickenlooper proclaimed the day to be "United States Mint at Denver Day."
During the celebration, the Acting Director of the United States Mint and the Plant Manager at the Denver facility introduced a time capsule to the audience. The capsule is designed so that, on February 1 of the year 2106, workers at the Denver plant will take the capsule from its stone block inside the building and open it.
The time capsule contains a set of 2006 uncirculated coins minted in Denver and a scroll signed by every employee who now works there.
Here's what the scroll says:
Greetings from the past. On February 1, of the year 2006, the Employees of the United States Mint at Denver celebrated the first one hundred years of coin manufacturing at the facility. We hope that on this day, February 1, of the year 2106, the current Employees of this historic facility are still experiencing the joy and prosperity of working here as we did.
The time capsule also contains a Mayoral Proclamation, which notes special things the facility has done. The United States Mint at Denver:
Holds a world record for making more than 15 billion circulating coins in one year.
Is one of the places in Denver that tourists most like to visit.
Is the oldest United States Mint facility that still makes coins.
Has an outstanding safety record.
Not only has the Mint at Denver produced change, but the facility itself has seen great change as well. For example, there have been seven additions to the current building, including one in 1996 in which dies can be made.
There has also been change in the facility's output. During its entire first year in 1906, the facility struck about 167 million gold and silver coins. Sure, 167 million coins in a year is a lot, but today, the facility strikes nearly that many coins in a week, or about 30 million coins a day! That adds up to nearly eight billion coins per year. (This year, the facility gets to make the quarter for its own state, Colorado, as part of the 50 State Quarters® Program.)
A Hint of the History
When the Denver Mint strikes coins, it creates a little bit of history every day. But the facility itself is also rich in history.
The story begins in 1858 when gold was discovered in the wilderness of Colorado. Within a few years, many people moved to Colorado with dreams of riches, the city of Denver was founded, and the United States government opened an assay office where the raw gold and silver ore could be tested, weighed, and made into bars or coins.
Image shows today's facility at Denver.
The United States Mint in Denver
By 1895, the assay office was bringing in more than $5.6 million in gold and silver every year and, in 1904, the government changed the assay office into a Mint facility. Since a lot more space was needed, a new, grander building was erected. It opened in 1906, creating one of Colorado's oldest institutions and favorite historic sites. [written in February 2006] (from (
visit link) )
Photographs are not allowed in the building. I spoke with the US Mint Visitors representative and he told me the time capsule was inside the building near the old original entrance to the mint. Thus the coordinates are for the old main entrance of the U. S. Mint at Denver.