Skip to Search Skip to Navigation Skip to Content Skip to Footer
Winter Closure

Multiple Danforth campus libraries will be closed and inaccessible to patrons from December 21 until January 2. Read on for more details. 

A the beginning of the April 2, 1792, Mint Act as appearing in a contemporary newspaper.
Back to All Exhibitions
John M. Olin Library, Level 1, Declaration of Independence Chamber

Forging a Nation: The Founding of the U.S. Mint, 1792

From ancient times, coinage production has acted as a mark of sovereignty. The circulating money of the colonies and the United States in the late 18th century represented a hodgepodge of foreign and local issues, and the need for a single standard was obvious. While the Confederated Congress made abortive attempts to launch a national mint, the United States coinage did not take shape until Washington signed the Mint Act of April 2, 1792.

A 1792 half disme, the first coinage struck after the Mint Act. The observe (or front) shows the head of Liberty surrounded by the legend “Liberty, Parent of Science and Industry.”
The reverse of a 1792 half disme reads UNI. STATES OF AMERICA and HALF DISME along with an eagle and a star.
The reverse of a 1792 half disme.

The Forging a Nation: The Founding of the U.S. Mint, 1792 exhibition includes the United States Mint’s founding documents, including a Thomas Jefferson-signed copy of the 1792 Mint Act.

Newman Numismatic Portal Project Coordinator Len Augsburger organized this exhibition.