How Coins Are Made - Inside U.S. Coin Factory?

Coins are made by pressing metal into shapes just like cookies are pressed into a cookie sheet.

Metal is heated and rolled flat, like when you flatten playdough with your hands. This makes it easier to press into coins later.

Imagine you have two big, strong cookie cutters, one on top and one at the bottom. These cookie cutters are shaped just like coins. When the metal is pressed between them, it becomes a coin with the same shape as the cutter.

This pressing happens very fast, like when you press your hand against a soft sponge, poof, and it takes the shape of your hand!

After being pressed, the coin goes through another step where designs are stamped onto it, just like you might draw on a cookie with icing. This gives the coin its pictures and words.

Then the coin is cooled down, polished, and packed, ready to be used in your piggy bank or for buying ice cream!