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“1962 D Lincoln Penny (U.S. Coin)” by Stricklins, Public Domain; “Us-mint-denver-colorado (cropped)”, derived from an original 1906 photograph by Detroit Publishing Co., public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Denver Mint

By Jon Pinnow
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The first mint in Colorado Territory was a private company in Denver that took gold dust and made unofficial coins. By 1906, an official U.S. Treasury effort was underway on West Colfax. First, it stamped Liberty Head gold Eagles with a small “D” for Denver. Silver dimes, quarters and half-dollars came next, copper pennies soon after – all made from minerals sourced not too far away. That first year of operation, they churned out more than 2 million coins. Nowadays, the Denver mint stamps 50 million a day. And formulas have changed. As copper became too expensive in the late 20th century, pennies became mostly zinc. Still the price outgrew their value. It cost nearly 4 cents to make a single penny, over the last decade. Penny production ended in 2025, and the last 3 cents sold at auction for $800,000. One of those? Coined in the Denver Mint.

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Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. See more postcards.

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