United States of America

In 1792 Congress passed the "Coinage Act" and the first American mint was born. For a complete history of the USA mint industry visit the "Timeline of the United States Mint" website. The need for coinage quickly grew as the United States population increased. The American continent had various gold rushes, notably the Californian gold rush of 1848 to 1855 which saw an influx of 300,000 people new to the region.

San Francisco grew from a small town to a city with a population of a third of a million. The mining practices were not so ECO friendly or politically sensitive as they are today. Various new mints have been custom built at Philadelphia and Fort Knox for example, producing fine quality gold and silver bullion bars. The American Eagle, the symbol of the United states, began production in 1890.