The San Francisco Mint is a branch of the United States Mint, and was opened in 1854 to serve the gold mines of the California Gold Rush. It quickly outgrew its first building and moved into a new one in 1874. This building, one of the few that survived the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake, served until 1937, when the present facility was opened. Mrs. ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The California Gold Rush was a period in American history marked by great world-wide interest concerning a gold discovery in Northern California. ... 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Arnold Genthes famous photograph of San Francisco following the earthquake, looking towards the fire on Sacramento Street. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Within the first year of its operation, the San Francisco mint turned $4 million in gold bullion into coins, in its first building, containing sixty square feet of floor space. The building that was completed in 1874 was designed by Alfred B. Mullett in a conservative Greek Revival style with a sober Doric order. The building had a central pedimented portico flanked by projecting wings in an E-shape; it was built round a completely enclosed central courtyard that contained a well—the features that saved it during the fire of 1906, when the heat melted the plate glass windows and exploded sandstone and granite blocks with which it was faced. The building sat on a concrete and granite foundation, designed to thwart tunneling into its vaults, which at the time of the 1906 fire held $300 million , fully a third of the United States' gold reserves. Heroic efforts by Superintendent of the Mint, Frank Leach, and his men preserved the building and the bullion that backed the nation's currency. Alfred Bult Mullett (1834—1890) was a British-born American architect. ... Personal residence of Catherine the Great Greek Revival was a style of classical architecture which became fashionable in Europe in the 18th century, and in the United Kingdom and United States in the early 19th century. ... The uncompleted Doric temple at Segesta, Sicily, has been waiting for finishing of its surfaces since 430–420 BC The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of Ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. ...

In 1961 the Old Mint, as it had become, was designated a National Historic Landmark. In 2003 the federal government sold the structure to the City of San Francisco for one dollar—an 1879 silver dollar struck at the mint— for use as the San Francisco History Museum. Ground was broken for renovations that would turn the central court into a glass-enclosed galleria in the fall of 2005. USS Constitution. ...

Beginning in 1955, circulating coinage from San Francisco was suspended for 13 years. In 1968, it took over most proof coinage production from Philadelphia, but continued striking a supplemental circulating coinage from 1968 through 1974. Since 1975, the San Francisco Mint has been used only for proof coinage, with the exception of the Susan B. Anthony dollar from 1979-81 and a portion of the mintage of cents in the early 1980s. The dollars bear the "S" mintmark, but the cents are indistinguishable from those minted at Philadelphia, using no mintmarks. 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For details about the famous earthquake, refer to the article 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... A beautiful example of a proof coin. ... The Philadelphia Mint was created from the need to establish a national identity and the needs of commerce. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... The Susan B. Anthony dollar is a United States coin minted between 1979 and 1981, and again in 1999. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Cent (U.S. coin). ... MacGyver is one of the symbols of the 1980s in America The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... A mint mark is an inscription on a coin indicating the mint at which the coin was produced. ...

References

• Official government site
• "New San Francisco Mint" article (1936)
• Michael Castleman, "Grace under fire", Smithsonian Magazine April 2006, pp 56ff Mint Superintendent Frank Leach and his men saved the mint during the San Francisco fire, 1906.