U.S. Coins: The Price of a Penny

Federal Reserve Banks fulfil the coin demand of the nation’s depository institutions, which include commercial banks, savings and loan associations, and credit unions, by ordering new coins from the U.S. Mint and managing coins held in inventory at the Reserve Banks and in coin terminals. Reliably estimating the demand for coins and efficiently managing the inventory of circulated coins is important to ensure that depository institutions have enough coins to meet the public’s demand and to avoid unnecessary coin production costs. This book addresses the Reserve Banks’ process for ordering and distributing coins to the nation’s depository institutions and the extent to which this process meets depository institutions’ demand for coins.