San Francisco Old Mint Commemorative Coins

For the second commemorative coin program of 2006, the United States Mint paid tribute to the San Francisco Old Mint, celebrating the instrumental role it played in the recovery and rebuilding of a great American city.

On June 15, 2006, President George W. Bush authorized the production and release of two commemorative coins to honor the history and legacy of the building that became known as the “Granite Lady,” in this, the 100th anniversary of the terrible tragedy which befell San Francisco in the spring of 1906.

Both coins were available with proof and uncirculated finishes. A proof coin has a brilliant mirror-like finish. The term “proof” refers to a specialized minting process, which begins by manually feeding burnished coin planchets into presses fitted with specially polished dies. An uncirculated coin has a high-quality, satin finish and is produced with special care.

In 1852 President Millard Fillmore approved an Act of Congress establishing a branch of the United States Mint in San Francisco to convert miners’ gold from the California gold rush into coins. The San Francisco Old Mint building, the second building in San Francisco to house the United States Mint there, was designed by architect A.B. Mullett who also designed the United States Department of the Treasury building and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The solid construction of the “Granite Lady” enabled it to survive the 1906 earthquake and fire, making it the only financial institution able to operate immediately after the earthquake as the Treasury for disaster relief funds for the city of San Francisco.

Surcharges collected through the sale of these commemorative coins were authorized to be paid to the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society for the purposes of rehabilitating the Historic Old Mint in San Francisco as a city museum and an American coin and gold rush museum.