I remember seeing the TV show "Secrets of the US Mint" and it said what it all was for striking the coins. I remember they did the silver quarters and they could only make 10 a minute and struck them once. The gold coins they struck three times, and the platinum five times. They said they used the high pressure because it melts the surface of the coin into the die and gives it the surface we see.
Welllllll - let's just say that "we" are in the neighborhood Tell ya what though, I'll write and ask 'em
Michael Lantz, chief die setter for the Denver mint from the early 1960's to the mid 90's, said at a presentation at the Central States Show in Columbus last year that when they started striking the SBA dollars they used a setting of around 70 tons per square inch. Now the quarter is a little smaller than the dollar so a figure of around 60 to 65 tons seems reasonable.
Been meaning to post this for 2 days now - according to Greg Ewing, an Assistant Director in Manufacturing, the force used to produce a circulating quarter is between 65 and 70 tons.
He did not specify - he just provided the tonnage. But think about it - a quarter is only about 1 square inch - so does it matter ?
First of all, a quarteer is only .717 sq. in. Secondly, assuming Greg Ewing knows what he is talking about (do not know of him, but assume he does), saying "the force used to produce a circulating quarter is between 65 and 70 tons" means just that. The "pressure required" would be per sq. in. I wonder if, after all this, NPaykel is still around to see his answer.