I'm planning a trip to SF in the near future and looking for information about touring the Mint there. On their website, they have info about touring the Philly and Denver Mint, but that's it. http://www.usmint.gov/mint_tours/ Anyone know anything more about whether it is possible to get a tour in SF?
Peter, To my knowledge the SF Mint is not open to the public and they do not offer tours. (That was the case when I lived there in the 1980s and I have not heard of any change to that policy.) The Old SF Mint has been remodelled and may be open for tours.
Did some more searching, it seems that the Old Mint is now in the hands of the San Francisco Historical Society, and they're currently renovating it and expect to open it as the new Museum of the City of San Francisco in 2012.
According to the US MINT web page, "Today, the United States Mint at San Francisco does not accommodate visitors, as all space is needed for personnel and machinery." These (other) US Mint facilities offer Tours SF love to know says, "San Francisco Mint tours ended in the early 1970s, but you can still enjoy the beauty of the building's exterior..." This is also a nice page on the SF Mint history, The Mint Project Originally posted on CT: 7/21/2009
A 1940 tour of San Francisco with a view inside the Mint showing production underway. [YouTube video link.] The mint segment starts at about 3:47 into the piece. Originally posted on CT: 11/04/2009
I think they should open up a tour for the SF mint. I mean, how many people do you know that live in California or the area that wants to travel to Denver or farther to tour a mint building? But who knows, I'm sure they'll open it eventually.
I wouldn't hold my breath. The New San Francisco Mint opened in 1937 and, to my knowledge, has never offered tours.
It's a bummer - I live about 2 hours from SF and one of the things I really looked forward to upon moving here was touring the Mint. Such a shame they don't offer tours =( That being said, there are many other wonders in SF to enjoy! I hope this doesn't break any rules, but here's a photo I took on a recent trip. I definately recommend checking out the bridge! Golden Gate Bridge I by A.R. Miller, on Flickr
I do wish it would be open for tours You guys probably knew this, but the Old Mint, at least from what I have in front of me, is open for tours. From February 25th - 26th this year, they are having a coin show in the mint and giving complimentary tours. At $5 general admission, Im definitely going and it looks like fun
The Old Mint used to have tours (I think they were self-guided) until the Loma Prieta quake in 1989. The current SF mint is closed to the public and does not have scheduled tours. On infrequent occasions, they have had an open house for a day or two at a time, and I was able to tour the place that way once around 1988 or so. (I knew someone who knew someone, otherwise I never would have gotten in.) FWIW, the place is fascinating, but very small, and unlike the Denver and Philadelphia facilities it would never be able to handle the load of regular tours.
Yeah, should be interesting, How do thy get those towers and those cables to hold that cloud bank in place.
