The San Francisco branch , opened in 1854 to serve the goldfields of the California Gold Rush , uses an S mint mark . It quickly outgrew its first building and moved into a new facility in 1874 . This building , one of the few that survived the great earthquake and fire of 1906 , served until 1937 , when the present facility was opened . It was closed in 1955 , then reopened a decade later during the coin shortage of the mid-60s . In 1968 , it took over most proof-coinage production from Philadelphia , and since 1975 , it has been used solely for proof coinage , with the exception of the Anthony dollar and a portion of the mintage of cents in the early 1980s . ( These cents are indistinguishable from those minted at Philadelphia . ) The West Point branch is the newest mint facility , gaining official status as a branch mint in 1988 . Its predecessor , the West Point Bullion Depository , was opened in 1937 , and cents were produced there from 1973 to 1986 . Along with these , which were identical to those produced at Philadelphia , West Point has struck a great deal of commemorative and proof coinage bearing the W mint mark . In 1996 , West Point produced clad dimes , but for collectors , not for circulation . The West Point facility is still used for storage of part of the United States ' gold bullion reserves , and West Point is now the United States ' production facility for gold , silver , platinum , and palladium American Eagle coins
great earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
United States Mint