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The engraving of coins is a 7 step process:

Step 1: Blanking: The U.S. Mint purchases strips of metal about 13 inches wide and 1500 feet long to manufacture the silver coins (nickels, dimes, quarters, half-dollars, and dollars). The Mint provides fabricators with the copper and zinc to produce the special metal rolls for the penny.

Step 2: Annealing, Washing and Drying: The metal blanks are heated in an annealing furnace to make them pliable for processing. The metal is then washed and dried.

Step 3: Riddling: The cleaned blanks are then sorted on a “riddler” to remove any sheets that are the wrong size or shape.

Step 4: Upsetting: Then, the good blanks are sent through an upsetting mill to raise a rim around their edges.

Step 5: Striking: Next, the good raised blanks go through a coin press to become the official U.S. coins.

Step 6: Inspecting: A press operator uses a magnifying glass to spot-check each batch of new coins. The inspected coins go through a coin sizer to remove any broken coins.

Step 7: Counting and Bagging: An automatic counting machine counts the coins and drops them into large canvas bags which are delivered to your local banks.