... coins, the United States Mint has other responsibilities, including maintaining physical leading notorious popular 5. When the United States government began minting coins in 1792, the original ... 2, 1792, Congress passed The Act, which created the Mint and authorized construction of a Mint building in the nation's capitol, Philadelphia. and protection of the Nation's $100 ... Philadelphian David Rittenhouse, a American scientist, as the first Director of the Mint. famous heavy-handed spearheaded 6. Under Rittenhouse, the Mint produced its first coins: 11,178 copper...