The
San Francisco Mint is a
branch of the
United States Mint, and was opened in 1854 to serve the gold mines of the
California Gold Rush. It quickly outgrew its first building and moved into a new one in 1874. This building, the
Old United States Mint, also known affectionately as
The Granite Lady, is one of the few that survived the great
1906 San Francisco earthquake. It served until 1937, when the present facility was opened.