Future dollars

PHILADELPHIA--One of the best parts of Road Trip 2010 is getting to go behind the scenes at terrific places, and often getting much closer to the action than is usually possible.

On Wednesday, CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman completed a two-part set of visits to the production facilities for America's money. First it was the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing's next-generation $100 bill production process, in Washington, D.C. On Wednesday, it was the U.S. Mint here, to see how coins are made.

Pictured is a bin full of thousands of blank dollar coins. These blanks will go through several steps before being fed into a press and emerging as dollar coins.

The Mint presses 750 coins a minute, and these days is producing 20 million coins a day, though its full capacity is higher, as much as 50 million coins daily. That number is lower today, because of the state of the economy, and lower demand for new coins.

Click here to read the related story on the production of American coins and medals at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. And click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.