The Chief Engraver of the United States Mint is the highest staff member at the United States Mint.
The Chief Engraver is the person in charge of coin design and engraving of dies at all four United States Mints: Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco and West Point. The position was created by Congress with the Coinage Act of 1792, and placed within the Department of Treasury that produces circulating coinage for the United States. In 1990 after the resignation of Elizabeth Jones, the post of Chief Engraver was left vacant, and in 1996, with Public Law 104-208, was abolished by Congress.
On February 3, 2009, Mint Director Edmund C. Moy, appointed John Mercanti to the position of Chief Engraver, with duties and prerogatives determined by the Mint’s Office of Public Affairs. The appointment was not a restoration of the original congressionally approved office, but a temporary promotion, renewable annually for one officeholder for no more than five years. Following Mercanti's retirement in 2010, the post remained vacant until February 2019, when Joseph Menna was appointed to the position.
List of Chief Engravers of the United States Mint
Image Name Tenure Robert Scot1793 until his death in 1823 William Kneass1824 until his death in 1840 Christian Gobrecht1840 until his death in 1844 James B. Longacre1844 until his death in 1869 William Barber1869 until his death in 1879 Charles E. Barber1880 until his death in 1917 George T. Morgan1917 until his death in 1925 John R. Sinnock1925 until his death in 1947 Gilroy Roberts1948 to 1964 Frank Gasparro1965 to 1981 Elizabeth Jones1981 to 1991 Vacant1991 to 2006 John Mercanti2006 to 2010 Vacant 2010 to 2019 Joseph Menna2019 to present
References