Fun with Maps ISSUE 2025-119 

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (July 31, 2025) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps we are talking “old money”.    

It is Only Money

The first US government building to be constructed, meaning not a current building repurposed, was the US Mint in Philadelphia.  At the time – 1792 – Philadelphia was the capital of the United States.  The cornerstone for that structure was laid on July 31, 1792.

“Ye Olde Mint”, as the signage on the front of the building proclaimed, consisted of a smelt house and a three-story structure on Seventh Street.  The basement was a depository for gold and silver; the first floor was where coins were pressed and weighed; and offices and laboratories were housed on the upper floors.

Philadelphia is still home to one of the US Mints, although the current building is the fourth one to be used for that purpose in the city.  It opened in 1969, and since 1980 all coins minted there have a “P” designation struck on them.  Besides coins, Philadelphia also produces medals and awards for the government and military honors.

Tanner created this map of Philadelphia in 1836.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.