The U.S. Mint in San Francisco produces collectible coins, not currency for circulation. Back in gold rush days the S.F. Mint turned nuggets and dust into coins and survived the earthquake and fire of 1906, earning its building the nickname “the Granite Lady.” After operations moved to the current facility in 1937 the Granite Lady became known as the “Old Mint,” surviving as a surplus government building. In 2003 the city of San Francisco bought the building from the federal government paying with a silver dollar that was minted there 124 years earlier. The Old Mint will be leased to the S.F. Museum and Historical Society and needs $86 million of renovations before it opens as a museum housing the history of San Francisco. Commemorative silver and gold coins with the Granite Lady on the back are an important part of the fundraising efforts.