Editing Seigniorage (section)

=={{anchor|Contemporary usage}}Contemporary use==
The [[50 State Quarters]] series of [[Quarter (United States coin)|quarters]] (25-cent coins) began in 1999. The [[U.S. government]] thought that many people, collecting each new quarter as it rolled out of the [[United States Mint]], would remove the coins from circulation.<ref>[http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/circulatingcoins/index.cfm?action=CircPenny United States Mint 50 State Quarters® Design Use Policy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420044925/http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/circulatingCoins/index.cfm?action=CircPenny |date=2010-04-20 }}, Usmint.gov, Retrieved December 5, 2013</ref> Each complete set of quarters (the 50 states, the five [[Unincorporated territories of the United States|inhabited U.S.&nbsp;territories]], and the [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]]) is worth $14.00. Since it costs the mint about five cents to produce one quarter, the government made a profit when someone collected a coin.<ref name="State quarters FAQ">{{cite web|title=Frequently Asked Questions|work=The 50 State Quarters Program of the United States Mint|publisher=[[United States Mint]]|access-date=2009-10-18|url=http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/50sq_program/index.cfm?action=faq_50sq#costtotaxpayer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713215905/http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/50sq_program/index.cfm?action=faq_50sq#costtotaxpayer|archive-date=2007-07-13|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[United States Department of the Treasury|Treasury Department]] estimates that it earned about $6.3 billion in seigniorage from the quarters during the program.<ref name="Coin Update News">{{cite web|url=http://news.coinupdate.com/state-quarters-program-seigniorage-0133/|title=50 State Quarters Program Earned $6.3 Billion in Seigniorage - Coin Update|website=news.coinupdate.com|access-date=11 April 2018|archive-date=8 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708175222/http://news.coinupdate.com/state-quarters-program-seigniorage-0133/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Some countries' national mints report the amount of seigniorage provided to their governments; the [[Royal Canadian Mint]] reported that in 2006 it generated $93 million in seigniorage for the [[government of Canada]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mint.ca/globalassets/about/company/reports/2006/2006-annual-report_external-forces-internal-strength.pdf#page=6 |title=Canadian Mint Annual Report 2006|website=[[Royal Canadian Mint]]|access-date=6 September 2023}}</ref> The U.S. government, the largest beneficiary of seigniorage, earned about $25 billion in 2000.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://banking.senate.gov/docs/reports/dollar.htm |title=Citizen's Guide to Dollarization |access-date=2009-10-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091104172133/http://banking.senate.gov/docs/reports/dollar.htm |archive-date=2009-11-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref> For coins only, the U.S. Treasury received 45 cents per dollar issued in seigniorage for the 2011 fiscal year.<ref>[http://www.treasury.gov/about/budget-performance/Documents/20%20-%20FY%202013%20US%20Mint%20CJ.pdf United States Mint FY 2013 President’s Budget Submission] ''[[United States Treasury]]''</ref>

Occasionally, central banks have issued limited quantities of higher-value banknotes in unusual denominations for collecting; the denomination will usually coincide with an anniversary of national significance. The potential seigniorage from such printings has been limited, since the unusual denomination makes the notes more difficult to circulate and only a relatively-small number of people collect higher-value notes.

Over half of [[Zimbabwe]]'s government revenue in 2008 was reportedly seigniorage.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/19/AR2008021902337.html |first=Michael |last=Gerson |title=Dying Silently In Zimbabwe |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=2008-02-20 |access-date=2009-05-29}}</ref> The country has experienced [[hyperinflation in Zimbabwe|hyperinflation]] ever since, with an annualized rate of about 24,000 percent in July 2008 (prices doubling every 46 days).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/inflation180.17386.html |title=How Zimbabwe lost control of inflation |access-date=2010-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140617232842/http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/inflation180.17386.html |archive-date=2014-06-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>