Silver mining in the United States began on a major scale with the discovery of the Comstock Lode in Nevada in 1858. The industry suffered greatly from the demonetization of silver in 1873 by the Coinage Act of 1873, known pejoratively as the "Crime of 73", but silver mining continues today. In 2018, the United States produced 1,200 metric tons of silver, worth $8.2 billion, making it the world's second-largest silver producer after Mexico. The most significant silver mining activity in the United States is in Alaska and Nevada.