The Royal Mint is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint, the coins of the United Kingdom. The Royal Mint originated over 1100 years ago, producing coins for England and eventually Great Britain.
Since 2010 it has operated as Royal Mint Ltd, a company owned by HM Treasury, under an exclusive contract to supply all coinage for the UK. Royal Mint Ltd is 100% owned by HM Treasury, though the latter delegates shareholder responsibilities to the Shareholder Executive.
Royal Mint Coins
With some of the most beautiful craftsmanship, and the highest gold purity standard, British gold coins are pieces that collectors and investors alike have always been competitive over. The British Royal Mint is one of the most historical mints.
- While the Royal Mint offers a long list of gold coins, three series stand out: Britannia, Lunar, and Queen’s Beasts. Before taking a closer look at all three, here’s the back story on the Royal Mint. History of the Royal Mint. Alfred the Great conquered London in 886 AD and founded a mint in the city in the same year.
- Origin of Royal Mint Coins Coins in Britain can trace their roots back to the second century BC when Celtic tribes that crossed the English Channel introduced the concept to the natives. After the Romans had invaded Britain in 43 AD, they established mints.
- Browse The Royal Mint's range of gold, silver and platinum bullion coins, including bullion coins from various ranges such as Britannia, Sovereign and Queen's Beasts.
As well as minting coins for the UK, The Royal Mint also mints and exports coins to many other countries and produces military medals, commemorative medals, and other such items for governments, schools and businesses, being known as the world's leading exporting mint.
Responsibility for the security of the site falls to the Ministry of Defence Police, who provide an armed contingent.
In 1968 The Royal Mint began to move its operations from Tower Hill in the City of London to Llantrisant, Mid Glamorgan, Wales, and has operated on a single site in Llantrisant since 1980. At Llantrisant it holds an extensive collection of coins dating from the 16th century onwards, housed in eighty cabinets made by Elizabeth II's cabinet maker, Hugh Swann. The site occupies 38 acres (15 ha) and employs 765 people.
The annual Trial of the Pyx assays coins produced for the UK government for size, weight and chemical composition.
Royal Mint Uk
The Royal Mint also manufactures bullion products under 'The Royal Mint Refinery' brand. The Royal Mint Refinery marque dates back to 1852. Operated for more than 100 years by N.M. Rothschild and Sons, it became an established brand with a strong reputation for handling much of the gold and silver bullion sent to London from across the globe for processing under the RMR label. Royal Mint Refinery became a trustworthy name that survived the First and Second World Wars and served an ever evolving bullion market until production ceased in 1968. The Royal Mint Refinery brand was revived by The Royal Mint in 2015, when it stared issuing gold and silver bars. The range was later expanded to minted bars carrying themes from the bullion coinage ranges of the Royal Mint (e.g. Britannia, James Bond etc.).