Below, left to right ► The Royal Mint at Tower Hill, London in the nineteenth century. Jody Clark is the youngest designer to have created a coinage portrait of Her Majesty The Queen. Britannia 2018: A British Classic.
+44 144 322 2111 ► royalmint.com Llantrisant, Pontyclun CF72 8YT
Opposite ► The tools, or dies, used to strike the coins produced by The Royal Mint are often worked on by hand to ensure the coins are of the highest quality.
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Coins are more than tokens of trade. They are miniature works of art – pieces of history you can hold in your hands. For more than 1,100 years The Royal Mint has been striking the stories of the British Isles. Through conflict and adversity, dynastic change, and social and scientific progress, it has produced currency for kings and queens; working with leading artists and driving innovation in manufacturing, producing coins sought-after by investors and collectors all over the world. Walk the factory floor of the purpose-built facility near Llantrisant in South Wales and you’ll see technology and tradition side-by-side. State-of-the-art machinery and artisanal skill combine to create the coins that mark the important anniversaries and events of the year. Inspired by the legacy of Sir Isaac Newton, one of the most famous Masters of the Mint, the coins are renowned for their precision and accuracy. From the 22 carat gold Sovereign, the ‘chief coin of the world,’ to the humble penny, each coin produced must face the rigours of the Trial of the Pyx – the oldest and most exacting test of minting quality control anywhere in the world. Held amidst the grandeur of Goldsmiths’ Hall in London, the ritual is a living piece of history, dating back to medieval times. Coins carried in the ancient wooden Pyx boxes that give the ceremony its name are put before the jury to be inspected by hand for the tiniest flaw or imperfection. Today The Royal Mint is the world’s leading export mint, supplying the national banks of more than 40 countries. While tradition remains at the heart of the production process, innovation is relentless. New technology and diversification helps position the business to meet future challenges. Royal Mint Gold offers a convenient way to trade physical gold, while its high-security storage facility protects valued possessions. Industry-wide, the new 12-sided £1 coin has been hailed as the most secure coin in the world. Each year The Royal Mint produces new commemorative and bullion coin collections. These include its annual flagship releases, The Sovereign and Britannia – icons of British minting excellence. Struck in gold and silver and finished to bullion or our finest Proof standard, designers realise complex themes. It takes great skill to work creatively within the dimensions of a coin and when the finished coin finally comes off the press, the results are extraordinary. Tangible investments or luxury collectables – the commemorative and bullion coins recount the stories and themes of British history in a unique and fascinating way, exquisitely etched on a backdrop of gold or silver.
Opposite top ► The Sovereign: a constant through change.
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The Royal Mint
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