The minting of coins began in Britain in the first century BC. The Royal Mint itself was established in the Tower of London at least by 1279 and remained there for over 500 years until 1811, when it moved to new facilities on Tower Hill nearby. In 1968 the Royal Mint moved to an entirely new plant at Llantrisant in Wales, where it makes the coinage for Britain, and many other countries.

Royal Mint,Stamping Room from Ackermann's 'Microcosm of London'
by T. Rowlandson (1756-1827) & Pugin, A.C.(1762-1832)
(Credit: Guildhall Library, Corporation of London,
UK/Bridgeman Art Library)

The history of the British Royal Mint itself is more than a thousand years with an unbroken link from the scattered workshops of the moneyers of Anglo-Saxon London, of a single mint within the Tower of London, to purpose-built premises at Tower Hill, and finally the huge modern coining plant in South Wales.

Historically, the Royal Mint minted the gold Sovereign and the golden Guinea. Sovereigns are still produced, together with the Britannia bullion coin and other collector coins in proof and uncirculated quality, and commemorative medals, in gold and silver.

The Royal Mint has its own coin clubs for Britain and North America, with combined membership of over 225,000, and remains the world's leading exporting mint.

Royal Mint
Llantrisant
Pontyclun
Mid-Glamorgan
CF7 8YT
United Kingdom

Tel. +44 1443 222 111
Fax +44 1443 623 190
Web www.royalmint.com

See Also: Mint