Royal Mint

History of the Royal Mint

The Royal Mint is one of the oldest coin producers in the world, and has existed in some form stretching back to the ninth century. By the 1270s a formal location in the Tower of London had been established and the organisation continued to be formalised for the next few centuries. Smaller mints were closed, and production centralised around London, though other mints did operate across the country.

As the industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries drove growth and technological refinement, and the British Empire continued to expand, the facility at the Tower was deemed too small to meet new requirements. A new location nearby at Royal Mint Court, Tower Hill was opened in 1809 to improve the production capabilities of the mint. Additional satellite mints were opened in countries across the colonies to further meet the huge demand the British Empire now had for coinage. Some of these mints, such as Australia’s Perth Mint, still operate to this day.

As Britain prepared to decimalise its currency, and as the Royal Mint expanded to produce coins for international customers, the need for another new facility became apparent.

Eschewing the tradition of being based in the capital city of London, the new – and current site – was opened in Llantrisant, Wales. With the freedom of bigger space, and the benefit of modern machinery the Royal Mint grew to one of the world’s most renowned bullion refiners. With a legacy stretching back a millennium the Royal Mint now supplies bullion products for around 100 international issuing authorities, while producing all legal tender for the UK.

The Royal Mint operates as a government owned company, meeting agreed financial targets and providing a return to the UK government.

Read an in-depth look at the history of coin minting in Great Britain, and The Royal Mint.

Royal Mint Bullion

The Royal Mint produces high quality gold and silver coins, at a fineness of 916.7 (22ct) or higher, and are an LBMA-approved refiner. Bullion coins produced by The Royal Mint are recognised across the globe and can easily be traded on both their metal content and reputation

Royal Mint Coins

At BullionByPost, we stock a huge variety of coins produced by The Royal Mint, offering our customers high quality bullion at low margins.

The Royal Mint produces a number of investment coins, with most seeing annual releases. Almost all of the UK’s most popular investment coins are produced by the Royal Mint. The Britannia and Sovereign, for example, are exquisitely designed and produced to a high standard. While limited sets like the Queen’s Beasts and Lunar Collections give investors the chance to own something a little bit different, and highly collectable thanks to limited mintage runs.

As the UK’s official provider of circulating currency, certain coins – such as those listed above – produced by the Royal Mint are classed as legal tender in Britain. They have a face value in Pound Sterling and, as such, enjoy a number of tax benefits on both VAT and CGT.

For those collectors looking for even more special coins the Royal Mint also produces higher grade versions of many of their coins. Brilliant Uncirculated or Proof coins are made to higher standards, and as such cost more to buy. Due to the limited numbers minted, and the quality of the product, they can sell for higher prices after production has ceased.