The Royal Mint’s Thousand-Year Legacy and Modern Era Innovation
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Can you believe the Royal Mint has been around for over 1,100 years, starting with King Alfred striking coins to fund the fight against the Vikings? That history just gives me goosebumps.
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They were the masterminds behind the London 2012 Olympic medals—though sorry, those gold medals weren’t solid gold (still some gold in there though!).
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The Britannia coin is their pride and joy, and honestly, with those gorgeous designs and high-tech security features, I’d argue it’s one of the best-looking silver bullion coins in the world.
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Their Queen’s Beasts coin series really caught fire in the U.S.—who knew designs pulled from an old museum book could end up being such collector favorites?
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What’s neat is how they’ve evolved: as regular circulating coins decline, they’ve built thriving businesses in gold and silver bullion, commemoratives, jewelry, and even recycling e-waste to extract precious metals. Talk about modernizing while keeping tradition alive!
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Did you know they used to produce coins for over 120 countries? Even today, many global mints trace their origins back to the Royal Mint.
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The sovereign coin has such a wild history—used in wars, dropped to resistance fighters in WWII, and still deeply loved in places like Greece and India.
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Different parts of the world buy differently: the Middle East loves bars, Japan favors silver Britannias, Greece sticks to gold sovereigns, and in the UK, the market for gold and silver has been growing steadily since COVID.
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They even make giant “masterworks” gold coins up to 15 kilos (and possibly bigger soon!). Imagine that as a coffee table centerpiece.
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Oh, and the funniest part? At the Mint’s secure facility, the guards are more protective of Welsh cakes than gold coins. Apparently, those little treats are practically currency on-site.
