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V11 2008 INDEX
E-SYLUM ARCHIVE
ARTICLE INTERVIEWS ROYAL MINT PERSONNEL
Meanwhile, at the Royal Mint in Llantrissant, Wales,
personnel were interviewed by a local newspaper for an article on making
coins. -Editor
Our history dates back to Anglo-Saxon times making
us the oldest manufacturing organisation in Britain, said Andrew Stafford,
chief executive and deputy master of the Royal Mint.This year the Royal Mint celebrates the 40th anniversary of its move from Tower Hill, London, to Llantrisant.
For hundreds of years the Mint was based in the Tower of London but moved to a magnificent Georgian building in the City in the 19th century before the decision was made to relocate here in South Wales, said Mr Stafford.
As the home of so many precious metals and the nations supply of coins, security is tight. There are on display samples of what the Mint produces and pictures that illustrate, in vivid colours, the minting processes but visitors must take this on trust. Here the guided tour has yet to be introduced.
Behind the barbed wire fencing and towering floodlight pylons is a fully integrated and self-contained operation.
Mr Stafford explained: We do our own design and development of coins here in a cradle to grave operation. We buy in the raw materials then smelt these in our furnaces before rolling, blanketing and stamping them into finished coins.
We produce approximately 1.4bn coins a year, on behalf of the Treasury for UK circulation, Mr Stafford said.
In addition we also make circulating coins for 50 countries around the world mainly in Africa, the Far East and the Caribbean as well as making blanks for some European mints.
With the coming of the London Olympics in 2012 a new production line will open.
The Royal Mint has won the contract to make all the commemorative coins for this event and for the next few years this will be an important source of income to the business.
To read the complete article, see: Masters of the art of making money (http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/business-in-wales/business-features/2008/06/11/masters-of-the-art-of-making-money-91466-21053960/)
Wayne Homren, Editor
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.
To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com
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