The Royal Mint

History of the Royal Mint

Founded in 880 during the reign of King Alfred the Great, the Mint was formed to produce silver coins bearing the head of Alfred and the words ‘LONDONIA’. In 1279, minting activities were streamlined into one entity and housed in the Tower of London in what became known as Mint Street.

Minting activities continued and expanded over the next few centuries before the operation moved to a new purpose-built site in 1805 nearby at Tower Hill, where the business remained until 1966 when it moved to new premises in Wales on 38 acres, where it remains until today.

The Royal Mint is a leading supplier of both precious metals and currency coinage as well as being a world leader in commemorative coins. The business exports to over 66 countries worldwide. The Royal Mint has been led by some well known individuals over the centuries, including Sir Isaac Newton and in 2022 is led by a female CEO. Today, the business is a thriving organization that prides itself in the highest levels of quality, precision and innovation.

Official Distributor Verification

Precious Metals

The Royal Mint started producing gold coins in 1489 during the reign of Henry VII when he ordered ‘a new money of gold’ to be struck. The coin was the gold sovereign, still struck by the Mint today. Over the next 300 years the gold sovereign became the ‘world’s coin’, also struck in ‘branch mints’ in Australia, Canada and South Africa (later to become the Perth Mint, Royal Canadian Mint and South African Mint) as gold was being mined locally. Between the early 1800’s and 1914 over 1 billion gold sovereigns were struck across the British Empire.

Today, the precious metals business is a significant business unit at The Royal Mint, producing the iconic ‘Britannia’ coin in both silver and gold, which is exported globally as well as a range of precious metal bars and other bullion coins. MyGold are officially approved distributors for Royal Mint bullion products.