Mints designed for the manufacture of coins have been commonplace since coined currency was first developed around 600 BC by the Lydian people of modern-day Turkey. The popularity of coins spread across the Mediterranean so that by the 6th century BC nearby regions of Athens, Aegina, Corinth and Persia had all developed their own coins.
Methods used at mints to produce coins have changed as technology has developed, with early coins either being cast using moulds to produce cast coins or being struck between two dies to produce hammered coin. Around the middle of the 16th century machine-made milled coins were developed, allowing coins of a higher quality to be made.
National currencies are generally minted by a country's central bank or on its behalf by an independent mint. For example, the coins of the New Zealand Dollar are minted jointly by the Royal Mint in the United Kingdom and the Royal Canadian Mint for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.[1] Also national mints are sometimes privatised to become state-owned enterprises allowing them to pursue commercial interests such as producing commemorative coins, medals and different types of bullion.
Today the United States Mint is largest mint manufacturer in the world, operating across six sites and producing as many as 28 billion coins in a single year.[2] Its largest site is the Philadelphia Mint which covers 650,000 square feet[3] (6 hectares) and can produce 32 million coins per day.[4]
Currently operating mints
editThe world's oldest continuously running mint is the Monnaie de Paris in France which was founded in AD 864 and is the world's 8th oldest company. The second is the British Royal Mint, founded in AD 886 and the 10th oldest.
Historic and defunct mints
editPolity | Name | Year started |
Year ended |
Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | Melbourne Mint | 1872 | 1968 | Production moved to the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra | |
Australia | Sydney Mint | 1854 | 1926 | Production moved to Melbourne & Perth Mints | |
Austria | Hasegg Castle | 1748 | 1806 | ||
Bolivia | National Mint of Bolivia | 1572 | 1953 | The currency of Bolivia is now minted by foreign mints | |
Chile | La Moneda Palace | 1814 | 1929 | Now the residence of the President of Chile, production moved to the Casa de Moneda de Chile. | |
Colombia | Casa de Moneda | 1620 | 1987 | Now a museum, production moved to the Fábrica de Moneda in Ibagué. | |
England | Horndon mint | 1056 | |||
Hong Kong | Hong Kong Mint | 1866 | 1868 | ||
Indonesia | PN Artha Yasa | 1965 | 1971 | Merged with state printer Pertjetakan Kebajoran to form Perum Peruri. | |
Iran | Provincial mints of Iran | 1877 | Replaced by the Zarab-khane | ||
Ireland | The Mint (Carlingford) | ||||
Philippines | Manila Mint | 1861 | 1945 | Became an official branch of the US Mint in 1920 and was later destroyed following the liberation of the Philippines in World War II | |
Spain | National Mint of Xuvia | 1812 | 1868 | ||
Scotland | Mints of Scotland | 1136 | 1709 | Following the Acts of Union 1707, the last mint in Edinburgh closed and minting was ceded to the Royal Mint | |
Sweden | Myntverket | AD 995 | 2008 | Sold to the Mint of Finland in 2008 | |
United Kingdom | Pobjoy Mint | 1965 | 2023 | ||
United Kingdom | Soho Mint | 1788 | 1848 | ||
United States | Carson City Mint | 1870 | 1893 | ||
United States | Charlotte Mint | 1835 | 1861 | ||
United States | Dahlonega Mint | 1838 | 1861 | ||
United States | The Dalles Mint | 1869 | 1869 | Partly constructed in 1869, but never completed | |
United States | Engelhard[citation needed] | 1868 | 1888 | Ceased production of bullion products | |
United States | New Orleans Mint | 1838 | 1909 | ||
Venice | Venice Mint | 1536 | 1797 |
References
edit- ^ "Coins in Circulation". Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- ^ "About the United States Mint". United States Mint. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- ^ "Employee Celebrates 50 Years at Philadelphia". United States Mint. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- ^ "United States Mint". ushistory.org. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- ^ "Casa de Moneda". Argentina.gob.ar (in Spanish).
- ^ "History". Perth Mint. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "About the Mint". Royal Australian Mint. 5 January 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "Our History". Austrian Mint. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ Belgium and Nassau; or, The continental tourist. Black And Armstrong. 1838. p. 41.
- ^ "Sobre a CMB" [About CMB]. Casa da Moeda do Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ "За нас" [About Us]. Bulgarian Mint (in Bulgarian). Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ "Milestones of Mint Chile". cmoneda.cl. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "Fábrica de Moneda en Ibagué, Tolima". banrep.gov.co. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ "History of Minting". Prague Mint. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ "1,150 Years of History". Monnaie de Paris. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ "Duties and activities - Anglais". IEOM. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ^ "Security Printing and Minting Organization". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2017-04-12.
- ^ "Mint of Nigerian History". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2011-03-04. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Creación de la Casa Nacional de Moneda" [Creation of the National Mint of Puru]. Central Reserve Bank of Peru (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ "History of the Mint". Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ "The Institute for Manufacturing Banknotes and Coins History". National Bank of Serbia. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ^ "Swiss Coins". 24carat.co.uk. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ "History". Turkish State Mint (in Turkish). Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ "Bank-note and Mint Court of National Bank of Ukraine". Ukraine Today. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ "About Us". The Commonwealth Mint. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ "About Towermint". www.towermint.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
- ^ "Asahi Refining - Asahi Refining". www.asahirefining.com. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
- ^ "About Us". Golden State Mint. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
- ^ "Mason Mint | Custom Bullion Production". www.masonmint.com. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
- ^ "About MPM". www.monarchpreciousmetals.com. Archived from the original on 2019-02-07. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
- ^ "The Ohio Mint - The Ohio Mint". theohiomint.com. 2021-02-22. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
- ^ "About Regency Mint - Learn about Regency Mint's Expert Coin Minting". Regency Mint. Archived from the original on 2019-02-03. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
- ^ "Scottsdale Mint | Home". www.scottsdalemint.com. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
- ^ "SilverTowne Mint | Custom Bullion Production". www.silvertownemint.com. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ "Timeline of the United States Mint". US Mint. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2017.