How coins are made

Behind the scenes at the Royal Mint

The Royal Mint makes all circulating coin for the United Kingdom as well as coins for many other countries around the world. Its factory in Llantrisant, South Wales, can produce up to 5 billion coins every year, but what are the processes involved in producing a coin?

Going behind the scenes of the Royal Mint factory and speaking with staff, this series of videos will take you through the many stages of production. Follow the process all the way from initial design through to finished coin.

Design

Every coin starts with a design. Presenter Fran Scott talks to Royal Mint product designer Lee Jones about the process of designing coins, and how he got started in his career.

 

 

Tooling

Once a design is chosen, the tooling for striking coins can now be created. Tool production has many stages and is a complex part of the process. Presenter Fran Scott visits the Royal Mint ‘tool room’ and talks to the engineers who work there.

 

 

Striking

When the tooling is ready, it’s time to strike the coins. Striking is the act of adding a design to each side of a ‘blank’, turning it from a plain disk of metal into a coin. Discover how this is done as presenter Fran Scott talks to Royal Mint technicians about the process.

 

 

Logistics

The Royal Mint makes coins for many different countries, all created at the factory in South Wales. Once made, they need to be packaged and transported around the world. Discover how the Mint uses technology to send coins all around the world.

 

 

Striking medals

The Royal Mint is famous as a coin manufacturer, but did you know we also have a long history of making medals? Join our presenter Fran Scott to discover the skills and craft involved in creating these precious objects.