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The last 50 years have been a period of great change at the Royal Mint in Llantrisant.

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The 1970s saw it evolve from a government department to a trading fund, later to an executive agency and finally in 2009 to a limited company, giving it ever greater commercial freedom. In the last 10 years the Royal Mint has continued to expand with new business developments in bullion and precious metals, gifting, and collector services.

Our primary duty remains the supply of coins for use in the United Kingdom. And the last five decades have seen an unprecedented rate of change in the size, shape and composition of our coins. In particular, advances in plating technology have enabled 1p and 2p pieces to be struck in copper-plated steel instead of bronze and 5p and 10p pieces in nickel-plated steel instead of cupro-nickel.

Today the Royal Mint is the largest single supplier of plated coins and blanks in Europe, with continued research and development ensuring its position as market leader in plating and security technologies. This was demonstrated by the introduction of the technically innovative 12-sided £1 coin in 2017. 

 

Since the 1980s there has been an accelerating change in the focus of production. A large proportion of the output of the Royal Mint now consists of commemorative coins and medals, struck to mark significant events and anniversaries. With this change, the Mint has developed new ways to engage with the public, including a collector club for children in the 1990s. No part of the business has remained unaffected by change, new technologies such as computers transforming administration tasks and removing the need for messengers and a typing pool.

 

In spite of this, what remains constant is the commitment of the people who work at the Royal Mint. There were those who questioned its relocation to South Wales, but after 50 years the community spirit amongst the workforce, fostered by family connections, is as important a feature of the organisation as it was in London.

 

 

A phased approach

Tower Hill

Covering an area of about four acres, Tower Hill in the 1960s was a factory working at full capacity. The quality of its workmanship and its success in export markets belied a site that had become cramped and almost Dickensian in its working conditions.

Phase 1

In contrast to Tower Hill the new Royal Mint at Llantrisant now extends over 35 acres. This allowed for the construction of new bulk-handling and automatic systems that streamlined the production of coins for the decimal stockpile. At first blanks were still produced in London and then sent to Llantrisant for striking.

Phase 2

Completed in 1975, the second phase of construction at Llantrisant made the new Mint self-sufficient. In addition to ancillary facilities for engraving, assaying and administration, new state of the art melting and rolling facilities permitted the continuous casting of molten metal.

Phase 3

The 1980s saw the construction of a secure Precious Metal Unit for the production of gold and silver coins and a new building to house the expanding Marketing Department. The latest addition to the site is the Royal Mint visitor Experience, which opened to the public on 18 May 2016.

 

Before & After

Drag the slider to compare coin production in 1968 and today

After: Before & After

When Llantrisant opened, the circulating coin presses could strike up to 200 coins per minute. Today the latest generation of presses strike around 750 coins per minute.

Add your memories

 

People

Explore how five decades have affected the roles of people at the Mint.

Events

Explore events at Llantrisant over the last 50 years.

Production

Explore events at Llantrisant over the last 50 years.