Royal Mint marks its own history
THE Royal Mint has released its first coin commemorating itself. The £5 coin was created in collaboration with Historic Royal Palaces, the charity responsible for the care of the Tower of London and other heritage sites. It is the third in a collection of four commemorative Tower of London coins.
The Royal Mint is nowadays based in Llantrisant, South
Wales, but its 1,100-year history is intertwined with the Tower. In 1279, the Mint found a home in the Tower of London when Edward I decreed that minting should take place there.
The Royal Mint coin design pays tribute to these origins and features a replica Edward I penny - one of the first coins struck at the Tower - set against a Norman arched window from the White Tower.
The reverse design features a Tower mint mark, which can also be found on the other coins in the Tower of London collection.
The series was designed by heraldic artist Timothy Noad, who also designed a previous four-part series on the Tower of London, released last year.
During its 500-year tenure at the Tower, the Mint grew from a small workshop to factory buildings in the Tower’s Mint Street.
Clare Maclennan, divisional director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, said: “This is the first time that we’ve celebrated the story of UK coins on a coin, and it pays homage to centuries of designers, innovators and makers at the Royal Mint.
“It feels fitting that the third coin in our Tower of London series honours the 500-year residency of the Royal Mint.
“During that time pioneers such as Sir Isaac Newton helped revolutionise the way we use gold and money, with techniques and innovations that are still used today.
“As the original maker of UK coins, we can trace our unique history back centuries, and although we call South Wales home today the Tower of London will always hold special significance as the place our story began.”