The Royal Mint is older than the United Kingdom itself. Its origins as a London-based coining operation date to the late 9th century, making it one of the oldest continuously operating organisations in Britain — and the producer of the modern Sovereign and Britannia bullion ranges UK investors buy today.

The early period (886–1279)

Credible records of London-based coining begin in around AD 886, during Alfred the Great’s reorganisation of English currency. By the 11th century there were multiple authorised mints across England — Canterbury, York, Winchester, Chester — but London was always the principal.

These early “moneyers” struck silver pennies by hand, hammering a heated blank between two engraved dies. The technology stayed essentially the same for over 800 years.

At the Tower of London (1279–1812)

In 1279 Edward I consolidated minting operations at the Tower of London. For the next 530 years the Tower mint was the operational heart of British coinage. Sir Isaac Newton served as Warden (1696) and then Master of the Mint (1700–1727) — he overhauled coin production, prosecuted counterfeiters, and oversaw the great recoinage of the 1690s.

The Tower period saw:

  • The first Gold Sovereign in 1489 under Henry VII — a 23ct gold piece with a face value of one pound.
  • The “Trial of the Pyx” tradition (continued today) — independent testing of struck coins’ weight and fineness, conducted by a jury at Goldsmiths’ Hall.
  • The introduction of milled coinage in 1662 under Charles II, replacing hammered production.
  • The modern Gold Sovereign in 1817, in 22ct gold at 7.32g fine — the design and weight that survives unchanged today.

Tower Hill (1812–1968)

In 1812 the Mint moved out of the Tower to a purpose-built site on Tower Hill, just outside the fortress. The Tower Hill period was the Mint’s industrial peak — producing currency not only for Britain but for the Empire and many foreign governments.

Notable events:

  • Branch mints opened in Sydney (1855), Melbourne (1872), Perth (1899), Ottawa (1908), Bombay (1918) and Pretoria (1923) — all originally controlled from London.
  • WWI-era Sovereigns were minted in unprecedented numbers across the empire.
  • Decimalisation was planned at Tower Hill in the 1960s, requiring a complete re-tooling of UK currency.

Llantrisant (1968–present)

By the 1960s the Tower Hill site couldn’t handle decimalisation volumes. The Royal Mint built a new high-volume facility at Llantrisant in South Wales, opened by the Queen in December 1968. The full move from Tower Hill was completed in 1975.

Today’s Llantrisant operation is:

  • A wholly state-owned company under HM Treasury.
  • The official producer of UK currency.
  • The world’s largest export mint, supplying currency to ~30 countries.
  • Producer of the modern Sovereign, Britannia (gold, silver, platinum, palladium), Lunar, Queen’s Beasts and Tudor Beasts bullion ranges.
  • LBMA Good Delivery accredited for both gold and silver.

The modern bullion programme

The Royal Mint’s bullion business has expanded dramatically since 2010:

  • 2013 — DNA Certified anti-counterfeit packaging introduced.
  • 2014 — Lunar Series launched.
  • 2017 — Royal Mint vault storage (allocated, fully insured) opened to UK retail customers.
  • 2018 — Tudor Beasts launched.
  • 2023 — First Charles III Sovereign struck.
  • 2025 — Royal Mint announces silver Britannia output exceeding the US Mint’s Silver Eagle for the first time, making it the world’s most-produced silver bullion coin.

For UK retail investors, the Royal Mint’s modern coins carry one unique advantage: legal-tender CGT-free status for UK residents. That tax wrapper, combined with LBMA-grade fabrication and brand recognition, is why Sovereigns and Britannias dominate the UK retail bullion market.

See Royal Mint coins on this site → · Live gold spot price →

The Trial of the Pyx — still happening

One medieval tradition survives intact: the annual Trial of the Pyx, where coins randomly selected from each year’s production are tested at Goldsmiths’ Hall in London. A jury — yes, jurors — confirms the coins meet the legal weight and fineness standards. The trial dates from at least 1248 and has run almost continuously for 800 years. The verdict is delivered to The Royal Mint by the King’s Remembrancer (a senior judge), one of the oldest still-functioning judicial offices in the world.