The Royal Mint is the UK’s coin factory.
It’s also one of our oldest institutions, though physical relocations and legal/political reforms mean there isn't an uninterrupted tale from its usually accepted founding date in the 9th Century. 
The Tower of London, for around four centuries, the home of the Royal Mint.
These 10 coins and the dates they were minted help tell the story of the Royal Mint.
And of our country.
1- Harold II Penny 1066
This Harold II coin was rendered moot by the Battle of Hastings.
The Mint now uses 866 as a brand name for jewellery.
That’s the date that is used as its foundation (though it’s a bit fuzzier than that in reality).
All of the mint’s early work was producing pennies - the only English coin for centuries.
The silver penny was worth 1/240th of a pound and was minted in silver.
This example was very quickly produced for the short-lived reign of Harold II, the last Anglo Saxon king of England, who briefly ruled during the Year of Three Kings, 1066.
2 - Edward I groat 1279
This groat from Edward I's reign is in remarkably fine condition.
In 1279 the Royal Mint became a single, unified organisation at its new home, the Tower of London.
This coincides with Edward I’s reform of the coinage.
Instead of chopping up pennies to make change, the nation got farthings (quarter pennies) and halfpennies.
The groat was a fourpence coin designed to be used internationally. But, because it weighed less than four pennies it didn’t catch on for a while.
3 - Henry VIII sovereign 1544
It looks pretty good, but the sovereign's issued from 1544 were worth less than before.
The sovereign was, and is, the jewel in the crown of British coinage.
But, you can’t do anything without politics.
And economics.
Economics is a very inexact science, but it’s possible that Henry VIII’s lavish personal spending is one of the causes for the 1544 debasement of the nation’s coinage.
Precious metal content was cut or even stripped entirely.
This sovereign has only 22 carats of gold.
The experiment didn’t last long and Edward VI put the metal content back to its historic standards after just seven years.
The concurrent dissolution of the monasteries bought more money in and wiped out one of the only coin producers that still competed with the mint.
4 - Petition Crown for Charles II 1663
Charles II may have liked this attempt to curry his favour but he didn't commission its maker.
One of the most valuable British coins of all time wasn’t made by the Royal Mint.
(Though they now make replicas you can buy as collectibles.)
Thomas Simon made the coin to literally “petition” for the job of producing new milled coinage for the crown.
The job had gone to John and Joseph Roettiers, and Simon pulled out his best work to challenge the decision.
He didn’t get the job. But the few coins he made - many sent to court - were selling for very high sums alsmost immediately.
This year, a petition coin (just 16 are known) became a $1 million dollar coin at auction.
5 - Queen Anne Guinea 1702
Isaac Newton smartened up the Mint's work and its coinage.
The most well-known master of the Royal Mint was Isaac Newton.
He was just as demanding in this role as he was in his own scientific researches.
He helped improve the reputation of the mint and its coinage.
And was so obsessed with forgers - who could face the death penalty if caught - that he’s said to have embarked on his own spying missions around London’s underworld.
The reign of Queen Anne saw the end of the Edinburgh mint as the English and Scottish crowns were unified.
6 - Cartwheel pennies of George III 1797
A substantial chunk of change, the Cartwheel coin was a big success and produced in its millions.
The Royal Mint was badly in need of change by the end of the 18th century.
What Isaac Newton had made into a world-class institution was now a ramshackle mess.
So bad was the state of England’s coinage that private companies issued low-value tokens to cover for a shortage of what we now call “change”.
Step forward Matthew Boulton, pioneering Birmingham industrialist, who lobbied hard to get a contract to mint pennies and 2d coins.
Boulton brought in steam powered presses and churned out ton and after ton of these big, beautiful coins.
He made so many that they’re still far from rare, though as a landmark issue they should certainly be in your coin collection.
7 - George IV sovereign around 1817
This is the first time St George battled the dragon on the sovereign.
Boulton forged the way ahead for the mint, which moved out of the Tower of London (though just around the corner on Tower Hill), and introduced steam presses of its own.
In 1816 another recoinage reformed the currency.
A George I sovereign is notable for a number of reasons.
It marked the reintroduction of the coin.
The George and Dragon engraving on the reverse by Benedetto Pistrucci is still basically the same today.
But Pistrucci’s portrait of George (the “bull head” description captures its unflattering nature) was so offensive to the king that it was quickly replaced.
The new portrait was by William Wyon whose work is all over 19th century coinage and stamps and is the official memory of Queen Victoria’s image.
8 - Sydney Sovereign of 1920 
One of the most valuable sovereigns of all time, and produced overseas.
The age of empire brought untold riches flooding into Britain.
Including lots and lots of gold.
Much of it Australian.
And as the UK expanded to a globe-straddling super power so it needed global money.
Sovereigns were it.
They were accepted far outside the UK (as the dollar is today), and through Victoria’s reign came to be minted around the empire.
With Australia the source of so much gold it was a natural place for striking the coin.
They were struck there from 1851, and by the turn of the 20th century as many as 40% of sovereigns in the UK were Aussie imports.
This example was very special. A coincidence of factors, including gold shortages and a subsequent meltdown of many sovereigns, make it among the rarest of all sovereigns. Examples have realised around £0.5 million in 2015 and around £0.75 million in 2021 at auction.
9 - 1968 Elizabeth II 10p
This great design lasted and lasted.
If you’re my age you grew up with these chunky coins.
Since the Anglo Saxon era British money demanded high-speed skills in base-12 mathematics.
Until 1966. That’s when a new Labour government - very keen on “modernising” projects - announced decimalisation to the public.
And, another change.
The mint left London and set up shop outside the small Valleys town of Llantrisant in south Wales. It’s on an industrial estate not far from the local recycling centre and you can go for a tour if you like.
The first decimal coins were designed by Christopher Ironside, with the Queen’s head by Arnold Machin (whose “Machin Head” is also on stamps).
Very few have much value to collectors, but the first decimal coins proved their worth after an extremely complex and controversial process.
Decimal coins went into circulation from 1968, with the full change over cemented on “decimal day” on February 15, 1971.
10 - 2009 Elizabeth II “Kew Gardens” 50p
This coin is worth checking your change for.
The 50p is a favourite because of its unusual shape.
It was released in 1968 and it is one of the few modern circulating British coins that can be really valuable.
If you read any of those “valuable treasure in your pocket change” articles you’ll find lots of 50ps.
The Royal Mint has made a blank canvas of them and run a series of short-term and relatively limited mintages of commemoratives and other special issue.
The 2009 Kew Gardens issue had a particularly low issue of 210,000. And, it looks very nice too.
All that means you may have to pay around £100 for the right examples in the right condition.
Buying rare, historic British coins now
The Royal Mint has a wonderful story to tell.
You can’t understand the history of the UK without understanding its money.
You can find just a few of the rare, historic and valuable British coins we have for sale here.
And if you’d like to find out more about rare coins and be first to know when we add new items then you should sign up for our newsletter here. You’ll never miss out again.
