Mints designed for the manufacturing of coins have been commonplace since coined currency was first development around 600 BC by the Lydian people of modern-day

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. The popularity of coins spread across the Mediterranean so that by 6th-century BC nearby regions of

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Aegina Aegina (; el, Αίγινα, ''Aígina'' ; grc, Αἴγῑνα) is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, from Athens. Tradition derives the name from Aegina (mythology), Aegina, the mother of the hero Aeacus, who was born ...

Corinth Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part o ...

and

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

had all developed their own coins. Methods used at mints to produce coins have changed as technology has developed, with early coins either being

cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William * ...

using moulds to produce

cast coins Cast coinage refers to coins made by pouring melted metal into a mold, i.e. casting. It has been used for regular coins, particularly in East Asia, but also other areas on a smaller scale (e.g. the ancient Mediterranean world). The method differs ...

or struck between two dies to produce hammered coin. Around the middle of the 16th century machine-made milled coins were developed allowing coins of a higher quality to be made. National currencies are generally minted by a country's

central bank A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the currency and monetary policy of a country or monetary union, and oversees their commercial banking system. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central ba ...

or on its behalf by an independent mint. For example, the coins of the

New Zealand Dollar The New Zealand dollar ( mi, tāra o Aotearoa; sign: $, NZ$; code: NZD) is the official currency and legal tender of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, the Ross Dependency, Tokelau, and a British territory, the Pitcairn Islands. Within New ...

are minted jointly by the

Royal Mint The Royal Mint is the United Kingdom's oldest company and the official maker of British coins. Operating under the legal name The Royal Mint Limited, it is a limited company that is wholly owned by His Majesty's Treasury and is under an exclus ...

in the United Kingdom and the

Royal Canadian Mint }) is the mint of Canada and a Crown corporation, operating under the ''Royal Canadian Mint Act''. The shares of the Mint are held in trust for the Crown in right of Canada. The Mint produces all of Canada's circulation coins, and manufactures ...

for the

Reserve Bank of New Zealand The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ, mi, Te Pūtea Matua) is the central bank of New Zealand. It was established in 1934 and is constituted under the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 1989. The governor of the Reserve Bank is responsible for N ...

. Also national mints are sometimes privatised to become

state-owned enterprise A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a Government, government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn Profit (econom ...

s allowing them to pursue commercial interests such as producing

commemorative coin Commemorative coins are coins issued to commemorate some particular event or issue with a distinct design with reference to the occasion on which they were issued. Many coins of this category serve as collectors items only, although some countries ...

s, medals and different types of

bullion Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes from t ...

Today the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...

is largest mint manufacturer in the world, operating across six sites and producing as many as 28 billion coins in a single year. Its largest site is the

Philadelphia Mint The Philadelphia Mint in Philadelphia was created from the need to establish a national identity and the needs of commerce in the United States. This led the Founding Fathers of the United States to make an establishment of a continental national ...

which covers 650,000 square feet and can produce 32 million coins per day. Gates Royal Canadian Mint

The world's oldest continuously running mint is the

Monnaie de Paris The Monnaie de Paris (Paris Mint) is a government-owned institution responsible for producing France's coins. Founded in AD 864 with the Edict of Pistres, it is the world's oldest continuously running minting institution. In 1973, the mint reloc ...

in France which was founded in AD 864 and is the world's 8th oldest company. The second is the British

, founded in AD 886 and the 10th oldest. }) , 1860 , , , , - , ,

Transnistrian Republican Bank The Transnistrian Republican Bank (russian: Приднестровский республиканский банк, Pridnestrovskiy respublikanskiy bank) is the central bank of Transnistria. It issues its own currency, the Transnistrian rubla and ...

, 1992 , 100% State Ownership , , , - , , Turkish State Mint , 1467 , , , , - , ,

National Bank of Ukraine National Bank of Ukraine ( uk, Національний банк України) or NBU ( uk, НБУ) is the central bank of Ukraine – a government body responsible for unified state policy in the field of country's monetary circulation, includ ...

, 1998 , , , , - , ,

, AD 886 , 100% State Ownership ,

HM Treasury His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury), occasionally referred to as the Exchequer, or more informally the Treasury, is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for developing and executing the government's public finance policy and ec ...

, , - , ,

Birmingham Mint The Birmingham Mint was a coining mint and metal-working company based in Birmingham, England. Formerly the world's largest privately-owned mint, the company produced coins for many foreign nations including France, Italy, China, and much of the ...

, 1850 , Private , , - , ,

The Commonwealth Mint ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

, 2005 , Private , , , - , ,

Pobjoy Mint British Pobjoy Mint is a privately held company-sector mint located in Surrey, England, which produces commemorative coins, medal, tokens and bullion. The mint also manufacturers circulating currency for some British Overseas Territories and sove ...

, 1965 , Private , , , - , , Tower Mint , 1976 , Private , , , - , ,

(Four branches) , 1792 , 100% State Ownership , , , - , ,

, 1792 , 100% State Ownership , , , - , ,

Denver Mint The Denver Mint is a branch of the United States Mint that struck its first coins on February 1, 1906. The mint is still operating and producing coins for circulation, as well as mint sets and commemorative coins. Coins produced at the Denver Min ...

, 1906 , 100% State Ownership , , , - , ,

San Francisco Mint The San Francisco Mint is a branch of the United States Mint. Opened in 1854 to serve the gold mines of the California Gold Rush, in twenty years its operations exceeded the capacity of the first building. It moved into a new one in 1874, now kno ...

, 1854 , 100% State Ownership , , , - , ,

West Point Mint The West Point Mint is a U.S. Mint production and depository facility erected in 1937 near the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, United States. the mint holds 22% of the United States' gold reserves, or approximately 54 million oun ...

, 1974 , 100% State Ownership , , , - , , Golden State Mint , 1974 , Private , , , - , , Monarch Precious Metals , 2008 , Private , , , - , , Regency Mint , 1999 , Private , , , - , , Republic Metals Corporation , 1980 , Private , , , - , , Scottsdale Mint , 2008 , Private , , , - , , Mason Mint , 2015 , Private , , , - , , SilverTowne Mint , 1973 , Private , , {{Cite web, url=http://www.silvertownemint.com/, title=SilverTowne Mint {{! Custom Bullion Production, website=www.silvertownemint.com , - , {{flag, United States , Sunshine Mint , 1979 , Private , , , - , {{flag, Vatican City , Zecca , , 100% State Ownership , , , - , {{flag, Venezuela ,

Venezuelan Mint Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of V ...

, 1802 , 100% State Ownership ,

Central Bank of Venezuela The Central Bank of Venezuela ( es, Banco Central de Venezuela, BCV) is the central bank of Venezuela. It maintains a fixed exchange rate for the Venezuelan bolívar and since 1996 is the governing agent of the Venezuelan Clearing House System ...

, , - , {{flag, Zimbabwe , Zimbabwean Mint , 2001 , , ,

Historic and defunct mints

{, class="wikitable" !Country !Name !Year Started !Year Ended !Notes !{{Abbr, Ref., Reference , - , {{flag, Australia ,

Melbourne Mint The Melbourne Mint, in Melbourne, Australia, was a branch of the British Royal Mint. It minted gold sovereigns from 1872 until 1931, and half-sovereigns (intermittently) from 1873 until 1915. In 1916 it commenced minting Commonwealth silver ...

, 1872 , 1968 , Production moved to the

Royal Australian Mint The Royal Australian Mint is the sole producer of all of Australia's circulating coins and is a Commonwealth Government entity operating within the portfolio of the Treasury. The Mint is situated in the Australian federal capital city of Canberr ...

in Canberra , , - , {{flag, Australia ,

Sydney Mint The Sydney Mint in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is the oldest surviving public building in the Sydney central business district. Built between 1811 and 1816 as the southern wing of the Sydney Hospital, it was then known as the ''Rum H ...

, 1854 , 1926 , Production moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Perth Mint The Perth Mint is Australia's official bullion mint and wholly owned by the Government of Western Australia. Established on 20 June 1899, two years before Australia's Federation in 1901, the Perth Mint was the last of three Australian colonia ...

s , , - , {{flag, Austria , Hasegg Castle , 1748 , 1806 , , , - , {{flag, Bolivia ,

National Mint of Bolivia The National Mint of Bolivia ( es, Casa de la Moneda de Bolivia) or the Mint of Potosí (in colonial era) is a mint located in the city of Potosí in Bolivia. It is from this mint that most of the silver shipped through the Spanish Main came. T ...

, 1572 , 1953 , The currency of Bolivia is now minted by foreign mints , , - , {{flag, Hong Kong ,

Hong Kong Mint Hong Kong Mint () was a mint in Hong Kong that existed from 1866 to 1868. Located in Cleveland Street, Causeway Bay, it is the first coin mint of Hong Kong. A Mint Dam, on the slope of Mount Butler, was constructed to supply water to the mint. I ...

, 1866 , 1868 , , , - , {{flag, Indonesia , PN Artha Yasa , 1965 , 1971 , Merged with state printer Pertjetakan Kebajoran to form

Perum Peruri The Money-printing Public Corporation of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Perusahaan Umum Percetakan Uang Republik Indonesia, shortened as Peruri) is the Indonesian state-owned banknote/ security printers and mint, established on 15 September 1971 ...

. , , - , {{flag, Iran , Provincial mints of Iran , , 1877 , Replaced by the Zarrabkhana , , - , {{flag, Ireland , The Mint (Carlingford) , , , - , {{flag, Italy , Venice Mint , 1536 , 1797 , , , - , {{flag, Philippines ,

Manila Mint The Manila Mint ( es, Real Casa de la Moneda y Timbre de Manila) was a coinage mint that briefly served as a branch of the United States Mint, located in Manila, now the capital city of the Philippines. History Spanish facility Originally co ...

, 1861 , 1945 , Became an official branch of the US Mint in 1920 and was later destroyed following the

liberation of the Philippines Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

in World War II , , - , {{flag, Spain ,

National Mint of Xuvia The National Mint of Xuvia ( es, Casa de Moneda de Jubia, gl, Real Casa da Moeda de Xuvia) was a Spanish mint of copper coins from 1812 to 1868. The mint was established in 1790 in Xuvia (or ''Jubia'' in Spanish spelling), a civil parish in the ...

, 1812 , 1868 , , , - , {{flag, Scotland , Mints of Scotland , 1136 , 1709 , Following the

Acts of Union 1707 The Acts of Union ( gd, Achd an Aonaidh) were two Acts of Parliament: the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act 1707 passed by the Parliament of Scotland. They put into effect the te ...

, the last mint in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

closed and minting was ceded to the

, , - , {{flag, Sweden ,

Myntverket Myntverket (officially AB Myntverket) is a private Swedish company that produces coins and medals, including the Swedish national coins and the Nobel Prize medals. , Swedish coins are minted by Myntverket's parent company, Mint of Finland Ltd ( sv ...

, AD 995 , 2008 , Sold to the

Mint of Finland The Mint of Finland ( fi, Suomen Rahapaja, sv, Myntverket i Finland) is the national mint of Finland. It was established by Alexander II of Russia in 1860 as the markka became the official currency of the Grand Duchy of Finland. The mint was first ...

in 2008 , , - , {{flag, United Kingdom ,

Soho Mint Soho Mint was created by Matthew Boulton in 1788 in his Soho Manufactory () in Handsworth, West Midlands, England. A mint was erected at the manufactory containing eight machines, to his own patent design, driven by steam engine, each capable of ...

, 1788 , 1848 , , , - , {{flag, United Kingdom ,

Horndon mint The Horndon mint was an Anglo-Saxon mint established at Horndon-on-the-Hill in Thurrock, Essex. It is known from a single coin of the reign of Edward the Confessor. The only surviving example of a coin from the Horndon mint was among the hoard of ...

, 1056 , , , , - , {{flag, United States ,

Carson City Mint The Carson City Mint was a branch of the United States Mint in Carson City, Nevada. It primarily minted silver coins; however, it also minted gold coins, with a total face value in dollars nearly equal to that of its silver coins. The mint minted ...

, 1870 , 1893 , , , - , {{flag, United States ,

Charlotte Mint The Charlotte Mint was the first United States branch mint. It was located in Charlotte, North Carolina and specialized in gold coinage. History Following the first documented discovery of gold in the United States, the country's first gold mine ...

, 1835 , 1861 , , , - , {{flag, United States ,

Dahlonega Mint The Dahlonega Mint was a former branch of the United States Mint built during the Georgia Gold Rush to help the miners get their gold assayed and minted, without having to travel to the Philadelphia Mint. It was located at (34°31.8′N 83°59.2 ...

, 1838 , 1861 , , , - , {{flag, United States , The Dalles Mint , 1869 , 1869 , Partly constructed in 1869 however never completed , , - , {{flag, United States ,

Engelhard Engelhard Corporation was an American ''Fortune'' 500 company headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey, United States. It is credited with developing the first production catalytic converter. In 2006, the German chemical manufacturer BASF bough ...

{{citation needed, date=September 2022 , 1868 , 1888 , Ceased production of bullion products , , - , {{flag, United States ,

New Orleans Mint The New Orleans Mint (french: Monnaie de La Nouvelle-Orléans) operated in New Orleans, Louisiana, as a branch mint of the United States Mint from 1838 to 1861 and from 1879 to 1909. During its years of operation, it produced over 427 million ...

, 1838 , 1909 , ,

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

Mints of the World

Mints (currency) Mints, List of