Numismatic UK Tour 2025 – Day 6
A VIP tour of the Royal Mint, including striking our own coins, was on the agenda for today.
Today was the day to truly look forward to, the highlight of the whole trip for the group. We headed to The Royal Mint, where we were treated to a guided behind-the-scenes tour, which included walking the floor and watching circulating coins being minted. We even got to strike our own coins. Unfortunately, for security reasons, we weren’t allowed to take any photos in this portion of the Mint, but everyone had a blast.
Our guide then took us through the Mint’s museum, sharing the history of the mint, including some of the traditions such as queens wearing crowns on their coins while kings do not, unless it’s for their coronation. A fascinating little fact that many of us hadn’t known. When asked why, there was no reason; it is simply a tradition.
We were given time to wander the museum to go back and look at anything we wanted to spend more time learning about before heading to lunch, which the Mint provided. While we ate, we listened to a presentation given by the Director of the Royal Mint Museum, Kevin Clancy. He offered a more in-depth look at the museum’s collection and the history of the museum itself.
We spent most of the day at the Mint, and then headed back to the hotel, where tour guests had the rest of the afternoon to explore the area on their own. Most headed to Cardiff Castle, which was a short walk down the road.
With only one more day left, the trip is winding down, but each stop along the way has been an interesting look into the history of the UK, in numismatics and beyond.
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