Royal Mint Pulls Out of Export Business for Circulating Coins

The Royal Mint (TRM), the UK’s oldest company, has announced that it is to stop taking orders for foreign circulating coins and blanks, bringing to an end a 700-year old business in producing coins for overseas countries.

The rationale is that TRM is losing money from circulating coins, and will transfer its focus (and 200 staff involved) to its newer business ventures, in which it has invested £17 million – notably the reclamation of gold and precious metals from e-waste and the new jewellery line, 886 by The Royal Mint (named after the year of its foundation).

The decision, although coming as a surprise to many, was widely trailed in TRM’s year-end statement for 2022/23. In this, the organisation referred to an ongoing five-year transformation plan in the context of losses in the currency business (UK and overseas circulating coins and blanks) and the need to be realistic.