Mints designed for the manufacture of coins have been commonplace since coined currency was first developed around 600 BC by the Lydian people of modern-day Turkey. The popularity of coins spread across the Mediterranean so that by the 6th century BC nearby regions of Athens, Aegina, Corinth and Persia 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 using moulds to produce cast coins or being 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 or on its behalf by an independent mint. For example, the coins of the New Zealand Dollar are minted jointly by the Royal Mint in the United Kingdom and the Royal Canadian Mint for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Also national mints are sometimes privatised to become state-owned enterprises allowing them to pursue commercial interests such as producing commemorative coins, medals and different types of bullion.
Today the United States Mint 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 which covers 650,000 square feet (6 hectares) and can produce 32 million coins per day.
Currently operating mints The world's oldest continuously running mint is the Monnaie de Paris in France which was founded in AD 864 and is the world's 8th oldest company. The second is the British Royal Mint, founded in AD 886 and the 10th oldest. PolityNameYearestablishedOwnershipOwnerCasa de Moneda de la Republica Argentina1875State-ownedPerth Mint1899State-ownedGovernment of Western AustraliaRoyal Australian Mint1965State-ownedThe Commonwealth of AustraliaAustrian Mint1194State-ownedNational Bank of AustriaRoyal Belgian Mint1291Mauquoy Token Company1875PrivateCasa da Moeda do Brasil1694State-ownedBulgarian Mint1952State-ownedRoyal Canadian Mint1908State-owned1743China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation1949State-ownedFábrica de Moneda1982State-ownedBank of the RepublicCentral Bank of Costa Rica1936Croatian Mint1993State-ownedCroatian National BankCentral Bank of Cyprus1963State-ownedCzech Mint1993PrivateChange ownership in 2009Prague Mint2011PrivateRoyal Danish Mint1739Danmarks NationalbankCentral Bank of Egypt1961Reserve Bank of Fiji1984State-ownedMint of Finland 1860Monnaie de Paris864 Overseas FranceInstitut d'émission d'Outre-Mer1966Staatliche Münzen Baden-Württemberg1998Bavarian Central Mint1158Staatliche Münze BerlinHamburgische Münze834Bank of Greece1927Casa de Moneda de Guatemala1733Hungarian Mint1001 or 1328State-ownedHungarian National BankCentral Bank of Iceland1961State-ownedSecurity Printing and Minting Organization1877 State-ownedCentral Bank of IranCentral Bank of Iraq1953India Government MintPerum Peruri1971State-ownedGovernment of IndonesiaCurrency Centre1978Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato1928Japan Mint1871Central Bank of Jordan1964Kazakhstan Mint of the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan1992State-ownedNational Bank of Kazakhstan Central Bank of Lesotho1978Lithuanian Mint1990Royal Mint of Malaysia2000Mexican Mint1535Royal Dutch Mint1567New Zealand Mint1967PrivateNigerian Security Printing and Minting Company Limited1963Federal government of NigeriaRoyal Norwegian Mint1686Mint of Finland 50%Samlerhuset Group 50%Pakistan Mint1942Casa Nacional de Moneda1565Mennica Polska S.A.1766Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas1993Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda13th centuryMonetăria Statului1870State-ownedNational Bank of RomaniaMoscow Mint1942State-ownedGovernment of RussiaSaint Petersburg Mint1724State-ownedGovernment of RussiaThe Institute for Manufacturing Banknotes and Coins1929National Bank of SerbiaBank of Sierra Leone1963State-ownedSingapore Mint1968State-ownedKremnica Mint1328State-ownedSouth African Mint1890South African Reserve BankKorea Minting and Security Printing Corporation1951State-ownedBank of KoreaFábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre (Spanish Royal Mint)1893Swissmint1848Pamp SA1977Central Mint1920State-ownedCentral Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan)Royal Thai Mint1860Transnistrian Republican Bank1992State-ownedTurkish State Mint1467National Bank of Ukraine1998Royal Mint886State-ownedHM TreasuryBirmingham Mint1850PrivateThe Commonwealth Mint2005PrivateTower Mint1976PrivateAsahi RefiningPrivateThe Franklin Mint1964PrivateGolden State Mint1974PrivateMason Mint2015PrivateMonarch Precious Metals2008PrivateThe Ohio Mint2021PrivateRegency Mint1999PrivateScottsdale Mint2008PrivateSunshine Minting1979PrivateSilverTowne Mint1973PrivateUnited States Mint1792State-ownedUnited States Department of the TreasuryZeccaState-owned1802Central Bank of VenezuelaZimbabwean Mint2001
Historic and defunct mints PolityNameYearstartedYearendedNotesMelbourne Mint18721968Production moved to the Royal Australian Mint in CanberraSydney Mint18541926Production moved to Melbourne & Perth MintsHasegg Castle1748 1806National Mint of Bolivia15721953The currency of Bolivia is now minted by foreign mints La Moneda Palace18141929Now the residence of the President of Chile, production moved to the Casa de Moneda de Chile.Casa de Moneda16201987Now a museum, production moved to the Fábrica de Moneda in Ibagué.Horndon mint1056Hong Kong Mint18661868PN Artha Yasa19651971Merged with state printer Pertjetakan Kebajoran to form Perum Peruri.Provincial mints of Iran1877Replaced by the Zarab-khaneThe Mint (Carlingford)Manila Mint18611945Became an official branch of the US Mint in 1920 and was later destroyed following the liberation of the Philippines in World War IINational Mint of Xuvia18121868Mints of Scotland11361709Following the Acts of Union 1707, the last mint in Edinburgh closed and minting was ceded to the Royal MintMyntverketAD 9952008Sold to the Mint of Finland in 2008Pobjoy Mint19652023Soho Mint17881848Carson City Mint18701893Charlotte Mint18351861Dahlonega Mint18381861The Dalles Mint1869 1869 Partly constructed in 1869, but never completedEngelhard1868 1888 Ceased production of bullion products New Orleans Mint18381909Venice Mint15361797
References
External links Mints of the World World Mints