What is the Oldest Mint in the World?
At a Glance:
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- Founded in 864 AD, The Monnaie de Paris is the oldest mint in the world.
- The oldest mint ever discovered is a Chinese mint that operated 2,600 years ago.
- The world’s second-oldest mint is the Royal British Mint, founded near 886 AD.
- On this page, learn about some of the world’s oldest mints.
What is the Oldest Mint in the World?
It takes quite a bit of time to build some of the best mints in the world. Even without considering the role modern sovereign mints play in the precious metals industry, the primary role served by most government mints is to manufacture currencies for the countries they serve.
Needless to say, it can take hundreds of years to establish the trust necessary for a mint to become a world leader. Even the national mint of the United States, which is still a relatively young nation, is over 230 years old. And yet, the U.S. Mint is still far from old compared to some of the world’s most storied mints.
What is the oldest mint in the world? The oldest mint in the world is The Monnaie de Paris, France’s national mint, which was founded in 864 AD. The second oldest mint on the planet is the Royal British Mint, which was established under Alfred the Great in 886 AD. The oldest mint ever discovered is a Chinese mint that archeologists believe began making currency around 2,600 years ago.
On this page, learn more about the world’s oldest mints, as well as the key features that help two of them remain industry leaders – even today.
The Monnaie de Paris (Est. 864 AD)
Founded 1,161 years ago on June 25th, 864, The Monnaie de Paris is the world’s oldest mint. The national mint of France is tasked with producing currency coins for the government of France, and it also mints a range of bullion and collectible silver, gold, and other precious metal coins for investors.
The Monnaie de Paris was founded under the leadership of Charles the Bald, and it has been continuously operated for 1,161 years. Aside from being the oldest mint in the world, the Monnaie de Paris is the eighth oldest existing company on the planet.
About France’s National Mint
Like most mints, the initial purpose of The Monnaie de Paris was to produce currency for France in the form of coins. Over time, the growing popularity of collectible and investor-grade precious metal coins drove France’s national mint to design and release a range of different gold, silver, and platinum coins.
Today, The Monnaie de Paris offers several notable coins, including several coins that celebrate some of the world’s most popular intellectual properties. French superhero coins have resounded especially well with collectors, and the mint’s ongoing “Space Odyssey” series remains a staple for investors looking for something unique out of the world’s oldest mint.
Other Old Mints From Around the World
Believe it or not, The Monnaie de Paris is not the only mint to appear on the list of the top-ten oldest existing companies in the world. The second oldest mint in the world – and the tenth oldest company on the planet – is the Royal British Mint, established in 886.
The Royal British Mint and The Monnaie de Paris are old, but they’re far from the first mints ever established. That honor goes to a Chinese mint originally founded near 640 B.C.E., according to archeologists. While this mint has long been defunct and was nearly lost to history centuries ago, it is technically the oldest coin mint ever discovered.
While The Monnaie de Paris is indisputably the oldest mint in the world, let’s take a look at some of the other oldest mints on Earth.
Royal British Mint (Est. 886 AD)
The Royal Mint was founded just 22 years after the doors of the Monnaie de Paris opened to the public, making it the second oldest mint in the world. Great Britain’s national mint was founded as a system of different mints in 886. In 1279, the Royal Mint was unified into a single mint.
In the modern era, the Royal Mint is one of the largest and most popular mints in the world. Britain’s mint adapted well when collectible and bullion coins began to gain steam among investors. Today, the Royal Mint offers a range of popular bullion coins, including the Britannia Series, the Queen’s and Tudor’s Beasts Collections, and the ever-popular Royal Mint collection of branded bullion bars.
The Royal Mint’s extensive history has helped to make it one of the world’s most popular mints. With centuries of experience, the modern Royal Mint is able to leverage the latest minting technologies to provide investors with industry-leading bullion coins and bars.
More About the Royal British Mint
The Royal Mint has become one of the world’s largest mints. In the 2022-2023 financial year, the Royal Mint logged around £1.4 billion in revenue from precious metal sales. Royal Mint sales have been partially buoyed by the increasing popularity of the Britannia series, a collection of annual bullion coins produced in gold, silver, and platinum.
Aside from logging record sales numbers, the Royal Mint is internationally recognized for its excellent engraving work and industry-leading use of innovative minting technology. In recent years, the Royal Mint has made headlines for its advanced security features and large gold and silver coins.
Royal Mint History
The Royal Mint considers 886 to be the year of its establishment. In 886, Great Britain founded a series of mints that worked to produce coins and other currency products for the growing British Empire. The Royal Mint wouldn’t be united behind a single minting system until nearly 200 years later, in 1279.
This new minting system was headquartered in the historic Tower of London beginning in 1279. Gradually, the British government reduced operations in many of its subsidiary mints. By 1464, the internal structure of the mint as an organization began to take shape.
Britain’s Royal Mint played a major role in reestablishing the economic strength of Great Britain following a bout of overspending in the mid-1500s. Henry VIII responded by closing most mints outside of London, further centralizing control of coin production inside of the Royal Mint’s headquarters in the Tower of London.
One of the most revitalizing eras of Royal Mint history came under the leadership of Sir Isaac Newton, who undertook the role of Royal Mint Warden beginning in 1696. During his tenure, Newton played a pivotal role in combatting counterfeiting and coin clipping, two issues that had haunted the British economy and currency in the 17th century.
Throughout its history following Newton’s leadership, the Royal Mint consistently adopted or developed new technologies to improve the precision of its minting procedures. Establishing subsidiary mints in Australia, Canada, and other Commonwealth nations, the Royal Mint used its growing power as a producer of currency to strengthen the British position across the globe in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Royal Mint Today
Aside from the mint’s reputation, the Royal Mint’s exceptional history can be observed through its former subsidiaries, which include industry leaders like the Perth Mint and the Royal Canadian Mint. Both of these mints, among others, were once members of the Royal Mint system, and they gained their independence over time in order to become sovereign mints in their own rights.
Today, the Royal Mint’s headquarters are located in Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, and it serves both the United Kingdom and the British Overseas Territories. Bullion products continue to make up a large percentage of the Royal Mint’s annual revenue, with much of its revenue coming from a core set of products and rotating series of bullion coins and bars.
Modern Royal British Mint Products
The Royal Mint is well-known for a variety of different gold, silver, and platinum products.
The flagship product of the Royal Mint is the Britannia series of bullion coins, which premiered with the British Gold Britannia in 1987. The Silver Britannia, now a staple for precious metal portfolios around the world, debuted ten years later in 1997, followed by the Platinum Britannia in 2018. Britannia coins from the Royal Mint feature some of the most advanced security features in the world, making them a highly secure and popular commodity among investors.
Another popular series is the Royal Tudor Beasts collection. Available in gold, silver, and platinum, each coin in the series pays homage to one of the banners of the Tudor Dynasty. This collection followed the highly popular Queen’s Beasts collection, which celebrated the lineage of Queen Elizabeth II and concluded in April 2021.
The Royal Mint’s series of bullion bars are also increasingly popular among collectors, with the British Royal Mint 1 oz Gold Bar becoming a favorite for some collectors who appreciate the Royal Mint’s impressive history and production quality.
Final Thoughts: The Oldest Mint in the World
The Monnaie de Paris is the oldest mint in the world. Founded 1,161 years ago in 864, France’s national mint is both the oldest mint in the world and the eighth oldest existing company in the world. With its historic headquarters centered on the bank of the Seine, the Monnaie de Paris carries on over 1,150 years of excellence in coin production today.
But the Paris Mint is certainly not the only highly experienced mint in the world. Founded in 886, the Royal British Mint is the world’s second oldest mint, as well as the 10th oldest company in existence. Today, the Royal Mint is one of the world’s largest producers of precious metal products, with the mint’s flagship Britannia series becoming a hot commodity among investors all over the planet.
It takes quite a bit of time to build trust, especially as a mint. For the mints on this list, over 1,000 years of experience have helped shape them into juggernauts within the explosive precious metals industry of this year.
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About The Author
Michael Roets
Michael Roets is a writer and journalist for Hero Bullion. His work explores precious metals news, guides, and commentary.