Uncategorised
Tales from The Tower’s maximum security Mint – where making coins was a dangerous business
A symbol of royal power for nearly 1,000 years, the Tower of London remains one of Britain’s most iconic attractions.
But did you know that for over 500 years The Tower of London housed The Royal Mint?
It’s safe to say that during The Royal Mint’s time in The Tower, making coins was hot, noisy and dangerous affair. So much so that tampering with coins was considered treason, and the threat of gruesome punishment alone was enough to deter most, if not all, forgers and thieves.
For me, there’s no coin stories as fascinating as the ones that originate from The Royal Mint’s time a at The Tower. Here’s a selection of my very favourite ones…
Health and Safety was not a concern
In stark comparison to the society we live in today, the health and safety of Mint workers was not a top priority during the Mint’s time in The Tower.
Mechanisation in the 1600’s was welcome relief for Mint workers, as up until this point, all coins were made by hand. As a result, it wasn’t unusual for workers to be injured, and the loss of fingers and eyes was not uncommon.
When it came to striking the coins, split second timing and staying alert could mean the difference between making a coin and losing a finger! That’s because in order to strike a coin, one worker would place a handmade piece of metal between two engraved stamps – called dies – and a second worker would then strike it with a hammer. This procedure would stamp the coin design on to the metal, but if both parties were not on the ball sometimes a finger would be removed in the process.
Even then, it actually wasn’t until screw-operated presses were introduced in the 1700’s that life for Mint workers became relatively safe.
Dirty, deadly money
Working in the Mint was dirty and dangerous work. Huge furnaces were used to melt down precious metal, and the air was full of deadly chemicals and poisonous gases. This made the coin making process a real hazard.
In the 1560’s a group of unfortunate German workers learned this the hard way. Several of them were suspected to have been poisoned by clouds of noxious gas, and they fell incredibly ill. Seasoned workers at the Mint advised them of the cure – to drink milk from a human skull! Despite the so called ‘cure’, several men died.
The mysterious case of Sleeping Beauty
Several decades prior to this, in the 1540’s, William Foxley was another victim of the Mint’s lax health and safety. Though how exactly, still no one to this day knows for sure! Foxley was a potter at the Mint, and one day he fell asleep over his pots and no one could wake him up.
It’s unclear what exactly caused Foxley’s coma, and allegedly King Henry VIII himself swung by The Tower to check out the mysterious sleeping beauty. For the majority of the British population, the only way they knew what their monarch looked like was thanks to the obverse of the coin. So Foxley will have been disappointed to have slept through his audience with the King.
This case perplexed physicians for 14 days, after which Foxley woke up and was the picture of perfect health. Remarkably he lived for another 40 years.
Tampering with coins was considered treason
Treason was not taken lightly. In fact any tampering with coins, such as shaving silver from the edge of a coin to steal it, was classed as treason and the severe punishments that awaited thieves and forgers was nearly enough in most instances to put them off.
During medieval times, the sentence for a first-time convicted counterfeiter was to remove their right hand. Any second offences were punishable by castration. It’s unknown exactly what followed this particularly gruesome punishment for a third or even a fourth offence.
But if you think this is severe, in later years and right up until the 1700’s male forgers suffered a traitor’s death – that is to be hung, drawn and quartered. Meanwhile, female forgers were either burned at the stake or transported on one of the infamous convict ships to their designated place of exile.
If you’re interested…
The Royal Mint has just released a BRAND NEW UK £5 coin to celebrate its longstanding and fascinating history with The Tower of London.
The coin is available in a range of specifications, including Brilliant Uncirculated and extremely limited edition Silver Proof and Silver Proof Piedfort. Given the historical significance of this commemorative, it is expected to be highly sought-after by serious collectors now and in years to come. That said, we do not expect to be able to offer it for long.
How a political blunder led to the Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall is perhaps the most iconic symbol of the Cold War. A tall concrete barricade that divided the citizens of Germany for almost three decades. Numerous people risked their lives to cross the wall, whether digging tunnels underneath, flying over in a hot air balloon, or even driving cars under checkpoint barriers! But in 1989 that all changed when the world watched a press conference that all went a bit wrong…
A press conference that went wrong
For many months throughout 1989, there was mounting pressure on the government to adjust the restrictions around the boarder wall in Berlin. On the evening of November 9th 1989, the East German Party leader held a press conference announcing some loosening of the restrictions. But he hadn’t been briefed properly.
Gunter Schabowski broadcast the relaxing of some of the travel laws, but when asked when the freedom of movement would happen, he simply shrugged his shoulders, glanced at his notes, and said “right away.”
And that was it. A single moment, the most iconic in recent history, caused by an accident.
After almost 30 years of physical separation, crowds of people swarmed to the Berlin Wall checkpoints in anticipation of reuniting with loved ones and passing into the West freely.
Because of the confusion, the East German border guards had not been warned and were utterly overwhelmed by the crowds. At first they were told to stamp passports with symbols that effectively revoked East German citizenship, but as the crowds grew larger it became clear that unless lethal force was used, that the wall was no longer impassable. And no one was willing to give that order.
The Night the wall fell
That evening saw celebrations throughout Berlin, with people climbing the wall and taking pickaxes and hammers to break it apart and pull it down. Pieces and fragments of the wall were chipped away, with many pocketing pieces as souvenirs.
Families and loved ones reunited, as those from East Berlin were greeted with flowers and food. After years with limited contact, media censorship and restrictions, the people of Berlin were free to travel as and where they wanted.
The official reunification
Almost a year later, on 3rd October 1990, the German flag was raised over the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. It symbolised the moment at which the two German countries were finally reunified as the unification treaty became official.
Every year the German Day of Unity is celebrated throughout the country, with fireworks, meals, concerts speeches, and of course commemoratives. This year marks the 30th anniversary, and despite the coronavirus restrictions around the world, the people of Germany will still be celebrating and remembering the moment the country was untied again.
If you’re interested…
Today you can commemorate the historic moment in which Germany was brought together again by owning THREE commemorative coins alongside an original piece of the Berlin Wall in the Reunification of Germany Collection.
This collection has a tiny edition limit of JUST 200. Considering the anniversary this year, and the popularity of difficult to source one-off historic products like this, the edition limit is expected to sell out completely.
Six icons we owe to the Sixties
An explosion of colour and culture, the sixties is easily one of the most vibrant decades of our past.
From the summer of love, winning the world cup, to flower power and moonlandings, no other decade has done as much to shape the course of history. So take a trip down memory lane and delve back into the past as we uncover six things we owe to the sixties…
ONE: The First decimal coins
You’d be correct if you questioned this one at first. Although the UK didn’t officially say goodbye to the old pounds, shillings and pence system until 1971, the Royal Mint issued the first decimal coins in 1968! On 23rd April, the British public would have found the 5p and 10p coins in their change for the first time. They were issued and circulated alongside the Florin and Shilling coins as part of a process to help the public acclimatise to the new decimal system, and are arguably one of the most important issues in UK numismatic history.
TWO: The First James Bond Film
The quintessentially British spy with the code name 007 first graced our screens in “Dr No” released in 1962. Since then there have been over 25 films with the legendary spy and his iconic gadgets. Without the first Bond film in the sixties, we may not have had the James Bond £5 Coins that were released earlier this year, or the ‘Bond’ 10p issued in 2016 by the Royal Mint!
THREE: The Beatles
Of course this wouldn’t be a sixties piece if I didn’t mention the Beatles and ‘Beatlemania’. Born out of rock and roll with new pop culture, the Beatles have become the defining sound of the sixties, with people all over the world still inspired by their music today.
FOUR: Doctor Who
The first ever Dr Who episode was released in 1963. From then on, every week, the nation joined the Doctor and his companion in the Tardis to adventure through space and time, encountering aliens, cybermen, and of course the dreaded Daleks. Dr Who has since given rise to thousands of commemoratives, including a special Royal Mail stamp issue in 2012!
FIVE: Colour TV
The sixties is remembered as a colourful and vibrant era, and what better defines that than colour TV! In 1967 BBC launched the first UK colour channel – a truly defining moment that has shaped the films and characters we see on screen today.
SIX: The Moonlandings
The end of the decade saw one of the most iconic moments in world history as Neil Armstrong became the first man to step foot on the moon. There isn’t a person alive today who can’t finish the phrase “one small step for man… “. As such an important moment, it gave rise to huge opportunities in space exploration and technology that we still see today.
Of course there is a never ending list of inventions, iconic moments, fashion, music, films, TV shows and more that we owe to the sixties. One thing’s for sure is that it shaped a generation and was a decade like no other.
If you’re interested
Save £10.00 and relive the Sixties with the collectors frame & memorabilia pack. Click here to order yours >>
Featuring a collection of coins straight out of the sixties, this beautifully designed collectors frame is the perfect tribute to an iconic decade. Plus you’ll even receive a memorabilia pack, filled with tickets, manuals, memories and more. Click here to order yours >>