Royal Mint Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 2009 |
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| Location | Llantrisant, Wales |
The Royal Mint Museum is a special place in Llantrisant, Wales. It's a museum all about numismatics, which means the study or collection of coins, paper money, and medals. Here, you can see amazing coins, medals, art, and old machines used to make money.
The museum is right next to the Royal Mint, which is where coins are made today. Even though they are neighbors, the museum and the Mint are different organizations. A cool new visitor center, costing £9 million, was built with the Mint's help. This center lets people like you explore some of the museum's fantastic collection.
How the Museum Started
Before 2009, the Royal Mint was run by the government. In 2009, it became a private business, like many other companies. When this happened, a large part of the Mint's collection of coins and medals was moved. This special collection became its own separate place, which is now called the Royal Mint Museum.
In November 2010, the museum became a charity. This means it's a non-profit organization that works for the public good.
What You Can See
The Royal Mint Museum has a huge collection of items that tell the story of money and medals. It's a treasure trove for anyone interested in history and how coins are made.
Some of the amazing things you can find in the museum include:
- The Battle of Waterloo Medal Roll: This is a list of all the soldiers who received a medal for fighting in the famous Battle of Waterloo.
- Unreleased Edward VIII pattern coins: These are special test coins that were made for King Edward VIII, but they were never officially used because he gave up his throne.
- A pre-decimal 1933 penny: This is a very rare old British penny from before the UK changed its money system to decimals.
- Maria Theresa thaler: This is a famous silver coin that was used in many parts of the world for a long time.
- Elizabeth I gold sovereign: A beautiful gold coin from the time of Queen Elizabeth I.
