With a history stretching over 1,100 years, The Royal Mint has forged a fascinating story through the world of historic coins. As the second oldest mint in the world, and the oldest company in the UK, their history is entwined with the 61 monarchs who have ruled England and Britain.
The Royal Mint has struck coins for every monarch, creating an unrivalled collection of coins, each one with its own history to unravel. Many of these historic coins have increased in value over time, making them an ideal collector’s item too.
In this video Dan Snow gets a rare glimpse of the hidden treasures kept behind the doors at The Royal Mint Museum. He discovers the fascinating story behind the Edward VIII Sovereign, a 22-carat gold coin that was created when Edward ascended the throne. However the coins were never released to the public as Edward VIII abdicated to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. With only six ever made, these are the rarest British coins in existence. But why does Edward face the wrong way on his coin?
Up Next in Everyday Life
-
Hieroglyphs: Unlocking Ancient Egypt
2022 isn't just 100 years since the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. It's also exactly 200 years since one of history's greatest linguistic puzzles was cracked: when Jean-Francois Champollion made the ultimate breakthrough and deciphered the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic code. To mark this very s...
-
My Life and World War Two
Happy Birthday Victor Gregg - he has turned 100 this week. Victor volunteered to join the army before the Second World War and he fought all the way through - from clashes with the Italians in North Africa in 1940 to being captured 75 years ago this autumn at Arnhem. He was a Prisoner of War in D...
-
Surviving Under Rule: The Story of Oc...
After their country was invaded in 1939 on two fronts, by both German and Soviet forces, those who lived in occupied Poland throughout the Second World War endured some of the most appalling living conditions and became the victims of the most horrific war crimes of the Holocaust. From the ghetto...
3 Comments