The Birmingham Mint

Title: The Birmingham Mint

Location: Icknield Street, Birmingham B18 6EB

Short intro: The famous coin mint, situated on the edge of the Jewellery quarter

Description: The Birmingham Mint began life in 1850, when Ralph Heaton II bought steam-powered equipment from the defunct Soho Mint, originally created by Matthew Boulton in 1788. The mint initially made coins for Australia in 1850; then Chile in 1851, and finally for Napoleon III, ruler of France, from 1853-1857. By 1853 Britain’s Royal Mint was overwhelmed and the Birmingham Mint won their first contract to strike British coins: at their peak producing 110,000 coins per day. The mint continued to produce coinage until the late twentieth century, producing several million €1 and €2 coins. In 2007 the factory itself was unfortunately demolished, and now only the Icknield Street façade remains.