Portillo visits the Llantrisant mint - I think !!!

[1949threepence]

Just a quick heads up on tomorrow night's (Tuesday 9th January) Great British Railway journeys. Michael Portillo touring South Wales and in the preview for the next programme said he would be finding out how money is made in Wales, with a shot of newly minted coins - so I took this to mean he'd be visiting the mint

BBC2: 6:30pm Tuesday 9.1.18, if anybody interested.   

 

Edited January 8, 2018 by 1949threepence

[Unwilling Numismatist]

Thanks for the heads-up. I'm booked for a visit there in a couple of weeks

[1949threepence]

1 hour ago, Unwilling Numismatist said:

Thanks for the heads-up. I'm booked for a visit there in a couple of weeks

Hope you enjoy the visit 

[Unwilling Numismatist]

Thanks Mike, I hope I do - I might even end up with a 2018 Isaac Newton 50p if I'm lucky (As I don't think they'll let me do a 1935 VIP Rockinghorse lol)  

Not sure when they'lll stop the strike-your-own Isaac's, "limited time" isn't very clear.

 

[1949threepence]

Tried to watch this late on Tuesday night, but was dropping off to sleep, so didn't take much in. Have watched properly just now. During his visit, Michael concentrated on the production of the sovereign. He initially met the museum director, Dr Kevin Clancy, who gave him a brief history of the sovereign, which go back to the reign of Henry VII in 1489. He looked at two, one a hammered specimen, and the other was an example from Edward VII. Sovereigns remained as a currency coin until WW1 when they were replaced by paper notes - the public having been urged to give them up for the war effort, in exchange for war loans or in return for Treasury notes.

Transferring to the mint itself, Michael then loaded a blank, and operated the die to produce a 22 carat, bullion, 2017 sovereign. Struck three times, and the force is 70 tons. He then was escorted by head of security, Mark Shutt to the very heart of the mint, and shown into a room with a number of pure gold ingots on a table (10), each weighing 40 kilos, total value approx £3.5 million. . They called them "bars". He was allowed to handle one, but only with gloves on, and there were a couple of security guards looking on. In fact security was shown to be tight throughout, as he was searched twice.

All in all, very interesting and well worth a watch if you get time.   

      

         

[Peckris]

It was Portillo's leap backwards when he tried to retrieve the coin he'd just struck, and the machine gave a loud click, that gave me the biggest laugh!

[Unwilling Numismatist]

I did enjoy that moment too, and am looking forward to my own tour on Saturday. I shall expect to see 140k of Cupro-Nickel and a machine equipped for striking considerably less than a sovereign though

 

Edited January 15, 2018 by Unwilling Numismatist

[Andy77]

If you visit the mint, is there any chance you can give them old pre decimal coins back and get face value back? 

[Rob]

3 minutes ago, Andy77 said:

If you visit the mint, is there any chance you can give them old pre decimal coins back and get face value back? 

Why would you do that?

1 new pence is 2.4 old pence. The scrap copper value is a couple (new) pence per old penny. i.e 5 times or so face.

[Andy77]

But nobody wants to take them off my hands for scrap value do they? And can you actually "scrap" them, I thought you weren't allowed to melt them down? Which is why I suggested the mint, as obviously they can melt down old coins. If I could find someone willing to take my dad's coins for scrap value, I'm sure I'd snap their arm off. Think I have about 5kg of pennies, might be more, shall have to weigh them all again at some point. I did start "hiding" some of the more modern ones around my local town for other people to find and enjoy.

[Rob]

All dealers will buy coins - they have to in order to make a living. Whereabouts are you? There might be someone close.

[Andy77]

I'm in North Yorkshire and contacted a dealer in York about how many kg of pennies I had, no reply to my email...

 

[Rob]

The York Fair is at the racecourse this coming Friday and Saturday. Plenty of dealers there in one place, so you could pop in if you are close.

[Andy77]

Thanks for the suggestion, but sadly I'm away in Mansfield this weekend, I'm not sure I'd make my petrol money back would I for 5kg of pennies?

[Rob]

3 minutes ago, Andy77 said:

Thanks for the suggestion, but sadly I'm away in Mansfield this weekend, I'm not sure I'd make my petrol money back would I for 5kg of pennies?

Nope.

[Andy77]

I will list them all on here at some point, I have separated the coins with H to the left of the date though, sadly I think there's only around 5 of them, so may list them on ebay separately as a job lot. My dad bought and sold coins through ebay, these pennies are in an old money box and cigar tin, and felt lined box, there are so many, not sure why he never got around to selling them. Maybe not much interest, as they are mostly very common.

On the subject of the programme, I do quite enjoy it, even with Portillo presenting it.