May 28, 2015 – In its long history the British Royal Mint has minted coins for many nations. This is demonstrated vividly by the project ‘Around the World in 80 Coins’ which borrows its name from the popular novel by Jules Verne.
On the website of the Royal Mint Museum the new project welcomes visitors with an interactive map of the world.
By clicking on one of the coloured continents this region is enlarged and small pins indicate those countries on which further information are offered. Each pin stands for a coin with a short story.
About Mauritius one learns e.g. that a lot of research had to be done in order to depict the correct kind of deer as representative of the country on their coins. In Peru the year was written out in words, in 1933 the Commonwealth state of New Zealand experienced political tensions over the design of new coins. In order to distinguish Australia’s coins minted in London from those minted downunder, they received a mintmark which recalled one used by the London mint in Roman times. All these and many more small oddities and pieces of information can be found in this map.
The site has a very attractive design and invites to click and learn.
Those who want to learn even more should not miss the main website of the Royal Mint Museum.