As of 1 January 2022, Bert van Ravenswaaij will be officially appointed Mint Master. Van Ravenswaaij has been active at the Royal Dutch Mint since 2017 and is responsible, among other things, for all issues for the collectors’ market, including commemorative coins and medals. During this period, the Royal Dutch Mint started to tell more and more stories using the coin as a means of communication. His passion for coins, combined with his broad interest in subjects that affect society, make him perfectly suited for the role of Mint Master.
Mint Master
Since 1816 there has been a Mint Master who used to be formally responsible for the quality of the coins that were minted. The coins used to be formally approved by minting the privy mark on the coin. The quality process and technical approval are now fully secured in the processes at a modern mint, but Van Ravenswaaij and his team are still responsible for the visual assessment of the coins that the Royal Dutch Mint issues. Furthermore, the Mint Master role also includes ceremonial duties.
Privy Mark
The title of Mint Master also includes a personal symbol (privy mark). Together with the mint mark, this can be found on Dutch circulation coins, Dutch collectors’ items and the Royal Awards. The privy mark of Bert van Ravenswaaij is the raven. “Ravenswaaij” comes from the Germanic word “hraban”, which means raven. A raven is an intelligent animal, strongly socially oriented. The Royal Dutch Mint wants to be at the centre of society through the various issues for the different collectors. The privy mark underlines this.
This is the website of the Royal Dutch Mint.
And if you want to see more coins issued by the Royal Dutch Mint, you can check out the Cosmos of Collectibles database.
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