The announcement in 1966 that Britain’s historic system of coinage was to be decimalised confirmed the need for a new Mint. To meet the demands of the new decimal system, a completely new Royal Mint was built. Work began in August 1967 at Llantrisant, South Wales, where the new site was being built – a move from the old site in Tower Hill, London. Her Late Majesty The Queen opened the first phase of the new site in December 1968.

The 1976 Sovereign was the first released Sovereign to be struck in Llantrisant and the first Sovereign to be struck outside of the UK since 1932’s South Africa issue.