2020 at The Royal Mint Experience - what we've been up to so far

Although we're currently closed, we've had a busy few months here at The Royal Mint Experience to kickstart 2020 in the best way possible.

We started with our new temporary display, celebrating Britannia throughout history.

Britannia has been an icon of Britain's coinage for more than 2,000 years. She is more than just a symbol - she chronicles the history of the British Isles, channeling the spirit of a nation.

Our temporary display featured a gold-plated replica of Philip Nathan's award-winning model for the original Britannia gold coins of 1987, a pattern half-penny and farthing from 1788, the British Trade Dollar from 1895, a florin of Edward VII, gold bulion coins and of course, an original Brit Award statuette from 1992.

Marking a moment in British history

On 31st January we marked the date that the UK left the European Union with the opportunity to strike the official commemorative UK 50 pence. It was a pivotal moment in UK history and we welcomed over 2,000 visitors through our doors over 24 hours.

Tales from The Earth

During February we took a trip back in time to visit Dinosauria with the launch of The Royal Mint's new range of coins, featuring dinosaurs that have been discovered right here in the UK.

Bob Nicholls, renowned paleoartist and now coin designer, joined us over half term to teach guests how to accurately draw a dinosaur from the inside out. We recreated these magnificent beasts on paper starting from fossils to a skeleton, then soft tissue and integument, then colour and pose.

Young explorers with a more physically adventurours nature then took part in our fun and educational workshops, 'Time Travelling Heroes', in partnership with The Family Events Company. Under the supervision of Dinosaur Dean and his trusty pal, Dino, our heroes worked to calm dino, save the dinosaur eggs and return to 2020 for a brief lesson about the endangered species of today, environmental impact and what they can do to help.

Shaun - The 'model' sheep

What better way to celebrate St David's Day than with a workshop hosted by Aardman model making experts, teaching everyone how to make their very own Shaun the Sheep? We had over 100 people of all ages come along to build their own character and we couldn't be more proud of the results!

Currency Undercover

The most recent addition to our exhibition tells a hidden story of how money and gold was used in covert operations and missions. It features Monopoly boards containing hidden maps, hollowed out coins, barrels used to transport gold during the First World War, examples from The Royal Mint's recently-released James Bond collection, and even the attaché case hiding 50 gold sovereigns from the 1963 film, "From Russia With Love."

The exhibition also features a number of interactive activities exploring how hidden messages and security features are used in coins today, the opportunity to test your code breaking skills with a replica cryptex, and our now-staple and popular feature - the 400oz gold bar worth over £400,000 that you can (attempt to) lift from its stand!

You can read more about the exhibition here.

See you all soon!

We can't wait to reopen our doors and invite everyone back to The Royal Mint Experience later in the year. For now, you can find all the latest information and updates on our website or social media channels.

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