Newsletter: March 2026

Welcome to the March edition of the Royal Mint Museum newsletter, a month filled with exciting new developments across the Museum. Our Short Story Competition is now in full swing, with the first entries already arriving and plenty of gold-themed creativity on display. We have celebrated the recognition of our early coinage tool collection through the Pilot Wales Significance Scheme, released three hundred remarkable tools online for the public to explore, shared our work through talks in the community, returned to the studio to create new podcast content, and seen our education team launch new workshops and virtual sessions. It has been a busy and inspiring month, and we are delighted to share the highlights with you.

Short Story Competition Update

The Royal Mint Museum’s annual Short Story Competition is now officially open for entries, and the first stories have already begun to arrive. Now in its sixth year, our popular nationwide contest invites young writers aged 7 to 11 to craft an original tale of up to 500 words inspired by this year’s theme: Gold. From hidden treasure and glittering hoards to secret vaults and shimmering adventures, it has been wonderful to see children’s imaginations begin to shine as they interpret the theme in their own creative ways.

Entries can be submitted online or by post, and the competition remains open until 17 April 2026, so there is still time to get those stories in. Full details, inspiration pages, and optional planning worksheets are available on our website to help young authors develop their ideas and bring their golden stories to life. Just visit https://www.royalmintmuseum.org.uk/learning/short-story-competition/

This year’s winner will receive a gold coin, five thousand pounds for their school or local library, and the exciting opportunity to have their story professionally illustrated. We are very much looking forward to reading all the entries once the competition closes.

If you have any questions, please contact:storycompetition@royalmintmuseum.org.uk

Pilot Wales Significance Scheme

We are delighted to announce that we have successfully put forward our early coinage tool collection to be part of a pilot recognition type scheme for museums in Wales. The working title for the scheme has been Cydnabod and it aims to recognises the special status of collections in regional museums across Wales. The pilot scheme has now finished, and we hope it will go forward to Welsh Government for approval later this year.

This month, we are also pleased to share that 300 early coinage tools from this remarkable collection are now available to explore on our Collection Online site. Dating from the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries, these tools include dies, punches, and medieval hand held instruments such as the pile and trussel. Very few examples from the medieval and early modern periods survive, making our collection largest and most varied of its kind in the United Kingdom. Their importance spans artistic, industrial, numismatic, and metallurgical history, and their newly published records offer researchers, students, and enthusiasts an unprecedented opportunity to study these rare objects in detail. You can view the full set now at: https://royalmintmuseum.collectionsindex.com/results.

Secret Life of Coins Podcast

This month, our podcast team has been back in the studio creating new content and preparing a series of bonus episodes that take listeners behind the scenes of Secret Life of Coins. These focused episodes feature extended interview material and deeper explorations of some of the most captivating stories from our previous series. Listeners will be able to hear how Dr Andrew Strangeway helps keep Big Ben running on time, learn from Chief Engraver Gordon Summers about the artistry behind transforming coins into jewellery, join researcher Janette Bright at the Foundling Museum to uncover the poignant history of eighteenth century foundling tokens, and experience the nostalgic charm of Williamsons Old Penny Arcade with Peter Williamson and his remarkable collection of vintage machines. These episodes will be released throughout March and April and can be found on our website or by searching Secret Life of Coins on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any major podcast platform.

This month also saw members of our team, including David Mason and Susan Sandford, visit the British Museum to explore an extraordinary hoard of more than 2,000 silver pennies discovered in the Chew Valley in North Somerset. Dating from the turbulent years following the Norman Conquest, the hoard, 2,584 coins in total, was acquired by the South West Heritage Trust on behalf of Somerset Council with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund, the Friends of the Museum of Somerset, and the Somerset Archaeological & Natural History Society. We are grateful to Amal Khreisheh, Senior Curator for South West Heritage Trust, and Wendy Scott, Curator of Hoards at the British Museum, for sharing their knowledge and expertise, which will feature in an episode later this year. 

Education round-up

The spring term has been a very busy one for our education team. We have engaged with a wide range of schools and groups through education events and workshops, and we are pleased to see an increase in the number of local schools visiting The Royal Mint Experience compared with last year.

We have launched a new workshop for schools aimed at pupils in Years 5 and 6, focusing on the role of the Mint during the turbulent period of the Second World War. Working in groups, pupils plan a weekly budget using real pre decimal coins before visiting our wartime general store to purchase provisions. The workshop explores both history and social change during the era while also encouraging pupils to apply their mathematical skills. If you would like to book this workshop, please visit the Educational Visits section of The Royal Mint Experience website.

The Royal Mint Museum is now offering Virtual Visits, enabling schools across the United Kingdom to take part in live online sessions delivered through Microsoft Teams. So far this academic year, we have delivered Virtual Visits to more than six hundred pupils, and we are currently able to offer these sessions free of charge. Schools can choose from a variety of topics, including the following:

• Life at the Mint today or historical sessions on the Tudor Mint, the Victorian Mint or the Mint at War

• The processes involved in designing United Kingdom coinage and the designs found on coins from around the world

• An investigation into the materials used in coin production through our Metals workshop

To find out more or to discuss a booking, please contact us at museumenquiries@royalmintmuseum.org.uk.

And finally…

Our Interpretation and Engagement Manager, Abigail Kenvyn, has been out and about recently giving a talk to the Penarth Probus Club at a beautiful seaside location in Sully on the South Wales coast. The talk was about the long history of the Royal Mint and was thoroughly enjoyed by the members who asked lots of really interesting questions.

We love giving talks such as this so if you would like one of our team to come a speak to your group, do get in touch!