The Royal Mint has been recognised as finalists for three International Association of Currency Affairs (IACA) 2015 Excellence in Currency Awards at the recent Coin Conference in Madrid. The two-day Coin Conference is the only event specifically focused on coins and was attended by around 250 delegates from across the industry and around the world.
One of the awards was in the Best New Circulating Coin or Coin Series category for the Bank of Tanzania’s new 500-Shilingi coin. A forward-thinking central bank, the Bank of Tanzania has replaced a low-value banknote with a lower-cost coin that boasts modern, visual security features.
Jovent Rushaka, Manager of Currency at the Bank of Tanzania, told the 250 delegates at the conference how the new coin has been very well-received and gave clear financial justification for the change. The new coin has brought savings for the central bank and has also piqued the public’s interest in their currency.
The Coin Reclamation Programme was a finalist in the Best Coin Innovation category. This initiative has returned more than £35m to the United Kingdom’s Government by replacing cupro-nickel 5p and 10p coins with long-lasting aRMour® mono-ply nickel-plated coins. The new coins look the same but offer a significant saving compared with the cost of their homogeneous equivalent.
The final campaign to be highlighted for the Best Public Education category was the Lucky Silver Penny Campaign, which saw The Royal Mint gift over 1,250 Silver Pennies to babies born on the same day as Her Majesty The Queen’s great-granddaughter, Princess Charlotte.
In addition to the awards, the conference also featured presentations and workshops from central banks, mints and other industry experts to encourage discussion about the coin tendering process and coin innovations.
Andrew Mills, Director of Circulating Coin at The Royal Mint, was delighted with the impact achieved by The Royal Mint.
“As the world’s leading export mint with customers all over the globe, we recognised the opportunity this conference gave to remind the industry why we are number one. Every element of our presence reinforced our market-defining approach and we all look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationships with industry professionals and representatives of issuing authorities.”
