A government mint is a facility that is owned and operated by a government or sovereign for the purpose of producing a nation’s coins and currency. Coins are made in several varieties, with the primary being coinage that will be circulated as money for the purpose of transacting. It should be noted that aside from manufacturing currency, some government mints also produce other products such as bullion bars.

Government mints have been around since the 7th century B.C. Various cultures began producing coins from metal to be used as a sign of wealth. The Roman Empire eventually took minting to another level. The Romans had several different mints in various locations. Coinage was produced for transacting and often times carried the likeness of Roman emperors. Although mints and their minting methods have changed drastically throughout history, a government mint’s primary job has always remained the same.

Types of Coins

A government mint may produce several different types of coins. Here we will outline the basics of government mint coin production.

• Circulating Coins are used for everyday monetary transactions. These are the types of coins you may have rattling around in your pocket right now and in the U.S. includes quarters, dimes, nickels or pennies.

• Bullion Coins are coins that are produced containing pure bullion or precious metals. Bullion coins have a face value and are considered good, legal tender. These coins are far more valuable, however, than their face value. The value of bullion coins is determined by their metal content. A coin containing an ounce of pure gold, for example, will be valued based on the one ounce gold price.

• Collectible and Proof Coins are specialty coins produced by government mints to commemorate significant historic events or figures. These coins may also be produced with beautiful designs or other creative imprints. Collectible coins are typically of very limited mintage making them sought after not only for their beauty and potential bullion content, but also for their relative scarcity.

Government Mint Bullion

There are only a couple of government mints that produce bullion bars or other non-coin products. The Royal Canadian Mint and the Perth Mint are probably the two most popular which produce both bullion bars, coinage and currency.

The Perth mint produces both gold and silver bullion bars and coins. The Royal Canadian Mint also produces both gold and silver bullion bars and coins. There could be many reasons that other governments do not sell bullion bars. This could be due to their specific charter or the lower premiums attached to bullion bars compared to coins among many other things.

Government Bullion Coins

Whether in the U.S., Australia, the U.K. or Canada, government mints have a lot in common. When it comes to producing coinage, these government mints all strive to produce beautiful, pure and high quality coins. Some of the things that all government mints consider when producing coins are the design, metal content, purity and mintage number.

Government mint coins typically are the creations of artists or very talented designers who produce the image that the coin will feature. A great deal of thought and consideration goes into the design of any coin as it will represent the country that is making it. Government minted coins often have a design that is intended to be symbolic in nature. These designs will usually revolve around various patriotic themes. The American gold eagle coin is a great example. In addition to the coin’s design, the mints also take great pride and care in the purity of the bullion used in the coin. While these purity levels can vary from gold to silver and from various coin types, generally speaking government mints use bullion that has a high degree of purity. Here we will outline a few examples to highlight what we are talking about:

• American Gold Eagle – This coin is produced by the U.S. Mint and features a stunning American bald eagle design as well as an image of Lady Liberty. Gold eagles contain 91.67 percent pure gold. Gold eagles are available in several weights.

• America the Beautiful Series – This is a collector’s coin series produced by the U.S. Mint. These coins have a face value of $.25 and come in various designs. These coins are made of .999 fine silver. Because of their designs these coins are more of a collectible than anything else.

• Canadian Maple Leaf – This coin is available in both gold and silver and is a very popular coin. It features the symbolic Canadian maple leaf design with the portrait of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. The maple leaf coin is one of the purest gold and silver coins around with a purity of .9999 percent fine gold and .9999 percent fine silver. Gold maple leafs are available in several weights.

• Chinese Panda – This is another great example of a government mint coin. The panda features the Chinese panda design and contains .999 percent fine gold. The Chinese panda also comes in various weights. This is another great example of a government mint gold bullion coin featuring a very patriotic design.

Buying Government Bullion and Coins From us

Here, we strive to provide our customers with only the highest quality products. Various government mints produce some of the finest products available today. In addition, government mint products come with the added benefit of having confidence in the products being bought, their purity and their quality. We buy directly from these mints in order to ensure that you receive a quality product. Coins come sealed in tubes or monster boxes from the mint and if you purchase a mint quantity from us, that is how you will receive your coins. If you purchase a non-mint quantity, then individual coins will be placed into plastic flips for shipment. As an added value to our loyal customers, we offer free shipping on all orders over $499 in order to help ensure the best customer experience possible.