Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Royal Mint was established as a centralized institution in the Tower of London in the year 1279. Before this date, mints were scattered across the country and operated by local lords or bishops. The Tower mint became the sole producer of coins for the Kingdom of England.
Isaac Newton took up the post of Warden of the Royal Mint in 1696 and launched the Great Recoinage. He transformed the position into a rigorous campaign against counterfeiting and initiated the removal of all coins from circulation. Newton ensured that new coins bore the inscription Decus et tutamen on their rims to deter tampering.
The Royal Mint relocated to a new site in Llantrisant, Wales in 1966. The new facility opened in 1968 and has remained the home of the Royal Mint ever since. The last coin struck in London was a gold sovereign in November 1975.
The Sydney Branch of the Royal Mint opened in 1855 to combat the black-market trade in gold following the 1851 gold rush. The Sydney mint produced over £1,000,000 worth of coins annually in its first five years. The branch eventually closed in 1926.
The Royal Mint opened its Precious Metals Recovery facility in South Wales in 2024. This facility uses world-first patented chemistry to extract gold from electronic waste in minutes. The project is a testament to the mint's commitment to innovation and sustainability.