They have been minting small coins for 30 years. The Czech Mint put billions of them into circulation

We have been minting circulation coins for 30 years, source: Pavel Dobrovský

He has been minting Czech coins for thirty years, which we all use to pay every day. In that time, it has delivered three and a half billion of them into circulation. But it can also mint coins to order. The smallest one produced by the local master medallists weighs half a gram and measures eleven millimetres. The largest ones, by contrast, weigh ten kilograms and are listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. The world record, however, is a coin with a diameter of 535 millimetres and a thickness of 48 millimetres, weighing 130 kilograms. It is made of pure gold. Its face value is CZK 100 million and the mintage is only one unsold piece.

The main topic of the Interview Plus programme on CNN Prima NEWS was the Czech Mint in Jablonec nad Nisou. Aleš Brix, a member of the Czech Mint's Board of Directors responsible for sales and marketing, answered the questions of the presenter Michaela Dragounová. According to him, the first circulating coin in the Czech Republic was the fifty-haler.

The unique design of the coins

Every year there is someone who tries to counterfeit Czech banknotes. In 2016, for example, the Czech National Bank caught more than two thousand of them. Some fraudsters also try to counterfeit coins, but as Aleš Brix says, these have almost zero chance of success. "That makes no sense at all. It takes a lot of know-how to produce coins and it doesn't pay off when you don't have the right tools. A counterfeit is very quickly recognisable."

In order to produce metal coins, the Czech Mint has to go through a proper selection process. "We go through a standard selection procedure to produce any coin or medal for the Czech National Bank. And so far we have found that thanks to the erudition, quality and also thanks to how honestly the Czech Mint has been doing its job for 30 years, we have been successful in the tenders," says Aleš Brix. He adds that the daily production of common coins can reach up to two hundred and fifty thousand pieces.

All of them have their own unique design, which is worked on by talented medallists. The Czech Mint has been supporting them for a long time, even at the very beginning - during their studies. "Above all, we support the education of new authors and new medallists. There we select and then cooperate with renowned artists and medallists. The range of these people is very wide," explains Aleš Brix in Interview PLUS.

Coins and medals on order

In addition to regular circulation, the Czech Mint also mints investment or commemorative coins and medals. These can also be produced to order. "You can commission your own production. It depends on whether you choose to produce them in gold or silver. Gold is about forty to fifty times more expensive than silver. Depending on how the price fluctuates. Of course, it also depends on the type of production, minting and the technology used," explains Aleš Brix, which determines the price of coins. It can go from tens of thousands of crowns to millions, he says.

Don't overlook: gold available for everyone! How is this possible?

The Czech Mint, however, normally mints coins made of other metals, not only silver and gold. "In production, they like to say that every metal flows differently. We produce from platinum, which is not quite common, and we have also produced coins from palladium. Then, of course, from common metals such as brass, copper, etc.," says a member of the board of the Czech Mint.

Those who want to can use the talents and ideas of the master medallists directly from the Czech Mint. Or come up with your own design proposal. "We have our creative colleagues and a workshop where we make designs. We realise either in the classic pencil-and-paper style, and these are probably the most attractive and best executed. Then, of course, you can use electronics, but you can bring your own design and we'll adapt it to make a coin or a medal," says Aleš Brix.

3x Best

The Czech Mint even has one of its works in the Guinness Book of Records. A ten-kilogram gold coin, which is produced in series, has been placed there. It has a diameter of 165 mm. Another rare piece is a one-off coin produced to mark the centenary of the Czechoslovak currency, which is the largest in the world.

 "Our largest coin in the world is deposited in the Czech National Bank, it is 130 kilos of gold and is 53.5 centimetres in diameter. And it has probably the largest Czech denomination, it is 100 000 000 CZK," says Aleš Brix.

On the other hand, the smallest coin weighs half a gram and measures 11 mm in diameter.

But as Aleš Brix says, the Czech Mint has had even greater successes. "What we are really proud of is that we have put the now well-known Czech Lion coin on the world map, which has spread quite quickly and is very popular, both overseas and in the Czech Republic," he says, adding that the coin was also produced to celebrate the founding of the Czech Republic. "We produced the first pieces in 2017 and then with 2018 we were able to spread it to the world."

From tolar to dollar

And he adds a historical tidbit that may surprise some.

 "Five hundred years ago, the Czech Republic gave birth to the dollar. It may seem impossible, but the silver thaler was created in Jáchymov, which then gave birth to the American dollar and their first silver coin during the trade routes of the Dutch and Spanish."

With coins, apart from history, you can also think about the future. "You can save. One puts one's money, especially in these days of relatively high inflation, in precious metal. All you have to do is have a current account and a standing order and choose the type of product on the Mint's website, or you can save according to the monthly amount and save in gold or silver, whichever you choose," says Aleš Brix, explaining how it works with precious metal investments at the Czech Mint.