Next Week, It’s Time for the Coin Conference 2024!

Next week, over 200 representatives from issuing authorities, mints, academics and suppliers from around the world will be coming together in Lisbon to discuss and debate the latest issues, challenges and opportunities facing circulating coins. The conference is unique in bringing together such a broad cross-section of stakeholders – from decision-makers on issue and circulation to those who provide the tools for secure, attractive, cost-effective and sustainable coins.

The inaugural Coin Conference was held in London in 2011, and this is the 7th edition. This year’s conference promises to be a comprehensive exploration of circulating coins and their crucial role in national currency strategies. The professionally curated programme addresses every aspect of the coin lifecycle, with a particular emphasis on the challenges of circulation.

Programme – The Workshops

The Coin Conference offers a great programme, giving delegates the chance to come together and hear case studies and presentations on cash strategies for circulating coins, told from the perspective of currency issuers.

Monday 28 October 9:00 – 12:30 Workshop 1:

That was Then, This is Now – the New Priorities for Coin Issuers

At the Coin Conference in 2017 in Warsaw, the MDC Technical Committee Customer Taskforce held a workshop for national authorities (central banks and finance ministries/treasury departments) to discuss and identify their key priorities for circulating coins. Participants from 23 different countries were asked to rank these priorities in terms of public perception, seigniorage, security, trust, attractiveness, innovation and obligation – with a survey at the start and end of the workshop resulting in a surprising shift of views.

But that was then. What about now? The last seven years have seen a global pandemic, geopolitical and economic turmoil, and the rise of digital payments. Has this changed the perception of national authorities towards cash and coins, and have their priorities changed? If so how, and to what? And what does this mean for issue departments, producers and others in the cash cycle?  The Taskforce (now under the auspices of the International Mint Industry Association and still led by Dieter Merkle of Schuler) will revisit the attributes of coins, involving national authorities in discussion and debate about the importance of coins and ensuring that their changing priorities (if, indeed, these have changed) are understood and acted upon by all those in the coin cycle.

Monday 28 October 13:30 – 17:00 Workshop 2:

Commemorative Coins for an International and a Domestic Market

Banknotes are often referred to as a nation’s ‘calling card’. So are coins. Unlike banknotes, there is a large and growing market for commemorative coins not only domestically but internationally that not only celebrate cultural attributes, special events and achievements, but also anchor the value of coins in public consciousness and generate revenues for issuing authorities and mints. At least, that’s the theory. But whilst some commemorative coin issues are spectacular successes, others flop. To avoid this, it is essential to choose themes and motifs that will resonate with collectors. But how to do this?

This workshop is aimed at central banks and national mints that are considering producing and distributing commemorative coins commercially. It is about the rules they need to know to enter an international market. In particular, when it comes to the choice of themes and motifs that are possible today, different markets have different preferences and, above all, different taboos. In this workshop, run by Ursula Kampmann of CoinsWeekly, participants will work together to identify the most important markets and connect them with the most popular motifs there, learning about how the collectors market works, how to avoid intercultural sensitivities and differences, new techniques for commemorative coins, and what it takes to offer coins that are interesting to collectors.

Programme – The Sessions