On the occasion of placing a new series of coins of the National Bank of Serbia in denominations of 1, 5 and 10 dinars into circulation, a new theme exhibition named “Coin Minting – from the Conceptual Design to the Mint“ was opened on 1 July 2005. The exhibition shows the process of coin production, from coin design, semi-products and minting tools, to the process of coin minting itself.
The usage of coins in everyday life goes far back in history. The then established process of manufacturing has in the course of time only been perfected by applying contemporary technological achievements. Until mid-16th century coin mints in Europe represented a kind of artistic workshops where the entire manufacturing process based on the usage of few hand-made tools took place. The commencement of machine minting greatly enhanced the manufacturing process, upgrading the quality of coins, above all in respect of their appearance. This method resulted in more uniform coin features which conveyed a common message in both artistic and technical sense.
Various metal alloys whose composition is suitable for the minting process are used in minting coins. Contemporary coins intended for circulation are predominantly made of alloys comprising copper, nickel, zinc and aluminium; frequently used alloys nowadays are new silver and Nordic gold(the latter being used in the production of euro cent denominations).
Coinage issued by the National Bank of Serbia for the purpose of circulation in the Republic of Serbia is manufactured by the Institute for Manufacturing Banknotes and Coins – Topčider. This specialized organisation is a part of the National Bank of Serbia and has a long tradition in manufacturing coins that dates back to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia when the first facilities for manufacturing coinage were installed in 1938 and the Mint's operations began.
As the manufacturing and issuing of money represents one of the important features of state sovereignty, in addition to the nominal value of money and the year of minting, elements such as the coat of arms and the appropriate emblems and inscriptions indicating the state, and the issuing bank, are also incorporated in the design of money.
Apart from its basic function as a means of payment, money has many cultural, sociological and other intrinsic values.