Many opportunities for storytelling
Once the idea and the funds required for its implementation have been approved, the actual work begins at Swissmint – preparation of the minting programme.
Although many collectors are still used to the idea of three fixed issue dates per year, nowadays we try, as far as possible, to arrange the dates of issue to coincide with commemorated events (for example, the Mani Matter special coin appeared on the 50th anniversary of the singer-songwriter’s death). For us, more issue dates mean more opportunities to get our coins talked about and to get new collectors excited about our products.
We think carefully about what ideas we can link to dates and events, what stories lend themselves to the coins and how we can tell those stories. Obviously we liaise closely with the production teams to ensure that we have the necessary manufacturing capacity. The outcome of all this work is a complete minting programme.
Choosing the topics is challenging. We have to balance the above requirements for a Swissmint special coin with the need to stimulate the interest of existing and new customers. Ultimately, we want to get more and more people enthusiastic about our coins.