Industry Insider: COVID Business Landscape: Part V
As we wrap up our look into what changes the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the coin business, we want to thank everyone who participated, sharing their insights and adaptations so that we might share them with our readers. We hope this mini-series has provided a breath of fresh air to all who have read it, while reminding everyone of the resilience and resourcefulness endemic in our shared hobby and industry.
In this last installment, we bring you news from three of the largest producers of gold and silver commemorative and bullion coins in the world, plus an inside look at the workings of two creative coin originators who continue to push the traditional boundaries of modern collectible coinage.
The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) is a central supplier to the world’s gold and silver bullion markets, so it was with trepidation that I read a press release on March 20 announcing a planned, two-week shut-down of the RCM facilities. The plan was to create a divided workforce approach for the safety of the RCM staff and to allow for critical services to be maintained, while still supplying large cast bar products for institutional trading.
Alex Reeves, senior manager, public affairs at the RCM, recently provided us with more detail on their successful changes.
“We did suspend minting operations in Ottawa and Winnipeg, from March 20 to April 6, to allow us to reconfigure shifts and implement protocols allowing employees to maintain critical services in a safe environment. We have now resumed the minting of Canadian and
