mennicy

Mennica is the Polish term for a mint, a facility or organization that produces coins, medals, and other metal objects by stamping or casting. In general use, a mennica may be government-operated and responsible for issuing legal tender, or a private or semi-public institution that strikes commemorative or bullion coins.

A mint's operations include metal preparation, die creation, and coin striking. Planchets are produced or prepared, dies are engraved, and coins are struck with presses that imprint designs and relief. Modern mints incorporate security features to deter counterfeiting, perform quality control, refine scrap metal, and manage distribution of circulating and non-circulating pieces.

In Poland, mennica denotes the minting branch of the monetary system; the term is used for the Polish minting industry and for institutions or facilities that produce Poland's coins, medals, and sometimes official seals. The broader concept is linked to a central bank or government authority responsible for currency and to commemorative coin programs.

The word mennica reflects the long European tradition of coin production and is related to terms in other languages for money or coinage. Today, minting combines technological production with numismatic or commemorative activity, serving both everyday currency needs and collectors’ interests.