Mint Workers And The Products They Produce...

Posted - Today : 09:38:02 AM
I've always wondered how some of these errors ever get out of the mint. I suspect that the mint workers should be given credit here and to that extent, perform a valuable service. I can think of 5 nickels the world would not have if not for an industrious mint employee.
Jim

I shouldn't tell you this but there is a government department working at the Mint that you are not supposed to know about. This is the Mint Error Secret Service known as MESS. They are responsible for creating, disttributing and notifying the public of so called accidental error coin releases. Have you noticed that as fast as an error is made and distributed the public finds out? Have you noticed the amount of attention in the news media of such errors? This is only one of the many methods the Mint has to make money. It is that department that infiltrates coin forums and coin shows and sells these errors and the profits go back to the Mint.
As to Mint employees collecting coins. Not sure of any law that could ever be made to say what you can or can not do on your own time. Only if I worked with coins all day long, every day, every week all year long I would think the last thing I would want to see at home would be a coin.

Well, many employers are making rules about what you can and can't do with your own time, and money (of course, they are still being challenged).

For example, stock purchases, smoking, being naughty on the Internet or in a magazine.

I see your point Carl. I would think that most mint employees see their work at the as a job. I don't believe too many employees collect what they make everyday.

When I was in my teens, I worked at a movie theatre for a few years. To this day, I cannot stand the smell or the taste of popcorn.

What is next, cavity searches? Better tape those sharp edges
Jim
I'm probably in trouble again, but I just had to.

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I've heard that the mint caught people smuggling error coins out in there shoes...

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I don't know about here in the US, but an employee of the Royal Australian Mint was caught doing this very thing last year with $2 coins- more than $130,000 worth.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national...5228544.html

OK...it may seem extreme, but, yes, the Mint can develop and implement policy that would prevent "conflict of interest" activities by its employees. That wouldn't specifically prohibit coin collecting, but could, potentially, prevent dealing in certain types of coins, especially "error" coins and unauthorized minted coins. It should be agains the rules for mint employees to strike coins that they subsequently pilfer and sell for a profit.

I would bet big bucks that the mint has policy (or policies) in place that prohibit employees from knowing/intentionally minting errors or unauthorized coins, from financially benefitting from such activities, or from making such activities possible by third parties.

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If you worked in Pizza place all day, would you want a Pizza when you got home?

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Did for 12 1/2 years, had a pizza most every day for break, still ate a lot of pizza after I got home and on my days off. Still eat a lot of it today. I'm the exception I guess.