Moneyer

{{short description|Private individual who is officially permitted to mint money}}

{{Numismatics}}

A moneyer is a private individual who is officially permitted to mint money. Usually the rights to coin money are bestowed as a concession by a state or government. Moneyers have a long tradition, dating back at least to ancient Greece. They became most prominent in the Roman Republic, and continued into the Empire. In Rome the position of Triumvir Monetalis, held by three people at a time, was a minor magistracy awarded by the Senate, often the first office held by young politicians, including Marcus Aurelius.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

Moneyers were not limited to the ancient world. During the Middle Ages, European moneyers created currency on behalf of kings and potentates.Philip Grierson, Philip Raymond Grierson, Mark Blackburn, 2007. Medieval European Coinage: The Early Middle Ages (5th-10th Centuries). Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-521-03177-6}}Brooke, G. C. "[http://www.britnumsoc.org/publications/Digital%20BNJ/pdfs/1931_BNJ_21_4.pdf The Medieval Moneyers]". British Numismatic Journal. 1931 (21){{Cite web|url=http://www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-people/medieval-tradesmen-and-merchants/medieval-moneyer-just-add-images/|title = Medieval Moneyer}}{{Cite web|url=https://oldcurrencyexchange.com/2014/06/17/how-hammered-coins-were-made-in-medieval-times-a-video-blog/|title = How hammered coins were made in medieval times (A video blog)|date = 17 June 2014}} For a large part of that era, virtually all coins in circulation were silver pennies, and these often bore the name or other identification of the moneyer.Grierson et al. 2007 In 17th century North America, John Hull acted as a moneyer for the Massachusetts Bay Colony.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}