Wheel Press, Casa de Moneda
The wheel press was used to increase the quality of the engravings found on coins that were produced at the Casa de Moneda, especially of the monarch’s bust, allowing for the production of coins at a much higher standard than was previously possible. Immediately behind the press is a small trough where one coin-smith would stand in order to place the coins in the press while another turned the flywheel above him.
The Real Casa de Moneda, or Royal Mint, is the original Spanish mint where all the coins in Spain where one produced. After the centralization of the manufacture of currency in Madrid in 1869, the building was sold, and from 1879 onwards a flour factory was housed for one hundred years.
The property has recently been renovated, and visitors can now enjoy its two museums, temporary exhibition halls, historic garden and channels with hydraulic wheels, guest house, restaurant and bar-cafeteria.
