New Private Mint: The Dublin Mint Office?!?!?

[Bimat]

Central Bank distances itself from coin firm

Updated: 18:59, Wednesday, 14 March 2012

A company offering commemorative euro coins for sale through the post has no connection with the Central Bank.

The Central Bank says that a company offering commemorative euro coins for sale through the post has no connection with the bank.

Householders have been receiving letters from the commercial company called The Dublin Mint Office offering the €2 coins for sale.

A spokeswoman for the company said the €2 coins have been issued across Europe and by the Central Bank here to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the euro and the Dublin Mint Office is selling them on.

She said the company is a coin selling operation with a mixture of legal tender and purely commemorative pieces.

A spokeswoman for the Central Bank said it issues its own commemoration coins, and that the Dublin Mint Office has no connection with them.

Source: RTE

[translateltd]

The name sounds suspiciously similar to "London Mint Office" - a branch or subsidiary?

[chrisild]

The name sounds suspiciously similar to "London Mint Office" - a branch or subsidiary?

Almost. Actually both the "London Mint Office" and the "Dublin Mint Office" are subsidiaries of the Samlerhuset group.

Christian

[Bimat]

Coins from Dublin Mint Office 'confuse public' says Central Bank of Ireland

Colin Coyle
April 15 2018, 12:01am,
The Sunday Times

The Central Bank of Ireland has written to consumer watchdogs to complain about the activities of the Dublin Mint Office, a private company that sells commemorative coins.

The bank has told the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) that it is concerned that the perceived "officialdom" of the company's name, coupled with its marketing, could mislead consumers.

The Central Bank issues its own commemorative coins to celebrate figures of national importance, and to mark significant events in Irish history.

[...]

Source: The Times

[eurocoin]

[...]

A memo of a phone discussion between the Central Bank and the CCPC, released under freedom of information laws, suggests that confusion has increased in recent years as the Dublin Mint Office, which has been operating since 2011, began selling commemorative 1916 coins, including an Eamon Ceannt silver-plated medal commemorating the Easter Rising for €49.95.

During the phone conversation on February 7, the CCPC said it had also received a number of queries from the public "and a volume of complaints" in relation to the Dublin Mint Office and in particular its "1916-related products".

The CCPC said it was conducting "an analysis" of whether there was any breach of the Consumer Protection Act and the EU consumer rights directive. It is "looking at whether consumers had been misled in terms of products, pricing and legal rights". This analysis has not yet been concluded.

The CCPC told the Central Bank that it could potentially take legal action against the Dublin Mint Office under section 71 of the Consumer Protection Act, which could "potentially prohibit them from selling similar products to the bank's collector
coins".

It could also "consider acting under section 55 (s), which prohibits companies from promoting products similar to those of another manufacturer".

The documents show that the Central Bank subsequently sought legal advice.

In a statement this weekend, the Central Bank confirmed it had written to the ASAI and CCPC to highlight queries raised by the public. "The queries show a level of confusion with regard to a perceived association by the Dublin Mint Office and the Central Bank of Ireland by members of the public," it said.

The CCPC has received 105 contacts from the public in relation to the Dublin Mint Office since the start of 2016. "Our work in analysing these contacts is ongoing and unfortunately we are not able to provide any further information," it said.

The Dublin Mint Office did not respond to queries.

Source: The Times