Medals Club

Created in 1977, the Medals Club of the Brazilian Mint is a cultural organization that brings together enthusiasts with a common interest in medals. The Club disseminates information about numismatics in Brazil through exhibitions and public launches of medals celebrating relevant historical, cultural, religious and sporting events.

Medals are crafted to the Mint’s high standards of quality. Each is a unique piece of individually minted workmanship, hand-finished with patina (aging effect), contrast (by juxtaposing polished and matte finish) or color by manually applying resin.

Medals and commemorative coins

2015

In March, Rio de Janeiro’s 450th anniversary was commemorated with a gold, silver and bronze medal drawing inspiration from the skyline of Morro Dois Irmãos and Leblon Beach. The Mint also produced the 1st of March Medal granted by the City Hall of Rio de Janeiro to citizens for services rendered to the city.

A medal commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Marshal Cândido Rondon, created by the Brazilian Army and designed by our own artists, was launched in May. A mintage of 500 medals (150 gold-plated bronze, 250 bronze, 95 silver and 5 gold medals) was produced. Another medal linked to the Brazilian Armed Forces was launched the following month celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Riachuelo.

Another two medals were sports-related. ABC Futebol Clube, of Natal (RN), commissioned a medal celebrating its centenary, crafted of gold, silver, resinated silver, resinated gold-plated bronze, resinated bronze, gold-plated bronze and bronze. Clube de Regatas Flamengo (RJ), or simply Flamengo, as it is popularly known, celebrated its120th anniversary with a medal created and designed by the Mint.

In culture, three new medals were launched: in August, a medal celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Rock in Rio music festival; in September, a medal celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Museum of Image and Sound of Rio de Janeiro (MIS-RJ); and in October, a medal celebrating the 80th birthday of Maurício de Sousa, the creator of the comic series Monica's Gang.

In December, the city of Salvador (where the Mint’s headquarters were once located) commissioned a commemorative coin as part of the World Heritage Cities of Brazil series.

2016

A highlight in 2016 was the launch of the Rio 2016 licensed merchandise medals. Five models were available: Olympic Torch (symbolizing the link between the ancient and modern Olympic Games), Olympic Games in the Modern Era, Mascot Tom and the City, Mascot Vinicius and the City and Mascot Ginga and Team Brazil. The Olympic Torch medal was gold, the Olympic Games medal was silver, and the other three were bronze.

In August, the Mint launched a medal celebrating 100 years of Brazilian naval aviation, in gold, silver and bronze versions. The following month, the second centenary of the School of Fine Arts of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro was celebrated by two commemorative coins available in gold, silver with resin and bronze with resin versions.

On October 12, a series of medals was launched in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of Aparecida. The medals were unveiled (in gold-plated silver, silver and bronze versions ) in a ceremony held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida (Aparecida, SP). In November, a commemorative coin in tribute to Olinda (PE) was launched as part to the World Heritage Cities Series.

The last new release in 2016 was in Rio de Janeiro: three medals celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first samba recording (Pelo Telefone, 1916), produced in gold-plated silver, silver and bronze versions.

Production and sales of Rio 2016 commemorative coins

With a total of 320,234,124 units produced, the Mint recorded revenue of R$ 145,513,118.63 and estimated profit of R$ 14,551,311.86 in 2016. Source: Monetary System Service Division (SEMO).

10-year passport release

The new Brazilian passport, with a 10-year validity period, was released in July 2015 in a joint project of the Mint, the Federal Police Department (DPF), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Data Processing Service (SERPRO). Manufactured exclusively by the Mint, the new passport incorporates a number changes to accommodate the 10-year validity period. These include the use of a new security ink and an encryption model that ensures the integrity of, and restricts access to, the biographic and biometric data recorded on the chip. The Mint invested R$ 7.5 million in new equipment, increasing annual production capacity to more than three million passports.

There were a number of unexpected disruptions in passport production in 2016. A disruption in the normal supply of materials for production extended over a period of approximately two months, before being finally resolved in June. That same month, one of the laser perforation units used in the production of passport booklets experienced a critical failure, causing a second stoppage of production and triggering a quick investigation to repair the damaged component.

As a result, the normal timeframe for passport delivery was extended. To meet passport demand in the meantime, the Mint was authorized by the Federal Police Department to produce a special series of passports without the perforated numbering (but fully valid and containing all other security features). Production was stabilized and normal lead times were reestablished in October. An extra effort was required from the departments directly and indirectly involved to produce and deliver a backlog of 190,000 passports.

Gender and Race Equity Mark

In November 2015 the Mint was presented with a Gender and Race Equity Mark by the Special Office for Women's Policies. In its fifth edition, the award recognizes efforts in industry to create a workplace that is free of discrimination and prejudice on the basis of gender and race. The Mint voluntarily subscribed to the Gender and Race Equity Program in 2013. We have since implemented a number of equity initiatives such as such including same-sex partners as dependents for income tax deductions, using individuals’ chosen names within the company and organizing lectures on religious intolerance, human diversity and gender and race issues. [GRI G4-15]

Hague Apostille

On August 15, 2016 the Mint and the National Council of Justice (CNJ) launched the Brazilian Hague Apostille. An apostille allows public documents to be recognized in a foreign jurisdiction under the Hague Apostille Convention, to which Brazil acceded in the second half of 2015. Apostilles make the legalization of documents among the 112 signatory countries a simpler and more efficient process, with the mutual recognition of Brazilian documents in foreign jurisdictions and vice versa. Brazilian apostilles are manufactured exclusively by the Brazilian Mint under CNJ Resolution 228 (06/22/2016) and are available from all notary offices.

ABNT Certifications

Adding to our certification to ISO 9001 (Quality Management System), in July 2015 the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT) certified the Mint’s Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE) Management System to ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System) and OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems). These certifications – which were obtained following an audit by ABNT on system conformity – attest that environmental management and health and safety management requirements have been implemented.

In 2016 the Mint was certified to ABNT NBR 15.540 – Graphic technology, attesting to sound management of security printing processes. This standard specifies the requirements for companies in the security printing value chain.

Certifications attest to our conformity to quality, environment, health and safety and security printing requirements.

Awards in 2015 and 2016

Premio Benchmarking Brasil
The Mint was presented with awards in 2015 and 2016 by Instituto Mais within the Benchmarking Brasil program. The program selects the best case studies on corporate environmental management to strengthen and encourage adoption of best practices in social and environmental management among Brazilian companies and organizations. With a case study titled “Voluntary reforestation to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions”, the Mint was awarded a technical rating higher than 7.1, ranking 11th in the 2015 edition of the program. The following year, the Mint was awarded for a case study titled “Sustainable production”, achieving a rating higher than 7.4 that earned the Company 8th place in the program.

A3P Best Sustainability Practices Award
This award program is run by the Ministry of the Environment to promote the adoption of social and environmental sustainability principles by government organizations and agencies. In 2016, the Mint was a finalist among the 90 candidates for the award in the Sustainable Use/Management of Natural Resources category, with a case study titled “Reforestation to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions”.