Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (UK Und.) a piece of money.

c.1420		Palladius Husbondrie Herrtage (1873–9) 99: Thees if me spende, or mynt for them receyve.
1608		Dekker Belman’s Second Nights Walk B4: Thus have I builded up a little Mint [...] The payment of this was a debt.
1621		Jonson Gypsies Metamorphosed 8: Strike faire at some iewell that minte may accrue well.
1659		Catterpillers of this Nation Anatomized 3: Trust not too much (lowre or mint) wealth in your house.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew.
1785		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

2. (also mynt) gold.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 83: mynt golde.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching n.p.: [as cit. c.1566].
1610		Rowlands Martin Mark-all 39: Mynt gold.
1648		Dekker Eng. Villainies (9th edn) .
1674		Head Canting Academy (2nd edn) 76: Mynt Gold.
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Mynt, gold.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Mint c. Gold.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1754		Scoundrel’s Dict. 17: Gold – Mint.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1812		J. Bell Jr. (ed.) Rhymes of Northern Bards 103: My project is scouted, my Mint’s at a stand.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1852		N.Y. Herald 22 Jan. 6/3–4: Murray said, ‘They can do nothing with us; they could only send us up on the bag; and as to “the mint” (a flash expression for gold coin) say your brother came from California, &c, and stick to the same story.’.

3. a great deal of money.

1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1816		W.T. Moncrieff All at Coventry I i: Haven’t I had you larnt Latin by Doctor Bushwig? – laid out a mint of money upon you!
1839		(con. 1703) W.H. Ainsworth Jack Sheppard (1917) 35: It’s a diamond, and worth a mint o’ money.
1859		G.A. Sala Gaslight and Daylight 76: Mr. Scrayles, the eminent corn-chandler (reported to be worth a mint of money).
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 41/2: It was a regular mint to the ‘gun’ who could ‘work it’.
1883		‘Mark Twain’ Life on the Mississippi (1914) 345: There’s mints of money in it [i.e. cattle farming] in Californy.
1884		Sporting Times 8 Nov. 1/4: ‘Well, your mother cost me a mint of money in gin’.
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 49: Minty, plenty of money.
1905		‘Hugh McHugh’ You Can Search Me 17: Skinski is out mint, and we’re going to [...] drag a fortune away from Mr. and Mrs. Reub.
c.1910		H.E. Lee ‘Tough Luck’ Variety Stage Eng. Plays 🌐 Well you dont think I’d be peddling secrets if I owned a mint.
1929		N. Jacob Man Who Found Himself (1952) 100: Aye, Ah’ll bet those cost a mint!
1934		D.L. Sayers Nine Tailors (1984) 161: It’ll cost a mint of money.
1948		Kerouac letter 8 Dec. in Charters I (1995) 174: The three of us would come back with a mint.
1959		F. Norman Fings I i: I do me fair stint / I’m coinin’ a fair mint.
1969		F. Norman Norman’s London 208: The strippers [...] earn a mint of money, eighty to a hundred pounds a week, tax free, no doubt.
1976		Cab Calloway Of Minnie the Moocher and Me 71: The movie industry was making a mint.
1987		B. Chatwin Songlines 91: Bruce had made a mint of money.
1996		J. Byrell Lairs, Urgers & Coat-Tuggers 93: ‘He made a mint out of backing Poseidon.’.
1999		Guardian Weekend 10 July 3: That irritating cow H, who did get her novel published and made a mint from it.
2001		(con. 1964–8) J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand 57: She’ll make a mint. This place will be a national monument.
2005		L. Redhead Rubdown [ebook] Apart from thgeir regular incomes they made a mint in endorsements.
2015		I. Welsh Decent Ride 206: Made it big in double glazing [...] Reinvested intae personal insurance [...] Made a mint.

4. a great deal.

1900

Bulletin (Sydney) 31 Mar. 31/1: Maybe ye’ll want another [track] to bring yer back, seein’ as how it takes some people a mint o’ time to go to even a little place. They wear the road out goin’ there.

5. (US black) a metal slug as once used in a public telephone.

1936

D. Burley in Chicago Defender 31 Oct. 26: revised dictionary mints — Telephone slugs.