£1 Coins
Revealed: The Queen’s New Portrait for our Coins
Today at the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Mint unveiled the new definitive portrait of Queen Elizabeth II which will appear on our circulating coinage this year. It is only the fifth portrait to appear on our coins in the Queen’s 62-year reign, and as far as collectors are concerned, events don’t come much bigger than this.
The Queen’s new coin portrait was revealed this morning
The portrait, showing a side profile of the Queen wearing a crown and drop earrings, was created by designer Jody Clark and is the winning entry of a closed competition launched by the Royal Mint late last year. Aged 33 when his design was selected, he is the youngest of the five designers to have created a portrait for Queen Elizabeth II.
Clark’s new effigy marks a brand new chapter in the history of our circulating coinage, and as any collector will tell you, first issues hold a significance and a lasting degree of collectability for years into the future.
We will see the new coins in our change over the coming weeks and months as they begin filtering through the cash centres and banks to begin with. You can be sure that many of these will be going straight into collections as Change Checkers seek to grab them in their freshly struck condition.
What do you think of the new portrait?
Create a historic collection using your pocket change
Now you can collect all eight definitive coins featuring the Queen’s new effigy as soon as you spot them in your change.
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10 UK coins featuring Scottish designs
As it’s St Andrew’s Day today I thought I’d have a look back at the UK coins with designs that have been inspired by Scotland. How many have you got in your collection?
Here are my top 10, with details taken from the Change Checker App…
50p: Glasgow Commonwealth Games
Year of issue: 2014
This 50p commemorates the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. The reverse design by Alex Goudon features a depiction of a sprinter and a cyclist alongside the St Andrew’s Cross. Athletics and cycling are two of the 17 different sports that featured in the Games over its 11 days.
£1 Coin: Scottish Thistle
Years of Issue: 1984 & 1989
The first reverse design series of £1 coins took floral emblems as its theme to represent the United Kingdom and its four constituent countries. They were designed by Lesley Durbin – one of the most highly-regarded silversmiths of the 20th Century. The Thistle is used on this coin to represent Scotland.
£1 Coin: Lion Rampant
Year of issue: 1994 & 1999
The second series of £1 coin designs used heraldic emblems to represent the United Kingdom and its four constituent countries. This coin features a Lion Rampant which is used to represent Scotland. The term ‘rampant’ refers to the position of the lion standing upright with forelegs raised and claws unsheathed, and this symbol was first used to represent the Scottish kingdom by King Alexander in the 13th Century.
£1 Coin: Floral Emblem of Scotland
Year of Issue: 2014
The fifth series of £1 coin designs uses pairs of floral emblems designed by Timothy Noad to represent the United Kingdom and its four constituent countries. This coin features a thistle alongside a bluebell to represent Scotland.
£2 Coin: Claim of Right
Year of issue: 1989
In 1689, Prince William and Mary accepted the Declaration of Rights prior to being offered the throne, which effectively shifted the balance of power from Crown to Parliament and changed the course of British political history. This £2 coin was issued in 1989 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of this landmark act. There were 2 versions of the coin issued – English and Scottish.
£2 Coin: Edinburgh Commonwealth Games
Year of issue: 1986
The thirteenth Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh in 1986, and are well remember for being boycotted by 32 of the 59 eligible countries who did not agree with Britain’s sporting connections to South Africa during the Apartheid era. The reverse design features a thistle encircled by a laurel wreath over the cross of St. Andrew. This £2 was the first British coin issued to commemorate a sporting event.
£2 Coin: 2002 Commonwealth Games – Scotland
Year of issue: 2002
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, and prior to the Olympic Games in London in 2012, it was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK. There are four different designs of the £2 commemorative coin – all are similar except that the central cameo features a different flag for the four constituent countries of the UK. This coin represents Scotland.
£2 Coin: Act of Union
Year of issue: 2007
The political unification of Scotland and England was sealed in 1707 with the creation of one parliament for both countries – based at Westminster. Despite centuries of conflict and opposition, Scotland and England unified through this parliament, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain. The reverse design by Yvonne Holton features two jigsaw pieces representing both countries alongside a portcullis representing Parliament.
£2 Coin: 250th Anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns
Year of issue: 2009
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest literary figures in British history. Burns night is celebrated each year with a traditional Haggis supper on his birthday, 25th January, and is more widely observed in Scotland than the official national day, St Andrew’s Day. The reverse design of this £2 coin features an extract from Auld Lang Syne, Burns’ most famous work.
£5 Coin: 300th Anniversary of the Death of Queen Anne
Year of issue: 2014
Queen Anne was the second daughter of James II and supported the overthrow of her father by her sister Mark and brother-in-law WIlliam of Orange in 1688. Following William’s death in 1702, Anne took the throne as the very first Queen of Great Britain. She also oversaw the War of Spanish Succesion (1702-1714), an era which lay the foundation for Britain’s colonial power in the 18th century. This coin commemorates 300 years since her death in 1714 and features an elegant portrait of Anne as an 18th century miniature on the reverse.
2014 UK Commonwealth Games circulation 50p
To celebrate Glasgow holding the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Royal Mint issued an official XX Commonwealth Games 50p coin.
Designed by Alex Loudon, the reverse features a cyclist and athlete depicting the power of sport.
The home of the Games are reflected in the choice of Scottish Saltire and lettering inspired by Glasgow-born architect, artist and designer, Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
The obverse features the fourth portrait of Her Majesty the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS.
Which new 2015 coin is your favourite? VOTE NOW…
The new coins for 2015 have been revealed by The Royal Mint, but what do you think about the designs? Vote for your favourite in our poll below.
2015 Battle of Britain 50p
- Battle of Britain 50p
Next year’s 50p commemorating the Battle of Britain features three men rushing to their grounded aircraft, while a multitude of aircraft swarm in the skies ahead. The designer Gary Breeze wanted to convey the sense of danger which was posed at the time, and drew from his Grandfather’s own experience of the German bombers.
2015 Magna Carta £2
- Magna Carta £2
John Bergdahl’s Magna Carta £2 design has a prominent medieval style and is very reminiscent of coins of that era. King John features at the centre, clutching the Magna Carta and a quill, with the anniversary and dates appearing around the outside.
2015 Royal Navy £2
- Royal Navy £2
The second design in the First World War £2 commemorative series focuses on the Royal Navy’s role. The reverse design for the new 2015 coin by David Rowlands features the imposing image of a battleship from the era approaching on the open sea.
- Waterloo £5
2015 Battle of Waterloo £5
The new Waterloo £5 features a design by David Lawrence depicting the relationship between Wellington and Blücher which proved to be so important to the eventual allied victory against Napoleon. In a very detailed and intricate design, both men are shaking hands while on horseback, with the scene of the famous battlefield in the background.
- Churchill £5
2015 Winston Churchill £5
Churchill’s death in 1965 led to him becoming the first person outside of the Royal Family to be honoured on a coin. That coin was the 1965 crown, and this new £5 coin 50 years on bears some similarities to the original design, with Churchill’s recognisable face featuring very prominently.
2015 will be a vintage year for UK coins and there are certainly some interesting themes being commemorated. But which of these five new designs is your favourite? Vote in our poll here;