£5 Coins
Four more £5 coins issued to celebrate The Tower of London!
Built during the Norman Conquest in 1066, His Majesty’s Royal Palace and fortress of the Tower of London has been used as a prison, jewel house, mint and even a menagerie.
It’s been home to kings and queens, thieves and traitors and lions and bears.
In tribute to the Tower, The Royal Mint issued a four coin series throughout 2019 celebrating the history of the Tower of London, one of Britain’s most iconic attractions. The series included coins depicting the following:
- The Legend of the Ravens
- The Crown Jewels
- The Yeoman Warders
- The Ceremony of the Keys

The collection continued in 2020 with four more £5 coins featuring original designs, each exploring a different element of the Tower of London’s history. The series included coins depicting the following:
- The White Tower
- The Royal Menagerie
- The Royal Mint
- The Infamous Prison
2020 The White Tower £5
The first £5 coin to be released in the 2020 Tower of London series celebrated the White Tower.
Designed by heraldic artist, Timothy Noad, the reverse of the coin depicts the model of the White Tower, which sits on top of the mace that the Chief Yeoman Warder carries.
Built 1078-1097 under William the Conqueror’s rule, the White Tower is the oldest part of the Tower of London and is the most famous castle keep in the world.
Built to awe, subdue and terrify Londoners, the White Tower’s ramparts, which are 90ft high, would have cast dark shadows over the wooden buildings of medieval London.
In 1674, the skeletons of two children were discovered in the White Tower, during the demolition of a staircase leading to the chapel of St. John. The bones have, for years, been speculated as the remains of the Princes in the Tower, Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York. Richard III is the name most associated with the mystery of the two little princes. It is believed that he had them killed as their right to the throne was stronger than his… Whilst this mystery is still yet to be solved, one thing’s for definite, this Tower really is a centre-piece of British History.
Now, the White Tower showcases the awe-inspiring historic and world-class Royal Armouries collections, including the royal armours of Henry VIII, Charles I and James II.
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2020 Royal Menagerie £5
The second coin in the series features the Royal Menagerie. Heraldic artist Timothy Noad’s design features some of the castle’s old inhabitants – lions!
From the 1200s to 1835, the Tower of London housed a menagerie of exotic wild animals, never before seen in London, including Elephants, Lions, and even Polar Bears!
The Royal Menagerie began as a result of medieval monarchs exchanging rare and strange animals as gifts. In 1235, Henry III was presented with three leopards by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, inspiring him to open a zoo at the Tower. However unfortunately, despite many of the animals having brand new houses and dedicated keepers, they did not survive in the cramped conditions.
Therefore, Edward I (1239-1307) created a permanent new home for the Menagerie, known as the Lion Tower, named after the beasts kept there. During this time, visitors to the Tower would have first crossed a drawbridge to the Lion Tower, experiencing the terrifying sounds and smells of the animals.
Today’s world-famous London Zoo in Regent’s Park was founded by the original 150 animals moving from the Tower Menagerie. The animals of the menagerie are commemorated by 13 wire sculptures around the Tower, by artist Kendra Haste.
Add the 2020 Royal Menagerie £5 to your collection >>
2020 Royal Mint £5
The third coin in the series celebrates the Tower’s minting history, with a design dedicated to The Royal Mint.
Wales has long been the location of The Royal Mint, but did you know that before this, it had two previous homes? It was kept secure at Tower Hill for a period of time but before that, it was housed within the walls of the Tower of London for 500 years!
From 1272 until 1810, the Tower of London was home to The Royal Mint. Coins of the realm were produced in a dedicated area in the outer ward, known as ‘Mint Street’. This dangerous task involved working with scorching furnaces, deadly chemicals and poisonous gasses, and many Mint workers suffered injuries including loss of fingers and eyes from the process.
In the 1600s, coins were no longer made by hand, but instead a screw-operated press was introduced. However, risk still befell the Mint workers, as they faced severe punishments should they be caught tampering with or forging coins.
In 1810, the Mint moved from the Tower to a new site at Tower Hill and eventually on to its present location in Wales to allow for expansion.
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2020 The Infamous Prison £5
The final coin in The Royal Mint’s 2020 Tower of London £5 series pays tribute to the gruesome history of the Tower’s Infamous Prison.
Heraldic artist Timothy Noad’s design features the inscription ‘MY LIBERTIE DENIED’. These words have been taken from ‘graffiti’ in the Tower which has been attributed to Thomas Miagh, a prisoner at the Tower.
From the late 15th century and during its peak period as a prison in the 16th and 17th centuries, the
Tower housed some of Britain’s most notorious criminals, including Guy Fawkes, Anne Boleyn and even Elizabeth I before she became queen.
Whilst some wealthy, influential inmates could be held in relative comfort, deprived only of their liberty, other prisoners, such as the three Queens of England were met with a more gruesome fate and were executed by beheading on the Tower Green.
Add the 2020 Infamous Prison £5 to your collection >>
A secret puzzle
In a nod to the previous Tower of London collection, when all four coins are placed together, a full image of a Norman arched window can be seen, framing the design of each coin.

Which of the 2020 Tower of London coins is your favourite? Let us know in the comments!
The Bond £5 Coins leaving collectors shaken and stirred!
Back in 1962, the very first James Bond film saw the iconic British spy brought to life on the big screen and now, as the 25th film is due to be released in 2021, The Royal Mint have issued a collection of brand new Bond themed £5 coins!
The third coin in the series has just been released today and is already creating a stir in the coin collecting world…
Shaken Not Stirred
The final coin in the series has now been released, completing the iconic 007 motif.
This new £5 release features a design of a James Bond’s iconic tuxedo silhouette and his signature weapon. It also features the inscription, ‘Shaken Not Stirred′, the special agent’s Martini preference.
This coin has been issued in a number of specifications, including Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £10.99 (+p&p).
You can also get your hands on the very first coin in the series here and the second coin here!
0 0 7
Designed as a collaboration between Christian Davies and Matt Dent, when all three coins are placed together, the famous ‘007’ motif is spelt out – completing this classic collection.
Dent commented on the design process, saying, “As Bond fans ourselves, we’ve enjoyed re-watching some of our favourite films. The design series focuses on iconic imagery from the Bond films. Finding the balance between design detail and what can be accomplished in production was a challenge, nowhere more so than the intricate spokes of the DB5’s wheel.”
The first coin, features the classic Bond car from Goldfinger – the Aston Martin DB5 and the world-famous phrase, “Bond, James Bond”. The second coin features a design of a legendary Bond car, the submarine Lotus Espirit S1 from The Spy Who Loved Me, known as ‘Wet Nellie’. It also features the inscription, ‘Pay attention 007′, a classic line which was uttered by the world-famous ‘Q’.

The last coin in the series, which has been released today, concludes the series, spelling out the complete ‘007’ motif. The inscription on this coin reads the iconic James Bond line, ‘Shaken not stirred’ in reference to the spy’s preferred style of Martini.
The History of James Bond
The character ‘James Bond’ was first brought to life in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming who created twelve novels and two short-story collections featuring the British Secret Service agent.
However, it was in 1962 that Bond first appeared on the big screen.
From ‘Dr No’ to ‘No Time To Die’, the character has appeared in a remarkable 25 films, with endless gadgets and iconic imagery from the films now recognised world-wide.

During the film series’ 58 year history, the suave secret agent has been portrayed by six different actors, and I’m sure we all have our own favourite ‘Bond’.
Currently played by Daniel Craig, the upcoming film will represent his fifth and final time starring as the MI6 agent codenamed 007.
The luxurious lifestyle, spectacular gadgets and dramatic vehicles have delighted audiences for generations and I’m sure Bond fans will be blown away to see their favourite film series celebrated on £5 coins.
Not the first James Bond themed UK coin…
Bond first appeared on UK coinage in 2018 with the release of the A-Z of Great Britain 10ps.

Naturally, Bond was chosen to represent the letter B as a quintessentially British icon.
This 10p has proven incredibly popular with collectors and has since not only worked its way to the top of the Change Checker Scarcity Index, but has remained on the top spot for the last few updates – confirming the popularity of this coin.
With the release of the brand new James Bond themed £5 coins in this special year celebrating the 25th Bond film, will we see a rise in the demand for Bond themed collectibles?
We certainly think these coins will make for an exciting set to add to your collection, but what do you think about the new Bond £5? Let us know in the comments below!
Add the Brand New Bond £5 Complete Set to your collection!
You can now secure the full 2020 James Bond £5 Set in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality – what better way to match the luxurious lifestyle of the suave secret agent?
Bond, James Bond – British spy to feature on new UK coin series
As of the Royal Proclamation issued on 14th February, a very exciting United Kingdom £5 coin series has been confirmed for release in 2020.
Many will know him by him M16 codename ‘007’ but the name James Bond is famous worldwide.

007 on coins
The Royal Proclamation confirms there will be three coins in the series.
The reverse of the first coin in the series will show the Bond car from Goldfinger set against the 007 logo with the inscription ‘Bond, James Bond‘.
The second coin in the series will show the Bond car from The Spy Who Loved Me set against part of the 007 logo and the inscription ‘Pay attention 007′.
Finally, the last coin in the series will feature a depiction of James Bond’s torso in a dinner jacket and bow tie set against a part of the 007 logo with the inscription ‘Shaken not stirred’.
Not the first UK Bond coin…
This isn’t the first-time Bond has featured on a UK coin. The world-famous spy made his debut appearance on the A-Z of Great Britain 10ps taking the ‘B’ for ‘Bond’ spot.

The ‘Bond’ 10p is widely considered the most popular of the A-Z 10p coins and currently takes the top spot on the Change Checker A-Z 10p Scarcity Index so we’re certain this new release is going to be a hit with collectors!
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