£5 Coins
The History of the British Crown Coin
Discover the journey of the crown coin and how it became the UK’s flagship £5 commemorative coin…
Do you have any of these crown coins in your collection? Let us know in the comments below!
Own the £5 coin issued to celebrate an unprecedented British Royal milestone
To celebrate this unprecedented Royal milestone, of the 65th anniversary of Her Majesty the Queen’s Coronation, The Royal Mint issued a £5 coin in 2018 in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality, as a lasting tribute to this historic year.
Prince Philip in Coins!
Today is Prince Philip’s 98th birthday, an extraordinary milestone by all accounts, and so we’ve taken a look back at some of the coins issued to commemorate key moments throughout his life.
Born in Corfu in 1921, he is actually the oldest living great-grandchild of Queen Victoria. Prince Philip was born into the Greek royal family but his family was exiled from Greece when he was a child.
In 1939 he began corresponding with Princess Elizabeth, and after World War II he was granted permission by the King to marry her.
Prince Philip’s life of royal service began at the Queen’s accession in 1952 and he has since become the longest-serving consort in British history and the oldest-ever male member of the British Royal family.
2007 Diamond Jubilee £5
In 2007, Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary, a remarkable 60 years of marriage.
Due to this massive milestone and a truly proud moment for them both, the Royal Mint issued a new £5 coin.
Designed by Emma Noble, the reverse beautifully depicts the Rose Window at Westminster Abbey. This highly sought after coin is the only UK coin to feature the conjoined portrait of the Queen and Prince Philip.
2011 90th Birthday of Prince Philip £50
In 2011 a UK £5 coin was issued by The Royal Mint in celebration of the 90th birthday of Prince Philip.
The coin’s design features a specially commissioned portrait of Philip by Mark Richards FRBS.
Excitingly, just 18,730 of these coins were struck in Brilliant Uncirculated presentation packs making it one of the rarest £5 coins ever. And because of this, the coin is extremely sought after by collectors and is virtually impossible to get hold of on the secondary market.
2017 Prince Philip 70 Years of Service £5
In 2017, The Royal Mint released a brand new UK coin paying tribute to Prince Philip and his 70 years of service.
On 4th May 2017, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh would be retiring from public duty. This marked an incredible 70 years of service to the Queen, the United Kingdom, British Isles and the Commonwealth.
As well as a Base Metal coin, a very limited number of Silver Proof coins were made available, with just 3,000 coins being struck. Unsurprisingly, this coin was quick to sell out at The Royal Mint and with their distributors.
Did you know he worked with the Royal Mint?
In 1952, The Duke of Edinburgh was appointed President of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee. His role included selecting the design of coins, medals and seals for the new reign of Her Majesty the Queen.
He worked with the Royal Mint right up to his retirement in 1999 so it’s fair to say that the coins we know and love from years gone by, were specially selected by Prince Philip.
Secure the 2017 Prince Philip 70 Years of Service £5 coin
Whilst the Silver Proof version of this coin was quick to sell out, you still have the opportunity to get your hands on the Base Metal £5 coin in CERTIFIED BU quality.
Click here to secure the Brilliant Uncirculated Prince Philip 70 Years of Service £5 coin.
The UK Coin Series celebrating one of Britain’s most iconic attractions…
The Tower of London has been a symbol of royal power for nearly 1,000 years.
Built during the Norman conquest in 1066, Her 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 announced they would be issuing 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
2019 The Legend of the Ravens £5
Featuring a Raven with a bird’s-eye view of the Tower in the background, the first coin in the series captures the illustrious history of the iconic British landmark and its most famous residents.
The Tower’s ‘raven mythology’ is thought to be a Victorian flight of fantasy and has been a source of many legends, including the fate of Greenwich observatory.
It’s said that King Charles II disliked the raven’s droppings falling onto the telescope at the Tower’s observatory, and so ordered that the ravens must go. However, superstition stated that if the ravens left, the Tower would fall and Charles would lose his kingdom. Ever the pragmatist, the King decided that the observatory must go to Greenwich and the ravens must stay in the Tower.
2019 Crown Jewels £5
The second coin to be issued in The Royal Mint’s Tower of London series was the Crown Jewels £5.
Several expansions were made to the Tower throughout the reign of Kings Richard I, Henry III and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries, however in general the original layout remains consistent. It suffered structural damage during the Blitz, but this was repaired after the Second World War and the Tower was opened to the public, to marvel at the Tower’s most esteemed treasures – the Crown Jewels!
Not only a powerful symbol of the British Monarchy, the jewels have deep religious and cultural significance in British history and are used by HRH King Charles III for important ceremonies and royal duties.
However, the 12th century anointing spoon and three early 17th century swords are the only four original jewels left after the English Civil War in 1649, when the Crown Jewels were destroyed and the monarchy abolished. The jewels were remade for Charles II’s coronation in 1661 following Oliver Cromwell’s death.
2019 Yeoman Warders £5
The third coin in the series celebrates the Yeoman Warders, who’ve have been guarding the Tower of London for more than 1,000 years.
Nicknamed as ‘Beefeaters’, they originally formed the Yeoman of the Guard, which was the monarch’s personal team of bodyguards.
The Yeoman Warders were responsible for looking after the prisoners in the Tower and protecting the crown jewels, however nowadays they also conduct guided tours of the Tower and are an important icon for Britain, resplendent in their red uniforms and a favoured tourist attraction.
It’s no mean feat to become a Warder however, as you need to be between 40 and 55 years old on appointment and hold at least 22 years’ military service, during which time you must have reached the rank of warrant officer and to have been awarded the long service and good conduct medal.
2019 Ceremony of the Keys £5
The fourth and final coin in the Tower of London series celebrates the Ceremony of the Keys. Designed by Glyn Davies the reverse of the coin depicts the keys and lamp which take centre stage in the ceremonial unlocking of the Tower of London gates.
For over 700 years, as the clock strikes ten, the words ‘Halt! Who comes there?’ echo in the Tower of London. The ancient Ceremony of the Keys is a formal locking and unlocking of the Tower gates, which started in the mid 1300s on order of King Edward III after he entered the Tower unannounced one night and was able to walk straight in, unchallenged!
Tradition states that at exactly seven minutes to ten at night, the Chief Yeoman Warder of the Tower must leave the Byward Tower, wearing a red Watch Coat and Tudor Bonnet and carrying a lantern. He takes with him a very special set of keys – the King’s Keys.
A military escort meets him at the Bloody Tower and at 10pm he moves two paces forward, raises his Tudor bonnet and says: ‘God preserve King Charles’. This is answered by ‘Amen’ from the guards and ‘The Last Post’ played on a bugle.
The keys are then taken back to the King’s House and handed to the King’s representative at the Tower, The Resident Governor.
Did you know? When all four coins in the series are placed together, they reveal a larger image showing the Tower of London walls connecting.
Which coin in the 2019 Tower of London series is your favourite? Let us know in the comments!
The Tower of London £5 series continued in 2020 with four more coins celebrating the iconic attraction.
