Coin News
Computer pioneer, Charles Babbage, celebrated on an Innovation in Science 50p…
Charles Babbage was an English mathematician and inventor who originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. He is even considered by some the ‘father of the computer’!
In 2021, the year marking 150 years since his passing, The Royal Mint issued a UK 50p as part of their Innovation in Science series.
2021 UK Charles Babbage 50p
The reverse of the Charles Babbage 50p was created by Nigel Tudman and Jas Bhamra, and features a design honouring Babbage’s legacy, linking his machinery to the digital age. They used a combination of traditional minting skills and modern technology to create the striking design.
The Pioneer of Computing
Boasting an impressive career in calculus, astronomy, and arithmetics , Charles Babbage held the title of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University.
The 1820s saw Babbage’s development of his ‘Difference Engine’, which was a machine that could perform mathematical calculations. Initially constructed as a six-wheeled model, it was later developed into a bigger, better, and more complex machine – Difference Engine 2.
However, his fame as a computer pioneer largely came from his invention, the Analytical Engine. It could perform any arithmetical calculation using punched cards, as well as a memory unit to store numbers – the fundamental components of today’s computers.
Babbage’s ideas were well ahead of their time, making him a perfect addition to The Royal Mint’s Innovation in Science series.
The Innovation in Science Series
This exciting series kick-started back in 2019 with the issue of the Stephen Hawking 50p.
2019 Stephen Hawking 50p
In 2019, less than a year since his death, The Royal Mint released a Stephen Hawking 50p coin, honouring his works as one of the most influential physicists of the modern age.
He became the very first person to be celebrated in The Royal Mint’s Innovators in Science series and only the third person to be commemorated on a coin within a year of their death (the others being Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother!)
The reverse of the coin, designed by Edwina Ellis, features a stylised black hole and the inscription ‘Stephen Hawking’ . It also shows the Bekenstein-Hawking formula, which describes the thermodynamic entropy of a black hole!
2020 Rosalind Franklin 50p
In the year that would have marked her 100th birthday, The Royal Mint released a 50p celebrating the life and crucial work of Rosalind Franklin, the first female scientist to be commemorated on a UK coin.
David Knapton’s striking design of this coin, features a depiction of Rosalind Franklin’s X-ray, ‘Photograph 51’, which revealed the helical structure of DNA, in her laboratory at King’s College, London.
One of Britain’s greatest scientists, Franklin made a crucial finding to the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA.
2021 John Logie Baird 50p
It’s hard to imagine life without television but back in the early 1920s, it was a complete unknown.
That was until John Logie Baird successfully produced televised objects in outline in 1924, transmitted recognisable human faces in 1925, and demonstrated the televising of moving objects in 1926.
Issued in 2021, to celebrate the life and works of the ‘Father of Television’, the design of this 50p coin features key milestones from Baird’s life, presented between the lines of transmission radiating from the centre of the coin.
Do you have any of the Innovation in Science coins in your collection? Let us know in the comments!
The Insulin 50p – What we know so far…
Did you know that an Insulin 50p is set to be issued this year?
The Royal Proclamation from the 23rd July 2021 confirmed that a 50p will be issued in 2021 featuring a design dedicated to the hormone, Insulin.
Whilst the design remains top secret, the Royal Proclamation reveals the coin’s reverse design will feature a depiction of insulin molecules and the chemical formula for insulin.
Insulin was first discovered in 1921 by Sir Frederick G Banting, Charles H Best, and JJR Macleod at the University of Toronto.
Before this, very few people with type 1 diabetes lived more than a year or two, and it remains the only effective treatment for people with the condition to this day.
In the 100th anniversary year of its discovery, could this new 50p become the very latest issue in The Royal Mint’s Innovation in Science series? It hasn’t been confirmed but we certainly think it would make a great addition!
This series has brought us the 2019 Stephen Hawking 50p and the 2020 Rosalind Franklin 50p – both of which have proved incredibly popular with collectors!
We’re so excited for the design of this brand new coin to be revealed – it’s sure to make a huge breakthrough into the coin collecting world!
To make sure you don’t miss out on adding this brand new coin to your collection as soon as it is released, you can sign up to the Change Checker Subscription Service here >>
Be one of the first to receive the brand new Insulin 50p!
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The Change Checker New Issue Subscription Service allows you to own the latest coin releases, delivered to your doorstep, without any of the hassle of ordering the coin yourself!
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‘Pioneer’ of the historical novel, Sir Walter Scott, commemorated on UK £2 coin…
Scottish novelist, poet, historian, and biographer, Sir Walter Scott, is often considered both the inventor and the greatest practitioner of the historical novel.
Sir Walter Scott’s early work consisted of poetic romances but his earlier books, set in Scotland, demonstrate his knowledge of Scottish history and society. His works were some of the most popular literary pieces of his time.
In the 250th anniversary year of his birth, The Royal Mint have issued a £2 coin, commemorating him and his remarkable career.
2021 UK Sir Walter Scott £2
The coin, designed by Stephen Raw, features the text: “SIR WALTER SCOTT NOVELIST HISTORIAN POET” encircled by the inscription “250TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS BIRTH” and the year date.
Excitingly, this coin also features the edge inscription, “THE WILL TO DO, THE SOUL TO DARE”, a quote from his epic poem, ‘Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field’.
Issued initially as part of the 2021 Annual Coin Set, this is the first chance collectors have had to secure this individual coin to their collections.
Available in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for JUST £8.99 (+p&p), you can secure this coin today by clicking here >>
Sir Walter Scott joins an impressive portfolio of authors, poets, novelists to be commemorated on UK coins. Continue reading to find out more…
2020 William Wordsworth £5
To mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of William Wordsworth, The Royal Mint issued this £5 coin and it was the first time that the famous poet was celebrated on a UK coin.
He is one of the most popular poets to have written in the English language, gaining popularity during the beginning of the English Romantic period in literature.
Designed by David Lawrence, designer of the 2018 and 2019 Britannia, the reverse features lines taken from one of Wordsworth’s most celebrated poems, ‘Tintern Abbey’.
To secure this coin for your collection for JUST £10.99 (+p&p), in Brilliant Uncirculated quality, click here >>
2020 Agatha Christie £2
This £2 coin was issued in 2020 to mark the 100th anniversary of Dame Agatha Christie’s genre-defining murder mysteries.
An author of 66 detective novels and 150 short stories, Agatha Christie has justly earned the title of the ‘Queen of Crime’. Towards the end of her career, she was made a Dame of the British Empire for her contribution to literature.
The reverse design of this coin, by David Lawrence, depicts a jigsaw puzzle with a question mark, representing the mystery behind her stories.
You can secure this coin for your collection for £8.99 (+p&p) by clicking here >>
2018 Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein £2
This £2 coin was issued by The Royal Mint to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s famous novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.
Whilst on holiday in Geneva Mary Shelley and her poet friends, including Lord Byron and future Husband Percy Shelley, decided to have a competition to see who could write the best horror story.
Out of this Mary Shelley created Frankenstein, a story about a scientist’s scary act at playing God and creating life. It went on to become one of the best loved gothic novels.
The reverse of this gothic coin was designed by Thomas Doherty and features the words ‘Frankenstein’ in an electric gothic font.
2017 Jane Austen £2
In 2017, to celebrate the life and works of one of Britain’s best-loved authors, The Royal Mint issued this Jane Austen £2.
Jane Austen is one of the best-loved English novelists from the 19th century. Her novels were revolutionary and from her first novel, Sense and Sensibility, readers began a love affair with her fiction that has lasted two centuries.
Designed by Dominique Evans, a portrait of Jane Austen features on the reverse of this coin. It did not enter general circulation and was issued in collector quality only.
2016 Shakespeare £2 coins
William Shakespeare is the most influential literary figure in British history and his works are an important part of Britain’s cultural heritage.
In 2016, a series of three £2 coins were issued to mark the 400th anniversary since his death and to celebrate his greatest works.
Each coin’s design takes inspiration from some of Shakespeare’s greatest works, including Macbeth (pictured central), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (far right) and his most-famous love tragedy, Romeo and Juliet (pictured left).
All three coins entered circulation but the Comedy £2 has the lowest circulating mintage – just 4,355,000!
2016 Beatrix Potter 50p
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter, the Royal Mint have released this 50p to celebrate Beatrix herself.
Designed by Emma Noble, the coin includes elements that celebrate Beatrix as the artist behind some of the best-loved characters in children’s literature along with the nostalgic font used for the inscription.
This coin entered general circulation and has a mintage of 6,900,000.
The Sir Walter Scott £2 was initially issued as part of the 2021 UK Annual Coin Set but this is the first time that collectors will have the chance of securing this coin individually for their collections.
Will you be adding it to your collection? Let us know in the comments below!
Secure the 2021 UK Sir Walter Scott £2 for your collection!
Secure the brand new 2021 UK Sir Walter Scott £2 for your collection for JUST £8.99 (+p&p) by clicking here >>
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