Posts Tagged ‘£5 Coin’
George III and the coins celebrating Britain’s longest reigning king
The 2020 George III £5 was issued as part of the Annual Coin Set on the 1st January and today the coin has been individually released.
King George III was the first king of the United Kingdom (which was officially formed in 1800) and to this day remains the longest reigning king in British History, reigning for an astonishing 59 years.
Throughout his reign, Britain fought in wars against France and America and from these wars the country emerged as a world power.
And so, in this anniversary year marking 200 years since his death, it seems only fitting that a brand new United Kingdom George III £5 coin should be issued.
2020 King George III £5 Coin
This is the first time George III has been celebrated on modern UK coinage and the stunning design explores the multifaceted nature of Britain’s longest reigning king.
Designed by renowned Royal Mint designer, Dominique Evans, the famous Bull’s Head portrait of George III is shown in a crowned cartouche, with the royal residence and his place of death, Windsor Palace, to the left and the King’s Observatory, which was founded by King George, to the right.
Click here to secure this coin for your collection!
Our Top Three George III Coins
But of course this is not the first time that King George has featured on UK coinage…
Throughout his reign from 1760 – 1820, the portrait of the king featured on the obverse design of Britain’s circulating coins.
We’ve taken a look at what we feel are three of the most interesting coins issued during his reign and the stories behind them.
1819 Sovereign
The very first gold Sovereign was struck during Henry VII’s reign in 1489, when the king ordered The Royal Mint to produce “A new money of gold.”
Originally Sovereigns were circulating coins accepted in Britain and elsewhere in the world, however it is now a bullion coin and is sometimes mounted in jewellery.
Many recent Sovereigns feature the well-known design of Saint George and the Dragon on the reverse, along with the initials (BP) of the designer, Benedetto Pistrucci.
Now you might have heard of the 1819 Sovereigns already, and that’s because these coins are renowned for being exceptionally rare.
Remarkably, only 3,574 Sovereigns were minted during 1819 – struck on five separate occasions, between August and November 1819.
These coins were minted using gold provided by private merchants.
200 years after they were struck, it’s thought that potentially only ten of these Sovereigns are known to still exist.
Unsurprisingly, these coins sell for astonishing prices at auction, with the highest quality 1819 Sovereign known to exist achieving a price of £186,000 in 2013.
Cartwheel Penny
During the 18th century, the practice of melting down official copper coins and making lightweight forgeries had become so widespread that it prompted industrialist Matthew Boulton to offer a solution.
He proposed that each coin should actually be made to contain its value in copper, the quality should be improved by using a retaining collar during striking (to give a perfectly round coin) and thick raised borders would prevent them wearing so easily.
In 1797 Boulton was awarded a contract to supply 480 tonnes of pennies, each weighing one ounce and these were the very first British coins to be minted by steam power.
The George III Cartwheel Penny was also Britannia’s debut appearance on the penny – a position she held until decimalisation in 1971.
Because of their large size, Boulton’s coins soon earned the nickname ‘cartwheels’.
It is highly unusual for a low denomination to have such a substantial size and weight, and unsurprisingly they are in high demand from collectors for their status as Britain’s heaviest ever penny.
Eighteen Pence
In 1797, after a failed French invasion caused financial panic, British gold and silver coins disappeared from circulation, hoarded out of fear.
With so much coinage withdrawn from circulation, The Royal Mint found itself in a vulnerable position with a limited ability to issue coins.
Incredibly, this lead to the extremely unusual situation where the Bank of England acted as a substitute for The Royal Mint by issuing an emergency currency.
Technically speaking, these emergency issues were not coins but tokens.
This is also the reason why they issued very unusual denominations, including the eighteen pence piece.
These tokens were issued for just 7 years until they were eventually withdrawn from circulation in 1817, by which time a massive silver recoinage had been undertaken.
So now you know the stories behind some of the most acclaimed coins issued during the reign of George III, how does the brand new 2020 £5 coin compare? And will you be adding it to your George III collection?
Secure your 2020 George III £5 Coin
The 2020 George III £5 Coin is now available to purchase individually in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality.
The 2020 designs – what to expect from next year’s coins
***UPDATE***
As of The Royal Proclamations issued on 11th October 2019, a further two new coins have been confirmed for release next year…
A new £2 coin will be issued to celebrate 100 Years of Agatha Christie’s mystery novels. .
2020 Agatha Christie £2
The design is said to feature a nearly completed jigsaw puzzle with the final piece ready to be inserted, and the inscription ‘1920 100 YEARS OF MYSTERY 2020′.
Agatha Christie published her first novel ‘The Mysterious Affair at Styles’ in 1920, which introduced detective Hercule Poirot, who became a long-running character in Christie’s work. In total, the detective features in 33 novels and 54 short stories!
Following the incredible popularity of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 50p featuring fictional-detective Sherlock Holmes and the Samuel Pepys’ £2 in the 2019 Annual Coin set, we can’t wait to see another great British writer celebrated on UK coinage.
2020 75th Anniversary of VE Day £2
A further £2 coin will also be issued with the inscription ‘VICTORY IN EUROPE DAY‘ to commemorate 75 years since VE Day and the end of the second world war.
VE Day is commonly used to refer to Victory Day in Europe which celebrates the formal acceptance of the Allies of World War II of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender of its armed forces on 8 May 1945, marking the end of the war.
Featuring a woman holding a newspaper aloft in crowd of celebrating people, set against a backdrop of the word VICTORY, this new £2 coin will mark a pivotal moment in British history.
Excitingly, this new £2 will also have an edge inscription reading ‘JUST TRIUMPH AND PROUD SORROW’.
Remember, you can sign-up for all our latest 2020 coin news using the sign-up for below!
The Royal Proclamation published on 12th July 2019 has officially revealed three new coins which will be released next year...
Last week we shared the news about the 2020 Team GB 50p coin, which is sure to be a firm favourite amongst collectors, especially following the resounding popularity of the 2012 Olympic 50ps.
The new Team GB 50p will be issued by The Royal Mint next year to support Great Britain in the Tokyo Olympic Games.
However, we also have another two coins to look forward to, including a Mayflower £2 coin and a George III £5 coin.
2020 Mayflower £2
2020 marks the 400th anniversary of The Mayflower’s voyage from Plymouth, England to the ‘New World’ in 1620.
102 Pilgrims and around 30 crew aboard the ship spent two months at sea, battling against the North Atlantic wind on their journey to America.
Upon arrival, the Mayflower Compact was signed, allowing the English Puritan settlers to establish the first permanent New England colony.
To celebrate this important anniversary, The Royal Mint will be issuing a Mayflower £2 coin in 2020.
Mayflower Trial £2
Did you know that back in 1994 The Royal Mint created the first trial bi-metallic £2 coins and these actually featured the Mayflower ship on the design?
There were just over 4,500 packs issued which makes it an incredibly rare example of a bi-metallic £2 coin. More than 100 times rarer than the UK’s rarest £2 coin in circulation, the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games.
Because of this, it can sell on the secondary market for well into three figures.
It will certainly be very interesting to see how the design of the 2020 coin compares to this 1994 trial piece.
2020 George III £5
Next year marks the 200th anniversary since the death of George III, King of Great Britain and Ireland.
He ruled the two countries separately until their union in 1801, after which his reign continued until his death in 1820.
George’s life and reign were longer than any British monarch before him, although his last 10 years were fraught with mental illness, resulting in his eldest son George IV ruling as Prince Regent.
To celebrate the life of George III, The Royal Mint will be issuing a new £5 coin in 2020.
Stay up to date with all the latest 2020 coin news…
At the moment the designs are still top secret, but we can’t wait to see what the 2020 coins will look like!
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What’s your favourite £5 coin design of the year 2018?
We’re on the hunt for the best Coin Design of 2018 as part of the 2018 Change Checker Awards and we need your help! With over 50 new coins issued by The Royal Mint this year, we’ve decided to shortlist the coins by denomination and then determine one overall winner from the top 10p, 50p, £2 and £5 coins as voted by Change Checkers!
£5 Coins
The £5 is widely regarded as the UK’s flagship coin and are usually reserved to commemorate the most important Royal and historical anniversaries of the year. And there have certainly been a number of important events celebrated in 2018. In fact, TEN stunning £5 coins have been released this year, including three new additions to the Queen’s Beasts series, an incredibly poignant Remembrance Day £5 with colour printing and a beautifully festive Nutcracker £5 as we move towards the Christmas season.
But which 2018 £5 coin is your favourite?
Cast your vote now using the poll at the bottom of the page and find out more about the different £5 coins below!
Red Dragon of Wales £5
The Red Dragon of Wales is the third coin in the Queen’s Beasts series which started in 2017. The Queen’s Beasts collection will eventually include ten £5 coins, each representing the ten guard beast sculptures which were at the entrance to Westminster Abbey during Her Majesty the Queen’s coronation in 1953. This coin features a design of the fierce Red Dragon of Wales, by well-known designer Jody Clark.
Four Generations of Royalty £5
This Four Generations of Royalty £5 coin marks the first time ever that The Royal Mint has issued a coin to celebrate all four generations of royalty in line to the throne on a single coin. The reverse features an original design by much-loved calligrapher Timothy Noad, and ornately shows the initials of the current four generations, E, C, W, G, and represents the heritage of the House of Windsor.
Royal Academy of Arts £5
To celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the founding of The Royal Academy of Arts, The Royal Academy (RA) and The Royal Mint collaborated to issue this £5 coin. The reverse has been designed by celebrated architect Sir David Chipperfield RA, and features the historical facade of Burlington House, home to the Royal Academy since 1867.
Black Bull of Clarence £5
The Black Bull of Clarence is the fourth coin issued to celebrate the ten ancestral beasts of heraldry, myth, and legend that have watched over Her Majesty the Queen throughout her unprecedented reign. The reverse design by Jody Clark features the strong Black Bull in a rampant position with the shield displaying the coat of arms of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last native Prince of Wales.
Royal Wedding of Harry and Meghan £5
To celebrate the wedding of HRH Prince Harry of Wales and Ms Meghan Markle, The Royal Mint issued a brand new £5 coin designed by Jody Clark and based on a portrait of the couple taken from a private sitting as well as an inscription of the date of the wedding.
65th Coronation Anniversary £5
This £5 has been issued by The Royal Mint to mark the 65th anniversary of Her Majesty the Queen’s Coronation on the 2nd June 1953, an unprecedented Royal milestone.The reverse design by Stephen Taylor depicts the Royal Standard, crowned with Her Majesty the Queen’s royal cypher to represent the Sovereign and the United Kingdom.
Falcon of the Plantagenets £5
This £5 features the magnificent Falcon of the Platagenets from the Queen’s Beasts series, but although the coin is 2019 dated, it was issued during 2018. The reverse features Jody Clark’s depiction of a Falcon perched on top of the shield with a partially open fetterlock in its grasp. Originally closed, the slightly open fetterlock supposedly refers to Edward IV claim to the throne.
Prince George 5th Birthday £5
The birth of HRH Prince George on 22nd July 2013 sparked celebration throughout the country and to celebrate his 5th Birthday, The Royal Mint issued this 2018 commemorative £5 coin. The reverse design by Royal Mint engraver Jody Clark features a modern depiction of Saint George slaying a dragon with a spear.
Remembrance Day £5
To honour the sacrifices of all those who have risked their lives to protect their country’s freedom The Royal Mint issued a 2018 Remembrance Day £5 coin which features vibrant red printing to highlight the symbolic poppy. It is an especially poignant coin this year which marks the 100th anniversary of Armistice, the end of WW1.
Nutcracker £5
The Nutcracker coin is the second Christmas £5 issued by The Royal Mint, featuring a magical design which depicts an enchanting Christmas Nutcracker scene by acclaimed engraver, Harry Brockway.
The winning £5 will then be entered into our Coin Design of the Year vote as part of the 2018 Change Checker Awards, alongside the top 10p, 50p and £2 coins from 2018 to determine which coin should be crowned the overall winner!
The voting has now closed and the results can be found below:
It’s now time for you to vote for your overall winner, shortlisted from Change Checker’s favourite A-Z 10p, 50p, £2 and £5 coin of the year.
View our full range of CERTIFIED BU £5 coins here >>
