Posts Tagged ‘Britannia’
Announcing: The return of Britannia to our coins
An early depiction of Britannia on a George II halfpenny
Earlier in the month, we revealed that Britannia would be making a triumphant return to British circulating coins, and today The Royal Mint have unveiled the new design which we will soon be seeing on the new £2 coin.
Having been something of an institution for British coins for over 300 years, it came as a shock to many that her image was dropped from the 50p in the first place.
A depiction of Britannia on a George III Cartwheel Penny had a nautical theme
The Romans were the first to personify Britain as a noble female warrior, but it was Charles II who introduced Britannia to our coinage in 1672. Her debut appearance was on the Farthing at a time when Britain was engaged in a naval battle with Holland and she came to be a defining symbol of British national spirit – particularly over the seas.
A Queen Victoria Penny featuring Britannia
Britannia’s depiction was originally based on Charles’ mistress, Frances Teresa Stuart, who Samuel Pepys described as “the greatest beauty I ever saw”. She modelled and was subsequently immortalised as the figure which the nation grew to love.
But her image on our coins has evolved and changed many times since then.
Originally shown holding a spear on the 1672 Farthing, on the famous Cartwheel Penny she was adapted to purvey a more nautical look. Her spear was changed to a trident – famously associated with Neptune, the Roman God of the seas. Waves were added to the foreground, with a ship on the horizon, and the Union Flag added to her shield, in a strong display of patriotism.
Britannia was depicted standing for the first time under Edward VII
This depiction of Britannia became a permanent feature on penny coins right up until decimalisation in 1971. Thereafter, she was introduced to the Fifty Pence piece, and remained until 2008 when she was famously replace with the Royal Shield of Arms, despite a Daily Mail campaign trying to save her.
A precious metal Britannia series was struck in silver and gold
Various alternatives of Britannia have existed over the years but it was not until Edward VII’s Florin that she appeared standing up. It was unusual for a coin to change so dramatically and it was considered a bold move to use a different version of the Britannia theme. The coin has since become a popular one amongst collectors, and it opened the door for a number of standing Britannia poses.
Britannia was even given the honour of being introduced as a coin in her own right. In 1987 a Gold Britannia coin was announced, and an entire precious metal series followed, with a silver version being added in 1997.
The astonishing fact is that Britannia has appeared on a circulating British coin in one way or another in an unbroken cycle between 1672 and 2008. Her reappearance to the definitive £2 coin is sure to delight collectors as she becomes a permanent feature of our pocket change once again.
Britannia’s return to the £2 coin means that the 2015 Technology £2 coin is now the very last of its kind. We have a small quantity of the Brilliant Uncirculated 2015 Technology £2 Coin available to buy in protective capsules. Click here for details.
The long-awaited return of a British Icon
She made her first appearance on British coins in 1672 and subsequently became a permanent figure in an unbroken cycle lasting more than 300 years. Now, according to coinupdate.com, The Royal Mint have announced at the Berlin Coin Show that this year Britannia will be making a triumphant return to the new £2 coin.
Britannia last appeared on the Fifty Pence coin in 2008
The last time Britannia appeared on British circulating coinage was 2008 – you probably remember last seeing her on the Fifty Pence piece. Her removal outraged thousands, with a well-publicised campaign led by the Daily Mail proving unsuccessful in saving a long-standing and unequivocally British institution.
It was the Romans who first created the personification of Britain as a noble female warrior, but it was Charles II who introduced her to British coinage in 1672. Charles was married to Catherine of Braganza at the time, but interestingly, it was actually her Maid of Honour and object of his desires; Frances Teresa Stuart or ‘La Belle Stuart’, who modelled and was immortalised as the figure of Britannia.
There have been many different depictions of Britannia since the first one in 1672
When Britannia first appeared on the Charles II Farthing, Britain was engaged in a naval battle with Holland, and her figure came to be a defining symol of British national spirit. Her evocative seated pose with a trident and shield embodied British defiance and sovereignty over the seas, at a time when the British Empire, and in particular the British Royal Navy, was at the height of its power.
Britannia will replace the definitive ‘Technology’ £2 design this year
The History of Technology design on the £2 coin which was first introduced in 1997 never really captured the imagination of the public. Now, after an 18-year stint on Britain’s highest denomination coin, it will be making way for the return of a quintessentially British icon.
The news of Britannia’s return was received with much excitement at the 2015 World Money Fair in Berlin, and with the revelation of a fifth Queen’s portrait imminent, this is another major development for Change Checkers to look forward to.
You can now find Britannia and some of the other British circulating 50p designs in the Change Checker shop.
Click here to start browsing.
How Britannia struck the first Ironside 50p…live on the BBC
Jean Ironside certainly isn’t a household name, but the truth is she has been an understated part of our decimal coinage for the last 40 years. The BBC’s One Show visited her on Monday evening to explain why.
While Britain was undergoing a currency revolution in the sixties, Jean’s husband Christopher was busy designing the reverses for all the brand new decimal coins – one of which was Britannia – the female allegory who has adorned our coinage in one form or another for more than 300 years.
For Jean, this meant painstaking hours of life modelling while Christopher perfected his now famous masterpiece for our fifty pence pieces. She recalls how she improvised Britannia’s strong pose with a ruler and a piece of paper to get everything just right.
Jean replicated the famous Britannia pose for her husband using a ruler as the trident
But Britannia wasn’t Ironside’s original idea. He had designed the whole series of decimal coins before they were scrapped in 1964 by new Chancellor James Callaghan, and a competition was opened up to the general public. Unperturbed, Ironside went back to the drawing board with the help of Jean, and won the competition with his stunning and iconic portrayal of Britannia.
Now, to mark the centenary of his birth, Ironside’s original Royal Arms design for the 50p which was banished to the Royal Mint’s vaults has been revived for a new 50p which is about to enter circulation.
Live on the One Show, Jean was given the privilege of receiving the very first of five million pressed Ironside 50p coins – an experience she described as “absolutely wonderful”.
A fitting way to pay tribute to a true numismatic artist and his dutiful Britannia.
See the full show here, available for the next 7 days
Order you very own uncirculated Ironside 50p here, with free p&p!
