Posts Tagged ‘Change Checker’
Could this be the ONLY way to own the 2024 Winston Churchill £2?
The 2024 Annual Coin Set celebrates some of the most significant anniversaries and events taking place this year, one of which being 150 years since the birth of Sir Winston Churchill.
The 2024 Winston Churchill £2 depicts him as a young man during his time in the Cavalry army, with the years of his life 1874-1965 either side of his portrait.
However, rather unusually, the Winston Churchill £2 will be the only coin from the 2024 Annual Set NOT to be released individually.
A collecting ‘first’
At the beginning of each year, collectors eagerly anticipate the release of The Royal Mint’s Annual Coin Set, which includes 5 of the best commemorative coins from the year to come. Securing the Annual Set is usually the only way for collectors to get their hands on the coins until they’re individually released later in the year.
Get your 2024 Annual Coin Set for just £42 (+postage) >>
However, this year is a bit different as the Winston Churchill £2 WON’T be issued individually – meaning that currently, the only way to own it is in the 2024 Annual Set. This is extremely unusual, but we have seen similar situations a handful of times before.
Serious collectors know why it’s important to own both the Annual Set and individual release versions of coins, but in case you didn’t know, here are a few examples of previous design differences…
2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p
The most recent example is the 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p, issued to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s incredible 70 year reign.
At the beginning of 2022, the Annual Coin Set included the Platinum Jubilee 50p which featured the number 70 and the Queen’s cypher on the reverse and the Jody Clark portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. However, when the coin was individually released later in the year, it featured a special obverse design of Her Majesty on horseback – a nod to the design on the 1952 Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Crown.
Team GB 50p
Back in 2020, the Team GB 50p was released as part of the 2020 Annual Coin Set, to celebrate Team GB’s participation in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The reverse design featured a depiction of various Olympic sports, the official Team GB logo and the year 2020, whilst the obverse featured Jody Clark’s Queen Elizabeth II portrait and the date 2020.
However, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games to 2021, this 50p was never individually released in 2020.
The Team GB 50p was eventually individually issued in 2021, however due to the delayed release, it featured two different dates – 2020 on the reverse design and 2021 on the obverse. This made it one of just a few UK coins to feature a dual-date.
2021 Decimal Day 50p
The Decimal Day 50p was issued as part of the 2021 Annual Set to mark the 50th anniversary of Decimalisation.
The Decimal Day 50p in the 2021 Annual Set featured overlapping pre-decimal coins and the date ‘1971’ on the reverse and the original Arnold Machin portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse – which featured on the very first 50p back in 1969. However, when it was individually released later in 2021, the Decimal Day 50p featured the standard Jody Clark portrait of Her Majesty on the obverse.
The above three examples show how some UK coins are individually released with slightly different variations to their Annual Set counterpart, however the 2024 Winston Churchill £2 is highly unusual in that it won’t be individually released at all! As collectors will know, an unusual story like this is sure to add to the collectability of this coin and the 2024 Annual Set.
The return of Winston Churchill on UK currency
Winston Churchill is one of the most memorable figures in British politics, and the 2024 Winston Churchill £2 isn’t the first time we’ve seen him feature on our UK currency.
The 1965 Churchill Crown was issued to mark the death of Sir Winston Churchill, making him the first non-royal to be portrayed on a British coin.
The reverse design features a sombre-looking head and shoulders portrait of Churchill wearing a ‘siren suit’ – overalls designed to be worn in wartime air-raid shelters, invented and popularised by Churchill.
In the lead up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games being held in London, the Royal Mint issued the 2010 London Olympic Games Sir Winston Churchill £5.
The design was inspired by a statue of wartime Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill accompanied by a quote: ‘Be daring, be first, be different, be just’.
Half a century after his death, the 2015 Churchill £5 was issued.
Engraver Mark Richards FRBS, who designed the reverse of this coin, said he wanted to convey Churchill as larger than life by creating an image larger than the coin itself.
Credit: The Bank of England
In 2016, Sir Winston Churchill replaced Elizabeth Fry on the UK £5 bank note.
The design features the famous portrait of Churchill in 1941 known as the ‘Roaring Lion’ as well as his famous quote “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat” which he made on the day he became Prime Minister.
So, considering the rarity of a scenario like this, will you be adding the 2024 Annual Set to your collection to guarantee the 2024 Winston Churchill £2? Perhaps you have all the previous Churchill coins in your collection and don’t want to miss the latest issue, let us know in the comments!
Secure the Winston Churchill £2 as part of the 2024 Annual Set
The dinosaur 50ps STOMPING into your collection!
Look out Change Checkers, because a new collection of UK Dinosaur 50ps are causing a rumbling in the collecting world! Three roarsome 50ps in the Iconic Specimens Collection have been issued as part of the Tales of the Earth series.
2024 Diplodocus 50p
The third and final 50p in the Iconic Specimens Collection features the Diplodocus, a gentle giant of the late Jurassic period. As one of the most on-display dinosaurs in the world, it’s only fitting that the Diplodocus closes this collection.
The Diplodocus could reach up to 90 feet long, with the neck alone measuring 26 feet! As a herbivore, it had no need for sharp teeth, and was better equipped with peg-like teeth for stripping leaves from branches. Despite its usually docile nature, the Diplodocus boasted a powerful whip-like tail which may have been able to break the sound barrier when cracked, probably used to scare predators or in courtship rituals.
Designer, paleo artist Robert Nicholls had expert guidance from Professor Paul Barret from the Natural History Museum to ensure the Diplodocus was accurately depicted, with its winding neck and impressive serpentine tail. In the foreground, you can even see a Diplodocus skeleton, further emphasising its sheer length.
Secure the 2024 UK Diplodocus 50p for your collection >>
2024 Stegosaurus 50p
The second 50p in the Iconic Specimens collection takes us back to the Jurassic period and pays tribute to the colossal stegosaurus. The stegosaurus is often nicknamed the ‘dumbest dinosaur’ due to its tiny plum-sized brain, however, it had no problem defending itself against predators with its formidable spiked tail.
The 2024 UK Stegosaurus 50p depicts the armoured herbivore in all its glory, with those unmistakable diamond-shaped plates down its back and a powerful spiked tail. In the foreground, you can even see a stegosaurus skeleton amongst Jurassic foliage and the inscription ‘JURASSIC’.
Paleo artist Robert Nichols worked with Professor Paul Barret from the Natural History Museum to create the design, which was based on the world’s most complete stegosaurus specimen – the ‘Sophie’ skeleton.
Did you know?
The time between when the Stegosaurus roamed the earth and the Tyrannosaurus is actually greater than the time separating the Tyrannosaurus and us!
Click here to secure the 2024 UK Stegosaurus 50p for your collection >>
2024 UK T-Rex 50p
Kicking off the new Iconic Specimens collection in December 2023 was the 2024 UK T-Rex 50p, featuring one of the most ferocious predators to ever walk the earth. Not only was this the first time the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex had appeared on a UK 50p, but it was also the first 2024 dated 50p to be issued!
The Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the most fearsome animals of all time, boasting a 5 foot long skull, armed with 60 razor sharp teeth, and a bite 3 times more powerful than a lion!
Perhaps thankfully, you won’t find yourself up against a real T-Rex in this age. However, the ferocious predator is so realistically portrayed on the 2024 T-Rex 50p, that you’ll be instantly transported back to the Cretaceous Period.
The reverse design was created by paleo-artist Robert Nicholls, with expert guidance from Professor Paul Barret from the Natural History Museum. They worked together on a design that portrays the T-Rex ready for action in a defensive stance, bearing its tremendous teeth. In the foreground, you can also see a T-Rex skeleton and the inscriptions ‘TYRANNOSAURUS’ and ‘CRETACEOUS’, in reference to the period in which it lived.
Click here to secure the 2024 UK Tyrannosaurus 50p for your collection >>
Previous Tales of the Earth 50ps
The Royal Mint’s Tales of the Earth series celebrates the most legendary prehistoric creatures to ever roam the planet.
Dinosauria Collection
The series started in 2020 with the Dinosauria collection, which celebrated the first dinosaurs recorded in scientific literature. The Dinosauria collection included 50ps featuring the Iguanodon, the Hylaeosaurus and the Megalosaurus.
Did you know? The Megalosaurus is thought to be the first dinosaur described in scientific literature in the 1600s.
Mary Anning Collection
A year later in 2021, the Mary Anning collection was released, celebrating the first prehistoric creatures discovered by Mary Anning on the Jurassic coast. Mighty prehistoric beasts the Dimorphodon, Plesiosaurus and Temnodontosaurus all featured on UK 50ps.
Did you know? Mary Anning was just 12 years old when she discovered her first fossil. The 5.2 metre long skeleton was studied and eventually named Ichthyosaurus, or ‘fish lizard’, which lived 201-194 million years ago.
Complete your Iconic Specimens 50p Collection
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Myths and Legends: BRAND NEW 2024 Dated Robin Hood £5
Famed for stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, the tale of Robin Hood is perhaps one of the best-known tales from English Folklore. So, it’s only fitting that this hero features on the latest coin in the UK’s Myths & Legends £5 series.
And what makes this new addition even more exciting, is that it’ll be the first 2024 coin in the Myths and Legends series!
Following on from the previous coins in The Royal Mint’s Myths and Legends £5 series, the 2024 UK Robin Hood £5 coin is the latest legendary figure to appear on a UK £5 coin.
A Legendary Design
The reverse design features Robin Hood himself, poised amongst the trees in Sherwood Forest, at-the-ready with a bow and arrow in hand. The design, by Jody Clark, captures the detail of every branch, leaf and every feather in each arrow.
You may recognise Jody Clark’s work from other UK coinage, such as the 2014 Britannia, and most importantly, the fifth and final coin portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Who is Robin Hood?
Whispered from the woods since the 13th century, is the tale of Robin Hood – an outlaw who lived in Sherwood Forest, in Yorkshire, alongside his Merry Men. The ‘Merry Men’ helped Hood to steal from the rich and help give back to the poor.
Not to forget his faithful companion, Maid Marian, who most of us will know as Robin Hood’s partner, who helps aid Robin and Little John in giving back to the poor.
The tale of Robin Hood has been adapted for ballads, plays, books, and films alike – he even has a statue made after him, which you can go and visit in Nottingham. So, a new UK coin really does feel fitting!
Credit: Nottingham311, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Previous Coins
The 2024 Robin Hood £5 coin follows on from the past three coins in the series, which focused on Arthurian Legends. However, with this exciting new release, comes an even more exciting new chapter – the tales of Robin Hood.
The last coin in the series was of shapeshifter and witch, Morgan Le Fay, and just before her, was the mythical wizard, Merlin. Each part of the Arthurian Legends part of the Myths and Legends series, following the initial first coin, King Arthur.
What do you think of BRAND NEW UK 2024 Robin Hood £5? And, what Myths and Legends would you like to see appear next on a UK coin?
The 2024 Robin Hood £5 Coin
Secure the Robin Hood £5 Coin, as part of the Myths and Legends £5 series.
Arriving to you in superior, Brilliant Uncirculated quality and encapsulated in Official Change Checker packaging – preserving the quality for years to come…
Click here to secure your 2024 UK Robin Hood £5 Coin today >>
