Posts Tagged ‘Coins’
King Charles III celebrates 75th Birthday with UK £5
2023 has been quite the year for King Charles III. As well as being crowned King on 6th May, His Majesty celebrates his 75th birthday on 14th November 2023.
To celebrate his milestone birthday, The Royal Mint have issued a UK £5 coin featuring a reverse design representing The King’s love of nature.
In case you missed it…
You may recognise the King Charles III 75th Birthday £5 from earlier this year, as it was one of 5 commemorative coins issued in the 2023 Annual Coin Set. It’s actually the final coin from the set to be released individually, so now’s the time to secure it if you missed out on the 2023 Annual Set.
A passion for nature
Inspired by King Charles’ passion for nature and conservation, designer Dan Thorne has created a beautiful reverse design on this new UK £5. It includes The King’s royal cypher along with the number 75, all framed within oak leaves and delphiniums. The design was even personally approved by The King himself.
It’s not just nature that His Majesty is passionate about, he also has a keen interest in the arts, architecture and supporting disadvantaged young people. In 1976, when he was His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, The King founded The Princes Trust, an organisation committed to improving the life of young people in the UK.
He’s also been an avid campaigner for environmental issues and sustainability, living by the principle that it’s better to work with nature than against it.
A closer look
As well as the main aspects of the design such as the plants, royal cypher and the years 1948-2023, there are a few features on the coin you may not have noticed at first glance.
On closer inspection, we can see a ladybird, 4 bees and a dragonfly hidden within the design – another nod to The King’s love of nature.
New UK Coinage for King Charles III
The King’s love for nature and his passion for conservation is also reflected in the UK’s New Coinage. The 8 brand new coins feature designs themed around British wildlife and conservation, whilst the obverses feature King Charles III and a special privy mark.
Find out more about the UK’s New Coinage here >>
Secure your 2023 UK King Charles III 75th Birthday £5
Secure your 2023 UK King Charles III 75th Birthday £5 in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £13.99 (+£2.99 postage) >>
The Isle of Man Christmas £2 returns!
The Isle of Man has released a BRAND NEW Christmas £2 in the run up to the festive period!
Keen collectors will know that the Isle of Man has made some of the most popular festive coins over the years, so this is not one to be missed out on.
A traditional design
The stunning reverse design on the 2023 Isle of Man Christmas £2 has been inspired by the iconic stained-glass window of Church Kirk Christ, Rushen on the Isle of Man. Also included on the coin is the message ‘Merry Christmas’ in both English and Manx, a feature common to most of their Christmas £2 coins.
The first King Charles III Isle of Man Christmas £2
Breaking tradition, the Isle of Man didn’t release a Christmas £2 in 2022, making this coin the first one since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. This also means that the 2023 Isle of Man Christmas £2 is the first to feature Glyn Davies’ effigy of King Charles III on the obverse.
Your 2023 Isle of Man Christmas £2 has been struck to a superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality – the favoured specification amongst collectors! It also comes protectively encapsulated in Official Change Checker packaging.
Secure yours for just £12.50 (+p&p) >>
Previous Isle of Man Christmas coins
2021 Isle of Man Christmas Nativity £2
The last Isle of Man Christmas £2 took inspiration from the very same stained-glass window in Church Kirk Christ that features on this year’s design.
2020 ‘A Christmas Carol’ £2 coins
2020 marked 150 years since the passing of Charles Dickens, and so we were treated to three new Isle of Man Christmas coins, each representing a different scene from Dickens’ timeless Christmas tale, ‘A Christmas Carol’.
2019 Santa £2
The 2019 Isle of Man Christmas £2 featured Old St Nick himself, alongside the distinctive Isle of Man Triskelion (three armoured legs). The 2019 Santa £2 was so popular in fact, that some Change Checkers missed out on securing it for their collections.
2018 Hunt the Wren £2
The first Isle of Man Christmas £2 coin set a new tradition of festive £2 coins.
The design on the 2018 Christmas £2 pays tribute to an unusual Boxing Day tradition which takes place on the island – Hunt the Wren. The famous Manx tradition involves communities coming together to dance and sing in the streets around a wren bird, which is paraded around on a special pole.
Isle of Man The Snowman™ 50ps
Prior to 2018, the Isle of Man issued some Christmas 50ps to celebrate the festive season.
In 2003, the Isle of Man issued a 50p to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The Snowman™. This coin was incredibly sought after by collectors, not only because it was the first ever Snowman™ 50p, but because just 10,000 were minted, making it very scarce.
The Snowman™ 50p was re-issued in 2008 to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of The Snowman™.
Another Isle of Man The Snowman™ was issued in 2014 featuring The Snowman™, James and The Snowdog™. Only 30,000 were minted, making it almost as scarce as the 2003 coin.
2023 UK The Snowman™ 50p
The Royal Mint has recently issued a 2023 UK The Snowman™ 50p, the 6th in the UK Snowman™ series! It features James and his frosty friend dancing under the Northern Lights.
Secure your 2023 UK The Snowman™ 50p for just £4.99 (+£2.99 postage) >>
Don’t miss out!
The 2023 Isle of Man Christmas £2 truly is the ideal present or stocking filler for this year’s festive celebrations.
What’s more, as this coin will not enter circulation in the UK, this could be your only opportunity to own this BRAND NEW £2.
The Snowman™ dances onto NEW UK 50p!
It just doesn’t feel like Christmas until the new UK The Snowman™ 50p is released!
You could even say it’s become a festive tradition that each year, the beloved Snowman™ features on a new UK 50p. And luckily for collectors, 2023 is no exception…
In fact, this year’s coin is sure to have collectors dancing for joy. That’s because The Snowman™ has danced his way onto a brand new 50p in a magical scene set against a backdrop of the Northern Lights.
Available now in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality, you can add this frosty friend to your 50p collection in time for Christmas here >>
The Story of The Snowman™ on Coins!
The Snowman™ first appeared on a UK 50p back in 2018 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Raymond Briggs’ much-loved festive tale. Since then, we’ve seen a Snowman™ 50p issued each year, making this new coin the 6th release in the series – and the first to feature King Charles III on the obverse.
Over the years, we’ve been treated to some of the most iconic scenes on our coins, taken from the original tale and even the 2012 film, The Snowman™ and The Snowdog™. The Snowman™ and the young boy, James have previously been seen sharing adventures and flying through the night sky, but last year’s 50p was a little different, as the adorable Snowdog™ joined the frosty fellow for the very first time!
Unsurprisingly, the Snowman™ coins prove to be some of the most popular releases each year and now only the 2022 coin is still available at the mint.
But it’s not just UK collectors who are treated to coins featuring the Snowman™…
Over the years, The Snowman has featured on a number of different 50ps from The Isle of Man, some of which are incredibly sought after.
One such coin from 2003 featuring James and The Snowman™ sold for over £250 on the secondary market in 2019 – not a bad return on a 50p coin!
Now collectors have the chance to own the very latest UK release, with James and his snowy friend dancing below the famous Northern Lights – a design sure to melt the heart of any collector this Christmas.
The scene perfectly captures the magic of the heartwarming story, which is read by so many people every year. Just like the tale of The Snowman™, these new 50ps have also become a Christmas tradition, so if you weren’t starting to feel festive already, you should be now!
And if you’re still looking for that perfect numismatic gift this Christmas, or perhaps just a treat for yourself, look no further than the Change Checker Christmas range >>
Own your 2023 UK The Snowman™ 50p in time for Christmas
You can bet this latest coin will be at the top of every collector’s wish list this year, so whether you’re a collector of the Snowman™ 50ps yourself, or you think it’d make the perfect gift for a loved one, you can secure the 2023 UK The Snowman™ 50p for just £4.99 (+p&p) here >>