Posts Tagged ‘Coins’
New UK £5 pays tribute to HRH Prince Philip
In commemoration of the life and achievements of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a UK £5 coin has just been issued.
Issued shortly after what would have been his 100th birthday and within just three months of his passing, this special tribute to Prince Philip features a portrait created by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS that was personally approved by The Duke of Edinburgh himself.
As Britain’s longest serving Consort – the Queen’s “strength and stay” – and as former President of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee, it is only fitting that a new UK coin should be issued in his honour.
You can secure yours now in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £10.99 here >>
This new release become the sixth UK coin to feature HRH Prince Philip and in this blog we’ll take a look back at his life as celebrated on £5 coins, as well as the role the Duke played in shaping UK currency.
Prince Philip in Coins
The 1972 Crown issued to mark his Silver Wedding Anniversary was an understated affair. However, in 1997, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary, and Prince Philip featured on a UK coin for the very first time as part of a conjoined effigy on the obverse of the commemorative £5 coin. 2007 saw a similar conjoined portrait before the recent 2017 Platinum Wedding Anniversary design, which featured the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh on horseback in what can only been seen as a nod to the original 1953 Coronation Crown as well as a third conjoined portrait.
Yet it was in 2011 that Prince Philip was finally granted the greatest privilege – his own £5 Coin to celebrate his 90th Birthday – a splendid close up portrait of the Duke by Mark Richards FRBS. This was followed in 2017, with a design of the young Prince Philip by Humphrey Paget to mark Prince Philip stepping down from public duties after 70 years of service.
First Job – new coin designs
Not only does the Duke feature on a number of UK coins, he also had a hand in the creation of new coins too!
On 21 March 1952, just weeks after the Queen’s accession to the throne, Prince Philip attended his first meeting as President of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee on the design of coins, medals, seals and decorations (RMAC); a role that he would hold for the next 47 years, until his retirement in 1999.
A keen artist himself, the Prince’s first job was to oversee the selection of the Queen’s portrait to ordain her new coins. An uncrowned Queen was chosen from a field of seventeen designs, giving Nottingham born sculptor, Mary Gillick, the honour of creating the most seen portrait of the new Queen.
Equally importantly, the young Prince oversaw the design of the most important coin of the moment – the Coronation Crown, featuring Gilbert Ledward’s Queen on horseback on the obverse and Edgar Fuller’s reverse design containing the Coats of Arms of the constituent nations of the United Kingdom.
The UK’s biggest ever currency change
Gillick’s design remained on pre-decimal coinage until 1970, when Prince Philip was involved in another huge coinage milestone – the introduction of decimalisation.
The process required a complete redesign of Britain’s coinage as well as an updated effigy of Her Majesty, designed to help the new denominations stand out.
The RMAC selected Royal Academician Arnold Machin to sculpt the Queen, this time wearing a tiara. However, it was the reverse coin designs that were perhaps more significant.
A “monstrous piece of metal”
Under Prince Philip’s presidency, the RMAC started to work in top secret on designs as early as 1962, before there was any official government announcement confirming decimalisation.
The final designs were created by Christopher Ironside and featured heraldic elements of the United Kingdom. But it was the new 50p coin – introduced to replace the 10/- note – that caused the greatest stir, with its unique heptagonal (7-sided) shape.
Now Britain’s most popular coin with collectors, that was certainly not the case on its launch with one newspaper calling it a “monstrous piece of metal” and a retired colonel even starting Anti-Heptagonist movement.
In the 28 years that followed Decimalisation, Prince Philip guided the RMAC through two more effigies, Raphael Maklouf (1985 – 1997) and Ian Rank-Broadly (1998 – 2015), as well as the launch of 20p, £1 and £2 coins into circulation and numerous commemorative issues.
Prince Philip will be remembered for many things – and among them we will remember him as the man who has had more influence over the nation’s coins than any other.
With the release of the new Prince Philip £5, his legacy continues to live on as we celebrate his incredible life and achievements.
Secure your Prince Philip £5 Set today!
Today, you have the opportunity to secure the brand new 2021 UK Prince Philip £5 in Brilliant Uncirculated quality, alongside the 2017 Prince Philip £5 and the 2017 Platinum Wedding £5 coins to make the perfect Prince Philip £5 Set.
Your coins have been struck to a Brilliant Uncirculated finish and protectively encapsulated in official Change Checker packaging to preserve for generations to come.
A real collector’s set, these coins pay a special tribute to the Prince who will forever be remembered as a treasured member of British royal history.
Royal Mint pays tribute to Alfred the Great with brand new £5!
One of the only kings in British history to have been given the title of ‘Great’, Anglo-Saxon King Alfred, was famous for his laws in education and fair governance.
In the 1,150th anniversary year of his coronation, The Royal Mint has commemorated his reign with a brand new £5 coin, with a design dedicated to the Alfredian educational reforms.
Alfred took over as King of Wessex in 871 in the middle of a year of nine major battles between the West Saxons and Vikings. He was also tested in 878 when he was forced to retreat to the marshes of Athelney (Somerset), the scene of some of the legendary stories about him, including the well-known ‘burning of the cakes’.
However, Alfred came back to win a decisive victory in the same year over his Viking opponent Guthrum at Edington (Wiltshire).
John Bergdahl’s design of this brand new coin is based on the Alfred Jewel, one of the most celebrated historical artefacts surviving from Anglo-Saxon England.
It was thought to have been once attached to a handle and used as a pointer stick for reading. Made of enamel and quartz, and enclosed in gold, the Alfred Jewel is inscribed “aelfred mec heht gewyrcan” meaning “Alfred ordered me made”.
This exceptional and unusual example of Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship now features on this new UK £5 in a fitting tribute to Alfred the Great, who had a reputation as a learned man who encouraged education.
In Alfred’s mind, learning was essential to his kingdom but most of his people were illiterate, even in their native tongue. To combat this, Alfred established a school at court, where freedmen of adequate means could learn to read, he had books translated from Latin to English, and told monks to begin writing the Anglo-Saxon chronicle, which would later act as the primary source for the early history of England
You can secure the brand new 2021 UK Alfred the Great £5 in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality for JUST £10.99 (+p&p) by clicking here >>
There have been some incredible UK coins that have celebrated our Kings of England. Scroll down to discover more…
2020 King George III £5
The 2020 George III £5 was issued as part of the 2020 Annual Coin Set to celebrate Britain’s longest reigning King, 200 years after his death.
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.
Designed by renowned Royal Mint designer, Dominique Evans, the famous portrait of George III has Windsor Palace to the left and the King’s Observatory to the right.
2017 King Canute £5
To celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the coronation of King Canute, a £5 coin was issued by The Royal Mint.
Recognised as one of the most prominent kings of the Anglo-Saxon era, Canute is widely remembered for conquering kingdoms across northern Europe including England, Denmark, Norway, and areas of Sweden.
King Canute’s achievements and influence paved the way for the nation we recognise today. He strengthened the currency, initiating a series of coins of equal weight to those being used in Denmark, so it’s only fitting that the design of this £5 coin was inspired by the original currency of King Canute.
2009 Henry VIII £5
Henry VIII had an eventful reign over four decades from 1509 – 1547, overseeing the union of England and Wales in 1535 and founding the Royal Navy.
However he is most well-known for having six wives, two of whom were executed under the charge of treason. In later life, Henry became grossly overweight as a consequence of not being able to exercise after a jousting incident, which hastened his death in 1547.
This £5 coin was issued by the Royal Mint in 2009 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the accession of Henry VIII to the throne. The reverse design by John Bergdahl features a recreation of the famous standing portrait of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein.
2018 Prince Charles £5
In a blog dedicated to our Kings of England, it’s only fitting we pay tribute to our future King, Prince Charles.
On the 14th November 2018, HRH The Prince of Wales celebrated his landmark 70th birthday.
To mark this milestone and to honour his lifetime of dedication to the British people, an official commemorative UK £5 coin was issued by The Royal Mint.
The reverse features a new portrait of the prince by widely respected engraver Robert Elderton, who was once an apprentice engraver at The Royal Mint at its previous home in Tower hill more than 50 years ago.
There have been some incredible UK coins celebrating British Kings, with the brand new 2021 UK Alfred the Great £5 being no exception.
Do you have a favourite? Let us know in the comments below!
Secure the brand new 2021 UK Alfred the Great £5 for your collection!
Secure the brand new 2021 UK Alfred the Great £5 for your collection for JUST £10.99 (+p&p) today >>
Your coin will come in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality presented in official Change Checker packaging.
50 Years of Mr. Men and Little Miss™ celebrated with brand new £5 coin series!
For 50 years, the Mr. Men and Little Misses have been delighting children and adults alike for generations with their charming, cheeky and, clever antics.
But now, in 2021 we see them delighting the coin collecting world as well, as The Royal Mint has revealed a new £5 coin series celebrating the inhabitants of Dillydale.
2021 UK Little Miss Sunshine £5
The final coin in this wonderful series has JUST been issued and it features a design of one of the happiest and kindest characters in all of Dillydale, Little Miss Sunshine.
Adam Hargreaves’ design of the Little Miss Sunshine £5 features the cheerful character in the forefront, with the charming meadows of the dale behind.
This coin is available in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for JUST £10.99 (+p&p) in official Change Checker packaging when you click here >>
What’s more, you can also secure the other coins in the Mr. Men™ and Little Miss™ collection below:
- To secure the 2021 UK Mr Happy £5 for your collection, simply click here >>
- To secure the 2021 UK Mr Strong and Little Miss Giggles £5 for your collection, simply click here >>
2021 UK Mr. Strong and Little Miss Giggles £5
The second coin in this wonderful series features the strongest person in all the land and the Little Miss who can’t stop giggling!
Adam Hargreaves’ design of the Mr Strong and Little Miss Giggles™ £5 features these famous characters set against the meadows of Dillydale.
Excitingly, this is only coin in the Mr. Men and Little Miss series to feature more than one character on its design!
This coin is available to order in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for JUST £10.99 (+p&p) when you click here >>
2021 UK Mr. Happy™ £5
The very first coin in this series features none other than Mr. Happy himself!
Adam Hargreaves’ design of this £5 coin features the instantly recognisable and much-loved Mr Happy at the centre.
Excitingly for collectors, this is the first time Mr. Happy has featured on a UK coin and we think he’s made a very grand entrance!
This coin is available to order in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for JUST £10.99 (+p&p). Simply click here >>
50 Years of Fun
Charles Roger Hargreaves was an english author and illustrator, best known for his creation of the world-famous Mr. Men and Little Miss stories.
The Mr. Men and Little Miss books first originated with Mr Tickle. Hargreaves son asked him what a tickle looked like, so he drew a round orange man with long arms that could reach anywhere!
Mr Tickle was such a success with his son and the general public, that Hargreaves went on to create a whole world of Mr Men and Little Miss characters.
As of 2015, there have been 30 books, with over 85 Mr. Men and Little Miss characters featuring and now, they feature on a UK coin series for the very first time.
Following the popularity of previous children’s literature themed coins, we’re expecting these coins to be a huge hit with collectors!
Let’s take a closer look at previous UK coins that have celebrated children’s literature…
Beatrix Potter 50p Series
In 2016 a new series of 50p coins were confirmed celebrating renowned children’s author Beatrix Potter.
From Peter Rabbit, to the Tailor of Gloucester we’ve seen some of Potter’s most-loved characters feature on our 50p coin. These coins truly did spark a whole new interest in collecting, that spanned across generations.
In fact, these coins were so popular that we saw the main man himself, Peter Rabbit, feature in the series FIVE times – a testament to the nation’s love of this cheeky little bunny.
Whilst some of these coins are no longer available from The Royal Mint, you can still get your hands on some of them from Change Checker. Simply click here to find out more >>
Paddington 50p Coins
In 2018, a brand new series of 50p coins were issued to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Paddington’s first appearance in Michael Bond’s story, ‘A Bear Called Paddington’.
The first two coins in the series featured Paddington at the Station and Paddington at the Palace. Later, in 2019, Paddington returned this time at the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
These coins have proved so popular with collectors since their initial release and have been the talking point of recent years. Change Checker has a range of collecting packs and products for you to store your coins in when you find them in your change! Find out more here >>
The Gruffalo 50p Coins
In 2019, two Gruffalo 50p coins were issued to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Julia Donalson’s much-loved children’s tale.
The first coin to be released, featuring an image of the Gruffalo, with his famous horns and teeth at the centre, was so popular that the silver-proof version sold out in less than 12 hours!
Later in the year, The Gruffalo returned, this time with his adorable companion from the tale, Mouse.
If you want to find out more about these incredible 50p coins, you can do so by clicking here >>
We love these brand new Mr. Men and Little Miss £5 coins! Will you be securing them for your collection? Let us know in the comments below!
Own the Complete 2021 UK Mr. Men™ and Little Miss™ £5 Collection today!
Each coin has been struck to a superior Brilliant Uncirculated finish and protectively encapsulated in official Change Checker packaging to preserve them for generations to come.
To order your complete 2021 UK Mr. Men™ and Little Miss™ £5 Collection, for just £32.50 (+p&p), click here >>