Posts Tagged ‘Coins’
The 50p set that SOLD OUT IN 2 HOURS!
To celebrate 50 years since the release of the first seven sided coin in 1969, in January 2019, The Royal Mint released a set of five re-issued iconic 50p coins, including the UK’s most sought-after 50p in circulation, the Kew Gardens.
These coins were issued in Base Proof, Silver Proof and Gold Proof, but within just two hours of going on sale, the entire range completely sold out!
Many collectors were left feeling disappointed after missing out on the chance to own this set, however today The Royal Mint did later release a Brilliant Uncirculated edition to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 50p, giving a few more collectors the chance to secure them.
Find out about the coins featured in this set below…
Britannia 50p
The very first 50p coin issued in 1969 was designed by Christopher Ironside and featured the seated Britannia alongside a lion.
This coin was issued between 1969 and 2008, after which The Royal Mint held a public competition to redesign the reverse of UK coins, with Matthew Dent’s winning shield design featuring on the reverse of definitive 50p coins until 2023.
It seems only fitting therefore that the first 50p to be re-issued for the 50th birthday of the 50p was the ‘New Pence’ Britannia, featuring Ironside’s design, a firm favourite for collectors, representing a numismatic milestone for Britain.
Girl Guides 50p
The Girl Guides 50p was originally issued in 2010 to celebrate 100 years of Girl Guiding in the UK.
Girl Guiding began in the UK in 1910 after Robert Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes to start a group especially for girls that would run in a similar way to the scouting movement he founded in 1907.
The trefoil Girlguiding logo seen on the reverse of the coin represents the threefold promise of the Guides, and is the focus of this commemorative 50p which celebrates the centenary of the organisation.
Scouts 50p
The next coin to be re-issued was the 2007 Scouts 50p. The Scouting movement was started in 1907 by Lord Robert Baden-Powell at an experimental camp on Brownsea Island in Dorset.
Baden-Powell was a decorated soldier, talented artist and free-thinker who believed in teaching boys practical outdoor activities and resourcefulness.
‘Be prepared’ became the motto of the scouting movement and features on the design of this commemorative 50p which was issued in 2007 to mark 100 years of the Scouting movement in the UK.
Roger Bannister 50p
Another firm favourite which featured in this set was the 2004 Roger Bannister 50p.
On 6 May 1954, 25-year old medical student Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile barrier, celebrated by this 50p issue. His time of 3mins 59.4 seconds was achieved at the Iffley Road track in Oxford and watched by around 3000 spectators.
This 50p is unusual in the sense that it is very rare for the achievement of a living person to be celebrated on a coin, and it was originally issued in 2004, prior to Bannister’s death in 2018.
Kew Gardens 50p
Of course, the Kew Gardens 50p, which remained the rarest 50p in circulation for 15 years until it was replaced by the 2023 Salmon 50p, had to be re-issued as part of the 2019 set.
Initially when the coin was released in 2009 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, its rarity was overlooked.
However in 2014 The Royal Mint revealed just how scarce this coin really is, with only 210,000 coins entering circulation. From this moment, prices on the secondary market began to skyrocket and collectors have since been desperate to add the coin to their collection, regarding the coin as one of the biggest prizes in the collecting world.
The 2019 re-issue of the most highly collected UK coin is a chance for collectors who have not already got this coin in their collection to finally own a genuine Kew, as many fakes have unfortunately been doing the rounds on the secondary market. Find out how to spot a Fake Kew Gardens here >>
Which coin from the 2019 50th Anniversary of the 50p Set is your favourite? Let us know in the comments!
2.1 Million A-Z 10p coins re-issued for 2019
There’s been some exciting news for 10p coin hunters today, as The Royal Mint has announced that 2.1 million new 2019 dated A-Z of Great Britain 10p coins will be released into circulation from today.
Since the initial surprise release of 2.6 million quintessentially British themed 10p coins back in March 2018, the British public have been head over heels for these wonderful little coins and yet, despite another 2.6 million A-Z 10ps entering circulation last year, they still remain incredibly hard to come across in your everyday change.
In fact, a question I’m asked most days by Change Checkers is ‘Where are all the A-Z 10ps?’
We’ve even held our own Change Checker live events to help collectors kick start their collection, as the coins are proving so hard to find.
Whilst there are 5.2 million A-Z 10p coins in circulation, we can assume that there are 200,000 coins per design, which actually makes each individual coin rarer than the UK’s scarcest 50p, the Kew Gardens.
However, we have noticed more Change Checkers adding these coins to their collection, and based on this data we’ve been able to put together an A-Z 10p Scarcity Index to show you which coins are currently most sought-after.
Now that The Royal Mint will be releasing a further 2.1 million coins in to circulation, chances are that more collectors are likely to come across these coins
I for one am certainly incredibly excited about the chance to find these coins in my change and build up the whole collection from A-Z and there will of course be collectors looking to complete a set of both year dates.
Have you found any of the 2018 A-Z 10p coins, and will you be looking out for the new 2019 coins? Let us know in the comments below!
Reserve your 2019 A-Z 10p set!
Complete your A-Z 10p set with the 2019 Complete Certified Uncirculated coins.
5 Fascinating Coins from Around the World
As today is Random Acts of Kindness day, I’ve decided to take a look and some of the most random, weird and wonderful coins issued from all around the world.
Whilst these coins haven’t entered circulation, I’m sure you will agree that they are works of art from truly innovative Mints. It’s been really exciting to discover the unique coins different countries have to offer, so take a look at the designs below to see some of the fascinating coins international mints have produced.
Germany’s see through 5 Euro
Developed by Dr Peter Huber and Günther Waadt, this unusual coin is a first of its kind. Released in 2016, the see through coin features a blue plastic ring in the middle and has been named ‘Blue Planet Earth’.
Not only is the blue ring easy to identify and authenticate by the naked eye, it is made of polymer plastic which behaves like a form of insulation between the pieces of two different metals and will be easy for cash machine to recognize whether it is real or fake.
German 5 euros. Credit: coincollectionmarket.com
A German Minting Technology team has spent a decade developing this new security feature. In fact, it’s the first coin to be made from a combination of metal and plastic materials which are rumoured to change colour when exposed to UV light.
In 2017, five more coins were created to reflect Earth’s climatic zones with the use of a different coloured plastic polymer ring to represent each zone. The series will continue releasing one coin per year until 2021.
Canada’s 3D Snowball Fight 50 Cents
Image credit: www.mint.ca
We all love a snowball fight and this wonderful Canadian 50 Cent coin allows you to bring to life the magic of a snowball fight on an innovative 3D coin!
The Royal Canadian Mint is renowned for their forward thinking technology, and in 2018 they used lenticular printing to create artist Tony Bianco’s fun-filled design with an illusion of depth, which actually appears to move as the coin is viewed from different angles – so watch out for those snowballs!
It really put a smile on my face when I came upon this coin in my research, and with a mintage of just 20,000 I’m sure those few Canadian Change Checkers who were lucky enough to add this coin to their collection will really treasure this coin.
Palau’s Bottle Top Coin
This is the world’s first ever ‘beer bottle top-shaped’ legal tender coin. Issued in 2016 to honour the 500th Anniversary of the Bavarian Purity Law – the enactment by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria in 1516 states that only 4 ingredients can be used to produce the beer and even provides a restriction on pricing.
Whether you’re a beer lover or coin enthusiast – or both – I’m sure you’ll agree that this unusual coin is a fitting tribute to this landmark occasion in the history of brewing.
The obverse of the crown-cap-shaped coin shows the coat of arms of the issuing state below an outrigger canoe. Whilst the reverse shows two toasting beer mugs and a crown.
Nauru’s First Issue of the Euro 10 Dollars
Image credit: Numista
This unique and incredibly intricate ten dollar coin was issued in Nauru (a tiny island in Micronesia, northeast of Australia) in 2002 to commemorate the first Euro coinage.
The unusual coin is shaped as a map of Europe and has been struck in .999 pure silver.
On the obverse you can see the Bank of Nauru’s coat of arms and on the reverse is a gold plated Euro coin and the words ‘2002 – FIRST ISSUE OF THE EURO’.
Chad’s Earth Meteorite Gold Proof 3000 Francs
Within this Pure Gold Proof coin, issued in Chad in 2017, is a Moldavite Tektite gemstone – unique evidence of what can happen on the incredibly rare occasion that a meteorite hits the Earth.
These gemstones can only be found at five locations on Earth, and throughout the Middle Ages, they were highly prized and strictly reserved for those born of royal blood and nobility.
Struck from 0.5g of pure Gold, this coin is what is known as ‘small’ Gold – a collecting craze that is proving to be extremely popular among collectors worldwide, making this already very unique coin even more special.
With so many fascinating coins issued around the world, you don’t have to look far to find inspiration for your international collection. What do you think about the coins above and have you found any weird and wonderful coins for yourself?