Posts Tagged ‘Coins’
Stir Up Sunday – the story behind the numismatic Christmas tradition
There are countless coins thought to be lucky, but there’s one lucky coin in particular which comes to my mind at this time of year…
The much-loved lucky Sixpence has been a part of Christmas traditions for generations and as this weekend marks ‘Stir-up Sunday’, we take a look back at the tradition that harks back to Victorian times.
Christmas tradition
Stir Up Sunday is celebrated five weeks before Christmas Day, when the whole family would gather together to stir the Christmas pudding and make a special wish for the year ahead.
The Christmas pudding itself is said to have been introduced to Britain by Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria and traditionally, when making the pudding, a sixpence would be added to the mix.
This was said to bring wealth and good fortune in the coming year if you found the coin in your portion on Christmas day.
It’s no surprise that collectors love these coins so much. The 1961 Sixpence below can be seen featuring an entwined design of a flora, leek, rose, thistle, and shamrock, the sixpence has long been a token of good luck so is an original and thoughtful gift for a friend or relative.
The Sixpence was first minted during Edward VI’s reign in 1551 and was struck in silver up until 1947. From this date onwards the coin was struck in cupronickel.
But there is one particular Victorian Sixpence that collectors hunt for…
The 1887 Withdrawn Silver Sixpence
In 1887, new coin designs were to be issued for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. Surprisingly, the Silver Sixpence shared the same design as the Gold Half Sovereign.
Of course, it didn’t take long for some crafty opportunists to start coating the Silver Sixpence in gold paint after realising they could easily be passed off as the far more valuable Half Sovereign.
The authorities hastily withdrew the Sixpence and a quick redesign took place, with the new 1887 Sixpence reverting to a design similar to previous years, with a crown at the top of the design and a wreath around the sides, with “SIX PENCE” written across the middle of the coin.
1887 Withdrawn Silver Sixpence
Nobody can be sure how rare these coins are, as mintage figures only record how many Sixpences were issued each year, rather than individually listing each design type and, because there were three different designs of the Sixpence in 1887, it’s impossible to know how many withdrawn coins survived.
One thing is certain though, the withdrawn coin is the Sixpence collectors hunt high and low for.
So whether you’re looking to hunt down a rare Sixpence for your collection, or if you’re preparing your Christmas pudding ready for Stir Up Sunday, we wish you the very best of luck this festive season.
Secure a special set of six Sixpences
The Sixpence has long been a token of good luck so is an original and thoughtful gift for a friend or relative.
What’s your favourite 50p coin design of the year 2018?
We’re on the hunt for the best Coin Design of 2018 as part of the 2018 Change Checker Awards and we need your help! With over 50 new coins released this year, we’ve decided to shortlist the coins by denomination and then determine one overall winner from the top 10p, 50p, £2 and £5 coins as voted by Change Checkers!
50p Coins
Seven 50p coins have been released this year, including the third series of Beatrix Potter 50ps and the first ever UK Paddington 50p coins!
So which 2018 50p coin do you think deserves to be named the best of 2018?
Cast your vote now using the poll at the bottom of the page and find out more about the coins that have been released this year below!
Representation of the People Act 50p
In 2018 The Royal Mint released a 50p to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of The Representation of the People Act being passed. The 50p was designed by Stephen Taylor and features five men and women in line to vote, with a woman triumphantly raising a voting card.
Peter Rabbit 50p
The 2018 50p coin is the third UK coin to feature the much-loved children’s character Peter Rabbit. Struck by The Royal Mint, this is the first coin in the third series of Beatrix Potter 50ps which proved to be extremely popular with coin collectors in 2016 and 2017. Designed by Emma Noble, the reverse features Peter Rabbit munching on radishes.
Flopsy Bunny 50p
The 2018 Flopsy Bunny 50p coin has been issued to celebrate one of Beatrix Potter’s most loved children’s tales, ‘The tale of Flopsy Bunny’. This is the first UK coin to feature Flopsy Bunny and has been designed by Emma Noble to feature the adorable character on the reverse of the coin.
Tailor of Gloucester 50p
The 2018 Tailor of Gloucester 50p coin has been issued to celebrate one of Beatrix Potter’s most loved children’s tales, ‘The Tailor of Gloucester’ and is the first UK coin to feature The Tailor of Gloucester. As part of the third series of Beatrix Potter 50ps, Emma Noble designed this coin to feature The Tailor of Gloucester on the reverse.
Mrs Tittlemouse 50p
The 2018 Mrs. Tittlemouse 50p coin has been issued to celebrate one of Beatrix Potter’s most loved children’s tales, ‘The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse’ and is the first UK coin to feature Mrs. Tittlemouse. Designed by Emma Noble for the 2018 Beatrix Potter series, the design features Mrs Tittlemouse on the reverse of the coin.
Paddington at the Station 50p
To celebrate the iconic 60th anniversary of Michael Bond’s novel “A Bear Called Paddington”, The Royal Mint issued potentially the most sought-after 50p ever. Designed by David Knapton and based on the modern adaptation from the CGI-live action movie, this coin features Paddington on his suitcase in front of the station.
Paddington at the Palace 50p
This lovely design by David Knapton is the second coin issued by the Royal Mint in the 2018 Paddington series. These coins represent the first time Paddington has featured on official UK coinage and are definitely highly collectable and this particular design features Paddington waving a Union Flag outside Buckingham Palace.
The Snowman 50p
To celebrate the festive season, this coin has been issued by The Royal to mark the 40th anniversary of the publication of Raymond Briggs’ much-loved festive tale The Snowman™. Designed by Natasha Ratcliffe, the new coin depicts the boy and the snowman flying through the night sky above Brighton Pier.
With so many beautiful coins issued this year it certainly makes picking a winner incredibly tough, but now’s the time for you to cast your vote!
The winning 50p will then be entered into our Coin Design of the Year vote as part of the 2018 Change Checker Awards, alongside the top 10p, £2 and £5 coins from 2018 to determine which coin should be crowned the overall winner!
The voting has now closed and the results can be found below:
It’s now time for you to vote for your overall winner, shortlisted from Change Checker’s favourite A-Z 10p, 50p, £2 and £5 coin of the year.
View our full range of CERTIFIED BU 50p coins here >>
The Roald Dahl coin that never was…
Last night, news emerged that a UK coin to celebrate one of Britain’s best loved children’s authors, Roald Dahl, was rejected by The Royal Mint.
Famed for his classic novels such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Twits and Matilda (amongst many more), the incredibly imaginative author was born in September 1916, meaning the 100th anniversary coin would have been due for release in 2016.
And yet no such coin ever came to pass…
Credit: Daily Express
The Royal Mint decided against marking the centenary of the Roald Dahl’s birth because of concerns about the author’s anti semitic views. According to official papers obtained by the Guardian newspaper using freedom of information laws, the proposal to issue a coin to mark the centenary of Dahl’s birth was dropped because he was “not regarded as an author of the highest reputation”.
The Royal Mint have made clear that “commemorative coins go through a rigorous planning and selection process” led by the independent Royal Mint Advisory Committee, and not every coin idea proposed actually ends up making it through this process.
In fact, in 2012 a special six-sided coin was very nearly released to commemorate one of the most significant celebrations in British history – the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. This too was rejected by senior staff at The Royal Mint as the commemorative coin programme was already “sufficiently comprehensive.”
We almost had a 60p coin and it would have looked like a coin gone mad https://t.co/JpFp0vtYAv pic.twitter.com/eWNmWNmVkt
— Mike Wright (@MikeJGWright) 31 December 2015
The commemorative coins selected for release in 2016 actually included the great literary figures William Shakespeare and Beatrix Potter.
Although the Royal Mail did honour the children’s author with a set of commemorative stamps celebrating his books in 2012, unfortunately the magic and wonder of Dahl’s literary works won’t ever be recognised on a commemorative UK coin.
If you’re interested in coin collecting or want to find out more about any of the coins in circulation, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use and allows users to:
– Find and identify the coins in their pocket
– Collect and track the coins they have
– Swap their spare coins with other Change Checkers
Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app