The £2 coin series commemorating 100 Years of the RAF

In 2018, The Royal Mint announced a five coin £2 series commemorating the Centenary of the Royal Air Force.

The Royal Air Force was formed on April 1st 1918, in the early years of aviation. It was the world’s first independent air force, and is recognised today all over the world for its capability, courage and innovation.

RAF Badge £2

The first coin in the series was the RAF Centenary Badge £2 which was issued as part of the 2018 Annual Coin Set on New Year’s Day 2018.

Designed by Rhys Morgan, this coin celebrates the Royal Air Force as a whole, featuring the badge of the RAF and the years 1918-2018. The badge was originally used at the first Air Council meeting in 1918 and then registered in the 1920s with the Royal College of Arms.

Capturing the spirit of the RAF as a whole, this design symbolises the RAF’s resilience over the past century.

RAF Spitfire £2

The second coin in the series features perhaps one of the most famous aircraft ever built – the Supermarine Spitfire. The coin’s design, by brothers Richard and Neil Talbot, shows three Spitfires flying through the sky.

Designed by Reginald Mitchell, the Spitfire first flew in 1936 – its sleek, streamlined fuselage, beautiful elliptical wing shape and incomparable Rolls Royce Merlin engine making it one of the most graceful fighter aircraft ever designed.

RAF Vulcan £2

The third coin in the series features the legendary Vulcan bomber.

With it’s instantly recognisable delta wing, the Vulcan combined awesome capability with grace and beauty unmatched by another bomber from the jet-age. In flight, the aircraft was the epitome of power during its service from 1956 until 1984, with superb range and load-carrying capacity.

RAF Sea King £2

The fourth coin in the series pays tribute to the Sea King helicopter.

Known as the ‘angel on our shoulders’, the Sea King helicopter acted exclusively in a search and rescue role from 1978, with the final mission taking place on the 4th of October 2015, when a man found unconscious on Ilfracombe Beach was picked up and flown to hospital.

In 2012, Prince William himself flew a Sea King during a training exercise which ended in a rescue mission when two girls were swept out to sea in a riptide.

RAF Lightning II £2

The sixth and final coin in the series features the the F-35 Lightning II.

Entering service in 2018, the multirole Lightning II joined forces with the jet plane Typhoon to revolutionise the RAF’s fighting capability.


Your favourite design

We asked Change Checkers to vote for their favourite coin in the RAF Centenary series, and the results were incredibly close…

In first place with 28% of the votes was the Sea King £2, extremely closely followed by the Spitfire £2 with 27% of the votes.

Which RAF Centenary £2 is your favourite? Let us know in the comments!


Secure the RAF Centenary Collecting Pack

The RAF Centenary £2 coins are no longer available to purchase, however you can secure the RAF Centenary £2 Display Pack to store and display your coins in >>

 

The A-Z of Great Britain 10p coins

26 new UK commemorative 10p coins are being released into circulation…TODAY! 

We get excited when 1 new coin is announced, so imagine the scenes at Change Checker HQ when The Royal Mint announced that they would be releasing 26 (yes 26!!) brand new commemorative 10p coins!

The coins will each feature a different letter from A-Z and each letter will celebrate a different Great British icon.

Click here for all the details you need to know


Will we find the A-Z 10p coins in our change?

The circulating coins will be distributed through The Post Office network from the first week of March.  They will be distributing the coins through normal transactions so you’ll be able to find these coins in your change throughout the month.  It is unlikely that most Post Offices will be willing to simply swap a 10p coin.

The Royal Mint will also release additional coins in relevant locations across the UK throughout 2018.

How many coins are being made?

Initially, more than 2.6 million circulating 10p coins have been struck across the 26 designs and more coins will continue to be struck throughout the year to meet the demand from The Post Office, banks and cash centres.

How scarce are the A-Z 10p coins?

We expect these coins to be very collectible. Take a look at past history and you’ll see that over 75% of the 2012 Olympic 50p coins have now been taken out of circulation.

With more coins to be released, and some letters likely to be more popular than others, it’s impossible to determine an accurate scarcity for these coins at the moment.

We will release the first A-Z of Great Britain 10p Scarcity Index early April when we have collected vital information from our web app and Swap Centre.

Scarcity Index updates will continue to be released throughout the year to ensure you have access to the most accurate scarcity ratings for your 10p coins.

Who designed the A-Z 10p coins?

The coin designs were created by a whole team of people, including Royal Mint designers. Each design had to be approved by Her Majesty The Queen.

Can I collect and swap these coins online?

Yes.  You can find, collect and swap your coins online with the free Change Checker web app: www.changechecker.org/10pApp.


The Complete CERTIFIED Early Strike A-Z 10p Set

Can’t wait to find all 26 in your change? Click here to secure them in Change Checker CERTIFIED EARLY STRIKE quality now >>

 

 

World Coin of the Year winners announced

At the recent World Money Fair held in Berlin, Germany, ‘The Coin of the Year’ (sponsored by World Coin News) winners were announced.

First held back in 1984, the awards are designed to, “…recognise the best of the coiner’s art and to encourage world mints to continue to challenge themselves in creating these great numismatic works.”

It’s safe to say that some of the winning coins are spectacular! I hope you enjoy looking through this range of amazing coin designs, don’t forget to let us know which is your favourite!

Best Circulating Coin

China Banknote Printing and Minting, 10 Yuan, Bi-Metallic. “Year of the Monkey” (Image: Numismatic News)

Most Inspirational Coin

Royal Canadian Mint, 20 Dollars, Silver. “Mother Earth”. (Image: Numismatic News)

Best Bi-Metallic Coin

Austrian Mint, 25 Euro, Bi-Metallic Niobium Silver. “Time”. (Image: Numismatic News)

Most Artistic Coin

Bank of Latvia, 5 Euro, Silver. “National Entrepreneur”. (Image: Numismatic News)

Most Innovative Coin

German Federal Ministry of Finance, 5 Euro, Copper-Nickel. “Planet Earth”. (Image: Numismatic News)