Posts Tagged ‘Coins’
A remarkable milestone that seems to have been forgotten…
Today, the Duke of Edinburgh celebrates his 95th birthday, a truly remarkable milestone.
It would seem that whilst the Queen’s 90th birthday is celebrated throughout the nation, Prince Philip’s 95th birthday has been forgotten in comparison.
"He has, quite simply, been my strength & stay all these years"
A photo for #Queenat90 & The Duke's 95th birthday pic.twitter.com/7nO4Q98bhH
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 9, 2016
Why we shouldn’t forget about Philip…
The Duke of Edinburgh is the longest-serving consort in British history and the oldest-ever male member of the British Royal family.
Did you know he worked with the Royal Mint?
In 1952, The Duke of Edinburgh was appointed President of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee. His role included selecting the design of coins, medals and seals for the new reign of Her Majesty the Queen. He worked with the Royal Mint right up to his retirement in 1999 so it’s fair to say that the coins we know and love from years gone by, were specially selected by Prince Philip.
One of the rarest £5 coins
Back in 2011 a UK £5 coin was issued for his 90th birthday. Just 18,730 of these coins were struck in Brilliant uncirculated presentation packs making it one of the rarest £5 coins ever. You can read the full blog here:
The 2011 Prince Phillip £5 Coin
The Coins design featured a specially commissioned portrait of Philip by Mark Richards FRBS. The coin shows a close up portrait which aims to emphasise the features of His Royal Highness rather than portraying him as a distant figurehead.
He also featured on this coin… a numismatic first!
The 2007 Diamond Wedding £5 Coin
In 2007, Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary, a remarkable 60 years of marriage. Due to this massive milestone and a truly proud moment for them both, the Royal Mint issued a £5 coin. Designed by Emma Noble, the reverse beautifully depicts the Rose Window at Westminster Abbey. This highly sought after coin is the only UK coin to feature the conjoined portrait of the Queen and Prince Philip.
So Happy 95th Birthday Prince Philip and many happy returns.
Do you have either of these coins in your collection? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter.
The Prince Philip 95th Birthday DateStamp™ Issue
Click here to own one of just 95 that have been released in honour of Prince Philip’s 95th Birthday.
The WWII Propaganda Coin
In 1943 the Second World War was far from won. It was a year to D-Day and two to VE Day.
Keen to encourage the war effort, the Canadian Government did something I have not seen anywhere else. They issued a coin as a piece of pure propaganda.
A Flaming Torch and “V” for Victory dominate the design, whilst the Morse code message on the coin’s rim read “We win when we work willingly”.
If you look closely, you will see the Morse code message just inside the bead of the coin on the reverse.
The ‘V’ represents the number five in Roman numerals for the coins face value, but also Winston Churchill’s famous V for Victory sign that had become synonymous with the hope of victory throughout the Allied nations.
Canadian officials felt it was important to have a patriotic symbol to support their war efforts. And as the coin was used by service men and women – as well as those at home – it did a great job at reminding people of the war effort.
This now legendary coin was minted right up until the end of the War in 1945.
The legendary coin with the hidden message
Click here to add an original Victory Nickel to your collection for just £10 >>
Happy Birthday Ma’am!
Not only is our Queen now the longest reigning monarch in British history, but today Her Majesty is celebrating her 92nd Birthday – the only British sovereign to reach this milestone.
To celebrate, we’ve put together a timeline of the most significant moments in history while looking through some of the coins that have adorned Her Majesty’s portraits through the years.
Elizabeth immediately became Queen after her father King George VI passed away. Her Coronation was delayed for 16 months because of a traditional period of mourning that follows the death of a Monarch. The first commemorative crown of her reign was designed by Gilbert Ledward and captured the hearts of the nation.
The first coins of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign featured the first portrait of Her Majesty by Mary Gillick. The portrait is remembered for reflecting the optimistic mood of the nation and was also used on coinage in many of the commonwealth countries.
In 1965, a crown was released by the Royal Mint which changed everything. This particular Crown is famous for being the first British coin to feature anyone outside the Royal Family – Sir Winston Churchill.
On Decimal Day, the UK and Ireland decimalised their currencies. The new currency system meant that the pound would be divided into units of ten, including half, one, two, five and 50 pence.
The marriage of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip Mountbatten took place on the 20th November 1947 and in 1972, the couple celebrated 25 years together. The Royal Mint issued the first British coin to have a face value of 25p to mark their 25th Wedding Anniversary.
The thirteenth Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh in 1986 which saw the striking of the very first commemorative £2 coin. Not only that, it was the first coin to commemorate a sport.
The very first bi-metallic coin was issued in 1997 – one year prior to the portrait change. This coin is the one and only year that Raphael Maklouf’s portrait appears on the bi-metallic £2 coin. His portrait features Queen Elizabeth II wearing a necklace, which earned the coin its unique status and nickname in the collecting world, the ‘Queen with a Necklace’ £2.
2011 saw the introduction of a new design for the 1oz Silver Britannia who has a long standing history with British coinage. The coin features the 4th portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley which is regarded as being a realistic and mature representation of the Queen.
In 2015, British History was made as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrated an incredible Royal milestone, becoming our longest reigning monarch. This remarkable £20 coin was issued in celebration and features all 5 portraits of Her Majesty. The obverse features the fifth portrait of Her Majesty as 2015 was the first year that the Jody Clark portrait was used on UK coinage.
To celebrate the 90th Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II a selection of brand new commemorative coins were issued. Designed by Christopher Hobbs, the coin depicts nine roses – one for each decade of her life as well as the number ’90’ in the centre.
2016 proved to be a significant year for collectors and the 90th Birthday celebrations were no exception. The coins that appeared throughout Her Majesty’s reign have proved to be very popular over the years and we’re sure the 90th Birthday commemorative coins will be favourites among collectors in years to come.
Own your own piece of numismatic history
Add the 2016 UK 90th Birthday CERTIFIED BU £5 to your collection today >>