Posts Tagged ‘Royal Mint’
The 2022 UK Annual Coins are HERE!
Each year, collectors eagerly anticipate the arrival of the The Royal Mint’s Annual Set.
These coins commemorate some of the key anniversaries of the year ahead and it means we get treated to FIVE brand new coin designs!
With some momentous anniversaries coming up this year, the issues in the 2022 Annual Set are some of the MOST poignant yet.
So, let’s kick off the year with the coins we’ve all been waiting for, the 2022 Annual Set.
Platinum Jubilee 50p
Kicking things off with a UK FIRST, is the brand new 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is the United Kingdom’s longest reigning monarch, with an incredible 70 years of service to the crown.
In tribute to this record-breaking achievement, The Royal Mint have issued the UK’s very first royal 50p!
Designed by Osborne Ross, the coin features a slick reverse design that shows the number 70, the royal cypher and the years that span her reign so far.
Her Majesty’s fifth portrait, by Jody Clark, also features on the obverse of this coin.
What an incredible anniversary for Her Majesty to be celebrating this year and I’m sure you’ll agree that this stunning 50p is a wonderful tribute to her.
The UK’s VERY FIRST Royal 50p will be issued individually in just two days’ time, on the 6th January. This version will feature a special obverse design not found in the Annual Set… Stay tuned to find out more!
Commonwealth Games 50p
The Commonwealth Games was first held in 1930 and with the exception of wartime (1942 and 1946) has taken place every four years since then!
In the entire 92-year history, 2022 marks only the third time that England has played host to the games! So to mark the occasion, The Royal Mint has issued this brand new 50p.
Featuring a design by Royal Mint designer Natasha Preece, this 50p represents the essence of Birmingham 2022 with a striking geometric design.
We think it’s the perfect tribute to Birmingham hosting the games for the very first time and a great way to wish all of the athletes good luck.
Alexander Graham Bell £2
Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist, and engineer who patented the first practical telephone.
In the 100th anniversary year since his passing, The Royal Mint have issued this brand new £2 coin.
The coin features a design showing the dial of a push-button phone, alongside the words ‘pioneer of the telephone’ inscribed into the buttons.
It’s hard to image a life without our phones, but before Bell’s work, it was a complete unknown.
It was back in 1871 that Bell first started work on his harmonic telegraph, which allowed multiple messages to be transmitted over a wire at the same time.
And in 1876, he made his very first telephone call to Thomas Watson and was then granted his telephone patent.
The design of this coin perfectly celebrates all of Bell’s achievements in making real-time long-distance communication possible.
Dame Vera Lynn £2
In 2020, we received the sad news that Dame Vera Lynn had sadly passed away. The iconic wartime singer was famous for boosting the morale of British troops during WWII.
Coined as the forces sweetheart, her renditions of We’ll Meet Again, The White Cliffs of Dover and I’ll Be Seeing You, became synonyms with wartime.
Dame Vera Lynn played such a key role during wartime that Buckingham Palace sent a private message of condolence to her family.
And in 2022, to commemorate her life and achievements, The Royal Mint commemorates her on a brand new £2 coin.
Designed by The Royal Mint design team, this £2 features a detailed portrait of Dame Vera Lynn as she appeared during the height of her fame.
The popularity of her songs has carried across generations. In 2020, her songs still spoke to the nation with a similar level of emotion as they did in 1940 – a testament to her charm, skill, and beautiful voice.
Platinum Jubilee £5
In this very special anniversary year for Her Majesty, we have been treated to not one but TWO Platinum Jubilee coins.
This £5, designed by John Bergdahl features a stunning reverse design. The royal mantle appears as a surround, as it was used on the coinage of William IV!
Inheriting the throne at the age of just 25, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has remained a national constant as head of state since 6 February 1952.
Since then, the nation has watched her grow from a young queen to the much-loved monarch that she is today.
The dates 1952-2022 feature on the reverse design, in a poignant tribute to her incredible 70 years of service to the crown.
I’m sure you’ll agree that this year’s Annual Coin Set is the most impressive to date.
With some incredible anniversaries and events coming up this year, there’s no doubt these coins will be in high demand with collectors.
Don’t forget, the UK’s VERY FIRST Royal 50p will be issued individually in just two days’ time (6th January) – stay tuned to find out more!
Secure the most sought-after Annual Set to date!
To ensure you don’t miss out on adding all FIVE coins for your collection for JUST £40.00 (+p&p), simply click here >>
Each coin has been struck to a superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality and protectively encapsulated in official Change Checker packaging, housed in a Display Page ready to slot into your Change Checker Album.
Latest 50p in the Innovation in Science series celebrates century of ground-breaking Insulin discovery
The UK’s Innovation in Science 50p Series continued with the 2021 UK Discovery of Insulin 50p – commemorating 100 years since this ground breaking finding!
Saving millions of lives around the world and triggering a century of diabetes research, the discovery of Insulin in 1921 by Sir Frederick G Banting, Charles H Best and JJR Macleod was one of the greatest medical breakthroughs in history.
2021 UK Discovery of Insulin 50p
In the discovery’s centenary year, the life-changing hormone featured on the UK 50p for the first time.
The design, by Iris De La Torre, features an artistic interpretation of the structure of Insulin along with its molecular formula.
Whilst this was the first UK coin to celebrate the discovery of Insulin, The Royal Canadian Mint also issued a special collector’s set in 2021 to celebrate the historic anniversary…
2021 Canada Discovery of Insulin Collector Card
Whilst 2021 marked 100 years since Sir Frederick G Banting, Charles H Best and JJR Macleod first discovered Insulin at the University of Toronto, it was later purified by James B Collip.
To celebrate this historic anniversary and one of Canada’s most significant contributions to modern medicine, The Royal Canadian Mint issued a special collector’s set.
Included within this set you’ll find two versions of the 2021 Discovery of Insulin $2, with a design portraying the story from laboratory to the isolation of insulin.
As well as the two Discovery of Insulin $2 coins, the set also includes five other denominations issued in 2021, perfectly displayed within the colourful collector card explaining the importance of this Canadian medical breakthrough that changed the world.
Just 100,000 sets were issued for collectors worldwide.
The Discovery of Insulin 50p was the very latest addition to The Royal Mint’s Innovation in Science series which has proven incredibly popular with collectors…
2021 UK Charles Babbage 50p
Charles Babbage was an English mathematician and inventor who originated the concept of a digital programmable computer.
In 2021, in the year marking the 150th year of his passing, The Royal Mint commemorated him on a UK 50p – an addition in their Innovation in Science series.
This 50p, designed by Nigel Tudman and Jas Bhamra, features a clever design which links Babbage’s extraordinary machinery to the digital age.
2021 John Logie Baird 50p
It’s hard to imagine life without television but back in the early 1920s, it was a complete unknown.
That was until John Logie Baird successfully produced televised objects in outline in 1924, transmitted recognisable human faces in 1925, and demonstrated the televising of moving objects in 1926.
Issued in 20201, to celebrate the life and works of the ‘Father of Television’, the design of this 50p coin features key milestones from Baird’s life, presented between the lines of transmission radiating from the centre of the coin.
2020 Rosalind Franklin 50p
In the year that would have marked her 100th birthday, The Royal Mint released a 50p celebrating the life and crucial work of Rosalind Franklin, the first female scientist to be commemorated on a UK coin.
David Knapton’s striking design of this coin, features a depiction of Rosalind Franklin’s X-ray, ‘Photograph 51’, which revealed the helical structure of DNA, in her laboratory at King’s College, London.
One of Britain’s greatest scientists, Franklin made a crucial finding to the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA.
2019 Stephen Hawking 50p
In 2019, less than a year since his death, The Royal Mint released a Stephen Hawking 50p coin, honouring his works as one of the most influential physicists of the modern age.
He became the very first person to be celebrated in The Royal Mint’s Innovators in Science series and only the third person to be commemorated on a coin within a year of their death (the others being Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother!)
The reverse of the coin, designed by Edwina Ellis, features a stylised black hole and the inscription ‘Stephen Hawking’ . It also shows the Bekenstein-Hawking formula, which describes the thermodynamic entropy of a black hole.
What are the ‘Royal Tudor Beasts’ and why do they feature on UK £5 coins?
Following on from the huge popularity of the Queen’s Beasts £5 series, a new series of £5 coins was revealed. The Royal Tudor Beasts series will take you back to the time of King Henry VIII and the mighty Tudor dynasty!
Ten heraldic beasts have stood guard, still, and silent on the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace for hundreds of years, representing the royal lineage of King Henry VIII and Jane Seymour. And it’s these intriguing beasts that feature on the coin in the Royal Tudor Beasts £5 series…
2025 Greyhound of Richmond £5
The latest addition to the series is the 2025 UK Greyhound of Richmond £5. The Greyhound of Richmond is one of ten magnificent King’s Beasts sculptures you’ll find flanking the moat bridge of Hampton Court palace.
Representing loyalty, the Greyhound was a symbol strongly associated with the House of Lancaster and was later adopted by the Tudor family when Henry VIII’s grandfather Edmund Tudor, the Earl of Richmond, chose the white Greyhound as his heraldic supporter.
Sculptor David Lawrence’s intricate engraving depicts the beast with its slim build and prominent ribcage holding a jousting shield bearing the three lions of England passant guardant.
Secure the 2025 UK Greyhound of Richmond £5 for your collection >>
2025 UK The Queen’s Panther £5
The Royal Tudor Beasts series continued with the 2025 UK The Queen’s Panther £5. The Queen’s Panther is one of 10 King’s Beasts flanking the moat bridge, and one of the last beasts visitors encounter before entering Hampton Court Palace.
David Lawrence’s intricate design depicts the cunning panther in its traditional “incensed” form, with flames flaring from its mouth and ears to symbolise its fragrant and supposedly enticing breath.
Unlike the Seymour Panther, the Queen’s Panther holds a shield bearing the Royal coat of arms of King Henry VIII split by the coat of arms of the House of Seymour, symbolising the powerful union between King Henry VIII and his wife, Jane Seymour.
2024 UK Tudor Dragon £5
The series continued with the 2024 UK Tudor Dragon £5. The Tudor Dragon is one of the last of the 10 King’s Beasts you’ll pass on the moat bridge before entering Hampton Court Palace.
The dragon represents the Welsh lineage of the Tudor dynasty, and has been associated with Wales for centuries since it was adopted by Henry VIII. The red dragon even features on the Welsh flag to this day.
Sculptor David Lawrence aimed to portray all of the heraldic beasts in the Tudor Beasts series in a natural and realistic way. He worked in collaboration with the experts at Historic Royal Palaces on his design, which shows the Tudor Dragon in all its majestic glory, holding a shield emblazoned with the Beaufort Portcullis badge.
Secure your 2024 UK Tudor Dragon £5 in CERTIFIED Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £13.99 >>
2024 UK Seymour Unicorn £5
The Seymour Unicorn, believed to be the strongest of all creatures, is one of ten magnificent King’s Beasts sculptures you’ll find if you visit Hampton Court Palace.
The reverse design features an exquisite engraving of the Seymour Unicorn in all its majestic glory by sculptor, David Lawrence. It was also only the second coin in the Tudor Beasts series to feature King Charles III on the obverse.
Before it was chosen by Henry VIII to flank the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace, the unicorn was rarely used as a royal heraldic beast. The monarch’s decision to choose the unicorn may have been motivated by his desperation to have a son with his third wife, Jane Seymour, as the unicorn is thought to represent purity and fertility.
Secure your 2024 UK Seymour Unicorn £5 in CERTIFIED Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £13.99(+p&p) >>
2023 UK Bull of Clarence £5
**No longer available at The Mint**
The Bull of Clarence joined The Royal Mint’s Tudor Beasts Collection, representing bravery and wealth!
Excitingly, this was the FIRST coin in the series to feature King Charles III’s effigy! The first three coins in the series have featured Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait, making it one of just a few duel-portrait series!
Looking back at British history, the Bull of Clarence was particularly popular with royals. It was once used by the first Duke of Clarence as a Yorkist badge, and then later by Henry VIII!
Like the other seven beasts, a statue of the Royal Bull resides outside Hampton Court Palace. But, the Tudor beasts once found home in Henry VIII’s Privy Garden at the palace, used to emphasise his legitimacy as a king!
Secure the 2023 UK Bull of Clarence £5 in Brilliant Uncirculated quality >>
2023 UK Yale of Beaufort £5
**No longer available at The Mint**
Issued as one of only two UK £5 coins dated 2023 to feature the Queen’s portrait, this coin is now off sale at the mint and set to become increasingly sought-after…
As you cross the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace, you’ll see the peculiar statue of the Yale of Beaufort, Arms of Jane Seymour in its possession. It’s said that Henry VIII gave this beast to his new wife – and what a gift it was!
With a mixture of antelope, lion and boar-like features, it is certainly a sight to behold, but especially so on the UK £5 coin designed by David Lawrence. The design surely captures the power associated with the Beaufort family, who Seymour had familial ties with through her brother, Edward.
Secure your 2023 UK Yale of Beaufort £5 here >>
2022 UK Lion of England £5
**No longer available at The Mint**
One of the first beasts to greet you on the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace, the crowned Lion of England supports a shield bearing the combination of two coats of arms – of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour.
A brave and ferocious lion has featured on the shield of England for as long as it has existed. Representing English courage, strength, dignity, and pride, this beast remains an iconic heraldic symbol to this very day.
Designed by David Lawrence, this £5 coin shows the crowned Lion in a powerful stance. Its lips are curled, exposing the ferocious grimace of teeth, and its claws clasp tightly around the shield of arms it stands to protect.
This coin is no longer available at The Royal Mint, but you can order your 2022 UK Lion of England £5 coin for JUST £24.99 (+p&p) today by clicking here >>
2022 UK Seymour Panther £5
**No longer available at The Mint**
The Seymour Panther was gifted to Jane Seymour by King Henry VIII from the royal treasury of beasts. It is one of the ten magnificent King’s Beasts sculptures you’ll find if you visit Hampton Court Palace.
The exquisite reverse design of this £5 coin, by David Lawrence, depicts the panther in all its glory, with flames coming out of its mouth and ears. Known for its intoxicating breath, the Seymour Panther represents the union between the mighty King Henry VIII and his wife, Jane Seymour.
This coin was the very first issue in The Royal Mint’s Tudor Beasts Collection, and it is no longer available from The Royal Mint. You can order your 2022 UK Seymour Panther £5 coin for £24.99 (+p&p) today by clicking here >>
The heraldic beasts of the Tudor dynasty
Over 400 years ago, Henry VIII commissioned the sculpting of 10 heraldic animal statues. They were produced to represent the ancestry of King Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour.
These became known as “The King’s Beasts” and can still be seen to this day, guarding the main entrance to Hampton Court Palace. One of the responsibilities of the beasts is to support various shields which themselves have symbols known as badges.
King Henry VIII had numerous beasts decorating Hampton Court where the Queen’s own beasts now reside. The Tudor Beasts are: the Lion of England, the Royal Dragon, the Tudor Dragon, the Black Bull of Clarence, the Yale of Beaufort, the White Lion of Mortimer, the White Greyhound of Richmond, the Seymour Lion, the Seymour Panther and the Seymour Unicorn.
The Queen’s ten beasts were modeled after these creatures and guarded her coronation in 1952. Woodford, the sculptor instructed to produce these ten new statues, did not produce exact replicas to those of Henry VIII’s beasts, as these would have had little connection with Her Majesty’s own family or ancestry.
Now that you know about the history of the Tudor creatures, which beast are you excited to see featured on our £5 coin? Let us know in the comments below!
Continue your Royal Tudor Beasts £5 Collection
Secure the 2025 UK Greyhound of Richmond £5 for your collection today >>