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The Commonwealth Games Celebrated on UK Coins!
Next year Birmingham is set to host the international multi-sport event, the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The first-ever edition of the Commonwealth Games took place in Canada in 1930. The games consists of 400 athletes from 11 countries who take part in six sports and 59 events.
Since then, the Games have been conducted every four years (except for 1942 and 1946 due to World War II). Team England has competed at every Games – one of only six nations to do so and Team Scotland has hosted the games THREE times!
The Commonwealth Games have been incredibly influential in the sporting world but they’ve also provided the UK with some incredible coin issues!
In our blog, we take a look back at some of the UK coins celebrating the Commonwealth Games…
1986 UK Commonwealth Games £2
The 1986 Commonwealth Games £2 coin changed the face of UK commemorative coins, being the first of its denomination to be struck and the first British coin being issued to commemorate a sporting event.
The thirteenth Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh in 1986, and are well remembered for being boycotted by 32 of the 59 eligible countries who did not agree with Britain’s sporting connections to South Africa during the Apartheid era.
These original £2 coins were never commonly found in circulation, as they were mainly struck for collectors. This made them much rarer than their successor, the bi-metallic £2 coin, as their mintage figures were much lower.
The pre-1997 £2 coins are still legal tender but they’re not used in circulation and banks/shops can refuse to accept them. Despite this, they still remain incredibly popular amongst collectors!
The reverse design of this coin features a thistle encircled by a laurel wreath over the cross of St Andrew and it has a mintage of 8,212,184.
This coin is no longer in circulation but Change Checker has strictly limited stock remaining for collectors. To secure yours with FREE p&p today, simply click here >>
2002 Commonwealth Games £2 Series
These four coins were issued in 2002 – again issued to celebrate the Commonwealth Games – this time held in Manchester.
At first glance, you might struggle to spot the difference between them as they all feature the same running athlete trailing a banner behind.
However, each has a different cameo, representing each of the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom.
They are some of the scarcest £2 coins now in circulation, with the Northern Ireland design having a mintage of JUST 485,500!
The other coin designs have the following mintage figures:
- 2002 Commonwealth Games Wales £2: 588,500
- 2002 Commonwealth Games England £2: 650,500
- 2002 Commonwealth Games Scotland £2: 771,750
Find out more about these coins here >>
2014 Commonwealth Games 50p
To celebrate Glasgow holding the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Royal Mint issued an official XX Commonwealth Games 50p coin the very same year
Designed by Alex Loudon, the reverse features a cyclist and athlete depicting the power of sport.
The home of the Games are reflected in the choice of Scottish Saltire and lettering inspired by Glasgow-born architect, artist and designer, Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
This coin is the least rare of the Commonwealth Games coins, with a total of 6,500,000 entering circulation.
Vote for your favourite Commonwealth Games coin!
With a total of 6 coins commemorating the Commonwealth Games, we want you to have your say and vote for your favourite!
Secure the 1986 UK Commonwealth Games £2 for your collection!
This coin can no longer be found in circulation, so this could be one of your last chances of securing this coin for your collection!
Face-less Value! Do you have this £10 note error worth thousands of pounds?
The UK’s new polymer £10 note, featuring Jane Austen, entered circulation on 14th September 2017, replacing the previously-used paper notes.
After its release, collectors were eager to hunt down the notes with the lowest serial numbers but it’s recently been revealed that there is a particular error that we should be looking out for – one that’s worth thousands!
Faceless £10 Note
One lucky collector was very surprised to see Her Majesty’s portrait missing some very key features on the £10 note that he withdrew from a cash machine.
The gentleman was almost about to spend the note before a shop assistant pointed it out to him! Speaking of the unusual banknote, Mr. Coleman said he was considering auctioning it.
Whilst we’d love for this to be a genuine error, we’ll have to wait for official confirmation from the Bank of England!
Sought-after Banknotes
Collecting banknotes is a serious hobby that many thousands of people all over the world enjoy. Whenever a new banknote is issued, or an error story arises, collectors are eager to add them to their collection.
With so many stories in the press and listings on eBay claiming certain notes were worth way over face value, it’s easy to see how the nation got swept away with the idea of their new polymer banknote being worth thousands of pounds.
Whilst there’s a range of serial numbers that could fetch you a pretty penny on the secondary market, we’ve never seen an error quite like the Faceless £10 Note. If this is classified as genuine, it would certainly increase collector demand!
Do you have this error note sitting in your collection?
If you think you’ve got a banknote with Her Majesty’s portrait missing its features, we’d love to hear from you! You can get in touch via [email protected] or via any of our social channels:
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95th Birthday of HM Queen Elizabeth II celebrated on BRAND NEW £5 coin!
This year, Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her 95th birthday – making her the first ruling monarch in British history to reach this milestone!
In celebration of this incredible royal event, a UK £5 coin has been issued!
Designed by heraldic artist, Timothy Noad, the coin features the Royal Cypher ‘EIIR’ and the quote, “MY HEART AND MY DEVOTION” a nod to part of her 1957 Christmas broadcast, which was the first to be televised.
We also see the date of Her Majesty’s birth and the year 2021, highlighting the remarkable 95th anniversary year.
To secure this brand new 2021 UK Queen Elizabeth 95th Anniversary £5 for JUST £10.99 (+p&p) simply click here >>
This coin was first issued as part of the 2021 Annual Coin Set and has already been proving incredibly popular with collectors.
And when you consider the popularity of previous coins celebrating Her Majesty, we’re expecting demand for this coin to be high…
2016 UK Queen Elizabeth II 90th Birthday £5
To celebrate the 90th Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II The Royal Mint issued a new commemorative £5 coin.
This coin features a design by Christopher Hobbs, depicting nine roses, inspired by Her Majesty’s love of flowers – one for each decade of Her Majesty’s life.
You’ll notice the flowers in the wreath are each different to the next one. As this was such a personal occasion, Hobbs chose to move away from heraldic flowers and to use a more natural floral image instead.
The obverse features the fifth portrait of Her Majesty the Queen, designed by Royal Mint engraver Jody Clark.
Excitingly for collectors, Change Checker has a limited number of Official 2016 UK Queen’s 90th Birthday £5 BU packs remaining. To secure yours for JUST £30.00 (+p&p) click here >>
2006 UK Queen Elizabeth II 80th Birthday £5
This coin was issued in 2006 to commemorate Her Majesty’s 80th birthday. The reverse design by Danuta Solowiej-Wedderburn features three trumpeters with trumpet banners accompanied by the inscription Vivat Regina (long live the Queen) and the anniversary dates.
This £5 coin is the fourth rarest £5 (as of the latest mintage update in 2013) and it is incredibly popular with collectors!
Change Checker has very limited stock remaining of this coin. To secure one for your collection, click here >>
2012 UK Diamond Jubilee £5
In 2012, the Queen celebrated her Diamond Jubilee having reached 50 years on the throne.
This is the first coin ever struck to commemorate a Diamond Jubilee – there were no special coins for Queen Victoria’s in 1897. The obverse features a new portrait of Her Majesty crowned and wearing the robes of the Order of the Garter, created especially for the Diamond Jubilee by Ian Rank-Broadley.
Also designed by Ian Rank-Broadley, the obverse features a portrait of the young Queen Elizabeth just as she appeared in her first portrait with the Latin words DIRIGE DEUS GRESSUS MEOS (May God Guide My Steps).
If you don’t have this coin in your collection yet, Change Checker has strictly limited stock remaining. Secure yours here >>
2002 UK Golden Jubilee £5
In 2002, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, the Royal Mint produced this £5 coin.
On one side appears an unusual bust portrait of the Queen wearing the robes of state. The dramatic impact of this motif are heightened by the absence of any inscription other than the value in small lettering around the foot.
The reverse design, as with the original Coronation crown of 1953 features the Queen on horseback. The Latin motto AMOR POPULI PRAESIDIUM REG(inae) meaning ‘The love of the people is the Queen’s protection’ was last used on the coinage of Charles I.
You can add this coin to your collection here >>
1993 UK 40th Anniversary of the Coronation £5
This £5 coin was issued to mark 40 years since the Queen’s coronation in 1953.
The obverse features the original portrait by Mary Gillick placed in a circle surrounded by eight mounted trumpeters of the Household Cavalry separated by swords and sceptres.
The reverse features the Crown of St Edward which was used at the Coronation, set within 40 radiating trumpets.
The words FAITH AND TRUTH I WILL BEAR UNTO YOU, from the Coronation oath, are inscribed at the top, with the double dates 1953 and 1993 appearing at the foot.
Change Checker has limited stock remaining of this coin. Secure one for your collection here >>
Vote for your favourite!
In celebration of the release of the brand new 2021 UK Queen Elizabeth II 95th Birthday £5, we want you to vote for your favourite coin commemorating Her Majesty.
Have your say:
Results will be revealed next Monday!
Secure the 2021 UK Queen Elizabeth II 95th Birthday £5
Secure the 2021 UK Queen Elizabeth II 95th Birthday £5 for JUST £10.99 (+p&p) here >>
Your coin will come in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality presented in official Change Checker packaging.