Blog Home
Is this the most important moment ever captured on a coin?
It’s not often that The Royal Mint commemorate an event which occurred as many as 800 years ago, but the Magna Carta warrants every bit of recognition in this very special anniversary year.
In 1215, after King John violated a number of the ancient laws and customs by which England had been governed, his barons forced him to agree to a new set of rules. They rebelled against excessive taxes, formed an army and captured London. John had no choice but to negotiate. To appease the rebels, he produced the Magna Carta and the Royal Seal was attached on 15th June of that year at Runnymede, near Windsor Castle.
The new Magna Carta £2 will enter general circulation later this year
That historic moment is captured on a new £2 coin and features King John holding the Magna Carta and flanked by two barons. Designed by veteran coin artist John Bergdahl, the very distinctive medieval-style lettering is also befitting of the era.
But the edge inscription FOUNDATION OF LIBERTY is the most accurate and succinct description of what the Magna Carta or ‘Great Charter’ represents.
It is certain that King John had not intended to produce a parchment enshrining the basic tenets of human rights, but the elements of the Magna Carta were just that. For the first time an English king had set detailed limits on royal authority and, crucially, made clear that the king was subject to the law and not above it.
The Magna Carta was arguably the most significant early influence on creating the rule of constitutional law today in the English-speaking world. In fact, it is still cited in many legal cases today – even in America.
The Magna Carta £2 is due to enter general circulation later this year – make sure you keep an eye out for one in your change!
Belgium wins Battle of Waterloo with new €2.50 coin
In March we shared a story on our Facebook page about a new €2 coin proposed by Belgium to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo in this, its bicentenary year. France made it very clear they would not welcome any such design, branding the commemoration of Waterloo as a “symbol that is negative” which would “undermine the unity of the Eurozone.”
This caused more than a little grievance with Belgium, who had already struck around 180,000 €2 coins ready for circulation, prior to receiving the veto letter from Paris.
Now, in an unprecedented and surprisingly provocative move, Belgium has moved to defy France and issue a new coin which takes advantage of a European rule stating that Eurozone countries are permitted to approve their own coins without approval of other member states, providing the new denomination is an irregular one.
The story of the new €2.50 coin was widely covered in the media
In this case the irregular denomination is €2.50.
The reverse design features the Lion’s Mound monument which currently stands at the Waterloo battlefield, as well as lines indicating the position of the troops.
Napoleon Bonaparte’s defeat and ultimate exile in 1815 still leaves a bitter taste with the French, but Belgium have denied acting antagonistically.
Belgian finance minister, Johan Van Overtveldt, defended the new coin by emphasising the magnitude of the occasion; “There’s been no battle in in recent history as important as Waterloo, or indeed one that captures the imagination in the same way.”
Regardless of intent, the new coin has caused quite a stir, with the story being picked up by the worldwide media.
There are only 70,000 new coins which will all be legal tender in Belgium, but it is thought that collectors will be very quick to snap them up considering the controversy over their release.
** Unfortunately this has now SOLD OUT **
LIMITED AVAILABILITY
We have been able to secure a very limited number of the new Waterloo €2.50 coin from Europe.
They are available now for just £9.99, however, we are expecting them to sell out in record time – so please be quick to reserve yours!
The Thrup’nny Bit: A 12-sided Story
The 12-sided £1 coin entered circulation as the ‘world-leading coin’ in anti-counterfeiting technology, and it is being billed by the Royal Mint as ‘the most secure denomination in the world’. But the shape of this modern £1 coin is actually a throwback to the thrup’nny bit – an old favourite from the pre-decimal era.
The 12-sided threepenny is fondly remembered for its individuality. There was quite literally nothing quite like it before, and it holds the proud title of Britain’s first non-circular coin since milled coins were introduced in the 17th century.
The Thrup’nny bit was Britain’s first non-circular coin
Its predecessor, the ‘Joey’, was a very small silver threepence which was often lost or dropped. It was unpopular with the British public, who were crying out for a coin with a more convenient weight-to-value ratio.
In 1937 they finally got it.
The new design was actually planned for the coinage of Edward VIII, but his short-lived reign meant that only a dozen trial pieces were produced with his effigy. These particular threepence pieces have since been written into folklore as among the most sought-after coins in history.
The unconventional shape and thickness of the new brass threepence made it easy to identify amongst other coins in loose change, and it quickly proved to be a very popular new addition.
Striking the coin was the only problem early on. The Royal Mint were finding that the collar placed around each coin was prone to weaknesses because of the 12 sharp corners. In order to make the collars last longer, they were modified to have more rounded corners from 1941 onwards.
A hidden message
There is also more of a story behind the original reverse design than meets the eye. The design features a Thrift Plant. An odd choice you may think, but it was actually used as a clever pun at a time when saving money, or being ‘thrifty’, was heavily encouraged by the government.
Having met with the approval of the public, the coin was readily adopted into the coinage of Queen Elizabeth II, and as the British economy began its recovery after the war, the thrift plant was replaced with a portcullis.
The thrup’nny bit was eventually withdrawn in 1971 after the introduction of decimal coinage which didn’t include Three Pence as a denomination. However, its legacy lives on, and it is still widely regarded as one of the most original and iconic coins in British history.
The Story of the new £1 Collector’s Pack
Click here to secure the ‘Story of the £1 Collector Pack’ which has space for you to house the new 12-sided £1 coin once you find it in your change, alongside the UK 1967 Brass 12-Sided Threepence Coin.