Coin Info
Bond is Back! The Six Decades of 007 Coin Series…
Following the 60th Anniversary since Bond first appeared on the silver screen, The Royal Mint have launched a seven-coin series celebrating each decade of James Bond! Kicking it off with the first decade of Bond… the 1960s.
Bond of the 60s
Sean Connery captivated our hearts as he became the first James Bond in 1962’s, Dr. No. To this day, he’s ranked by entertainment publication, Collider, as the most popular Bond, and to no surprise. Connery’s distinct, Scottish accent helped define some of Bond’s most memorable quotes.
The first coin in the series depicts Sean Connery in the trusty ‘autogyro’ (a one-person aircraft) named ‘Little Nellie’ from the much-loved, You Only Live Twice. With a subtle nod to Connery’s work as the special agent, each of his 007 film titles appear behind James Bond in Little Nellie.
The Beginning of Bond
70 years ago writer Ian Fleming first brought James Bond into the world, in the April of 1953 with his first 007 novel – Casino Royale. Paving the way for eleven more Bond novels to be made, and inspiring a whole franchise based on the famous spy himself.
Just under 10 years later, 007 took to the screen and the first James Bond movie was made, bringing the impressive agent ‘to life’ in 1962. And, it hasn’t stopped there, with the most recent Bond movie, No Time to Die, only coming out 2 years ago!
Credit: ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv / Fotograf: Comet Photo AG (Zürich) / Com_C13-035-006 / CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A History of Bond Coins
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Bond on our UK coins!
First appearing in 2018 on the ‘B’ for Bond coin as part of the A-Z of Great Britain 10p collection, 220,000 Bond 10ps were first issued in 2018, followed by 84,000 in 2019! This 10p has proved extremely popular with collectors and has been at the top of Change Checker Scarcity Index in recent rankings.
And, how could we forget that in 2020 we had the three-part 007 £5 coin series, in which each of the coins placed together, spell out ‘007’, alongside some of Bond’s most memorable quotes.
Collector’s Galore
Start your Six Decades of Bond collection today for just £12.99 (+£2.99p&p) with the Bond of the 1960s £5 Coin.
Click here to secure yours today! >>
King Charles III celebrates 75th Birthday with UK £5
2023 has been quite the year for King Charles III. As well as being crowned King on 6th May, His Majesty celebrates his 75th birthday on 14th November 2023.
To celebrate his milestone birthday, The Royal Mint have issued a UK £5 coin featuring a reverse design representing The King’s love of nature.
In case you missed it…
You may recognise the King Charles III 75th Birthday £5 from earlier this year, as it was one of 5 commemorative coins issued in the 2023 Annual Coin Set. It’s actually the final coin from the set to be released individually, so now’s the time to secure it if you missed out on the 2023 Annual Set.
A passion for nature
Inspired by King Charles’ passion for nature and conservation, designer Dan Thorne has created a beautiful reverse design on this new UK £5. It includes The King’s royal cypher along with the number 75, all framed within oak leaves and delphiniums. The design was even personally approved by The King himself.
It’s not just nature that His Majesty is passionate about, he also has a keen interest in the arts, architecture and supporting disadvantaged young people. In 1976, when he was His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, The King founded The Princes Trust, an organisation committed to improving the life of young people in the UK.
He’s also been an avid campaigner for environmental issues and sustainability, living by the principle that it’s better to work with nature than against it.
A closer look
As well as the main aspects of the design such as the plants, royal cypher and the years 1948-2023, there are a few features on the coin you may not have noticed at first glance.
On closer inspection, we can see a ladybird, 4 bees and a dragonfly hidden within the design – another nod to The King’s love of nature.
New UK Coinage for King Charles III
The King’s love for nature and his passion for conservation is also reflected in the UK’s New Coinage. The 8 brand new coins feature designs themed around British wildlife and conservation, whilst the obverses feature King Charles III and a special privy mark.
Find out more about the UK’s New Coinage here >>
Secure your 2023 UK King Charles III 75th Birthday £5
Upcoming King Charles III Coins! What we know so far…
The collecting community has been abuzz with excitement for new King Charles III coins, especially since the UK’s new circulating coinage set was released in October.
And so I’m delighted to give you all the updates we know so far about future King Charles III commemorative coins to look forward to.
Read on to find out what’s on the horizon from the UK’s latest Royal Proclamations and get ready to add these upcoming coins to your collecting wish list!
Upcoming 50p Releases
On the 13th October 2023, a Royal Proclamation was released announcing 5 new UK commemorative 50p coins coming soon.
For now, the full details and designs are still top secret, but we do have some clues as to what will appear on these coins:
- A depiction of a Tyrannosaurus Rex with the inscription “TYRANNOSAURUS CRETACEOUS”
- A depiction of a Stegosaurus with the inscription “STEGOSAURUS JURASSIC”
- A depiction of a Diplodocus with the inscription “DIPLODOCUS JURASSIC”
- A depiction of two athletes atop the union flag
- A depiction of the RNLI flag surrounded by a lifebuoy with the inscription “200 YEARS” and “1824 2024”
Following the release of the UK’s first ever dinosaur coins back in 2020, and the follow up series of Mary Anning’s Jurassic creatures in 2021, I’m sure collectors will be delighted to hear the news that another 3 dino 50ps are set to shake up the collecting community.
And, with beasts as big as this, you can bet these new 50ps are going to be roarsome!!
Sporting 50ps are historically popular among collectors. In fact, for many, the very start of their collecting passion goes back to the UK’s OIympic 50p series, released to celebrate London 2012. These 29 different 50p coin designs sparked a collecting frenzy across the nation and to this day remain some of the most sought-after 50ps in circulation.
Since then, we’ve been treated to a number of sporting releases, including 2 Team GB 50ps and 2 Commonwealth Games 50ps. As a new 50p is set to be released featuring athletes atop the union flag, we’re already looking forward to the opportunity to add another sporting 50p to our collections.
The fifth coin on the list represents the very first time a UK 50p has been released to celebrate the RNLI. As the inscription suggests, this will mark the 200th anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution – the charity that saves lives at sea.
Since 1824, the brave volunteers of the RNLI have answered the call to rescue and we now look forward to this upcoming release to commemorate their courage and dedication.
Upcoming £5 Releases
The Royal Mint have also announced an upcoming £5 coin series, celebrating 6 decades of Bond!
Britain’s favourite secret agent has famously featured on the ‘B’ 10p from the A-Z series and also appeared across a 3-coin £5 series back in 2020.
There’s no doubt that this theme is popular in the collecting community and I for one can’t wait to see what these new designs will bring.
For now though, the designs are top secret – so make sure you stay tuned for any further information…
Upcoming £2 Releases
As of yet, we have no news to bring of upcoming commemorative £2 coins, but as soon as we hear more we’ll be sure to update this blog and our social channels – so make sure you’re following us to stay in the know!
Never miss a future UK coin issue!
With such exciting releases on the horizon, you really won’t want to miss out on these incredible new coins.
So why not take away the worry and guarantee yourself every new UK coin issue, without the hassle of placing orders on launch day?
Join the Change Checker UK CERTIFIED BU Subscription Service and be one of the first to receive new UK coins as soon as they are released!