Posts Tagged ‘£5’
Celebrate over 250 years of Royal History with the Buckingham Palace £5
When visiting London, there’s one place that’s most likely to be on everyone’s sightseeing list…Buckingham Palace! And as one of the most recognisable buildings in the world, it’s only fitting that it now features on a UK £5 coin!
A design fit for a King…or Queen!
The 2024 UK Buckingham Palace £5 was first issued in January as part of the 2024 Annual Coin Set, but it’s now been individually released!
The design on this new £5, by Henry Gray, pays tribute to the building that carries so much history, with a beautifully detailed depiction of the front of Buckingham Palace. If you look closely, you’ll see the Royal Standard flying, which signifies the presence of a British Monarch, and the whole design is encircled in a floral ring, tying in with the King’s love of nature.
The History of the Palace
Buckingham Palace has been in the Royal Family since 1761, when George III bought it as Buckingham House for his wife, Queen Charlotte, to use as their family home. It wasn’t until 1826 that George IV transformed the house into a palace, however the project took much longer and cost much more than expected and was finished by his successor William IV, although he never actually moved in.
Queen Victoria was the first monarch to take up residence in Buckingham Palace in 1837, and it remained the royal residence and place of official business until the end of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. It now serves as King Charles III’s administrative headquarters, although he doesn’t live there.
Many a state visit and national celebration have taken place at the Palace, most recently the King’s Coronation celebrations and Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. It also facilitated significant moments in history, such as the signing of The London Declaration in 1949 that created the Commonwealth as we know it today.
Did you know…Buckingham Palace boasts 775 rooms, a cinema, swimming pool, post office, police station, a doctor’s clinic and a cash machine! It also has the largest private garden in London, covering 42 acres and including a helipad, a lake and tennis courts!
Secure your Buckingham Palace £5
With its rich history, it’s surprising that this is the first time that Buckingham Palace has ever featured on a UK £5 coin. What’s not surprising though, is that the Buckingham Palace £5 was voted your second favourite coin design from the 2024 Annual Set.
This is your chance to hold more than 250 years of royal history in your hands, so click here to secure your 2024 UK Buckingham Palace £5 for just £13.99 (+p&p) >>
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! The series kicked off with the very first decade of Bond, celebrating the 60s, but the latest coin to be released takes us back to of the 90s.
Bond of the 90s
The fourth coin in the series bounces back to 1990s and marks Pierce Brosnan’s acting debut as Bond in GoldenEye in 1995. Another two 007 films hit the big screens in the 90s, including Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough. Can you spot these titles written on the new Bond £5?
But the star of the show on this action-packed coin is none other than Q Branch’s speedboat from the iconic River Thames scene in The World Is Not Enough.
Secure your Bond films of the 90s £5 >>
Bond of the 80s
The third coin in the series transports us back to 1980, and honours two beloved Bond actors. Sir Roger Moore who continued to portray James Bond from the 70s through to 1985, and Timothy Dalton who put a more serious spin on the role and played the iconic agent from 1987 to 1989.
Depicted on the third coin is the MI6 agent in the Acrostar ‘Bede’ Jet that appeared in the opening sequence for Moore’s sixth 007 film, Octopussy. Repeating over in the background is each of the 80s Bond film titles, behind the BD-J5 Acrostar.
The 80s brought us some of the most well-known Bond movies, with the likes of For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy and Licence to Kill. This decade was a real defining era for James Bond, I have to say, I think it represents Bond perfectly.
Secure your Bond Films of the 80s £5 >>
Bond of the 70s
This second coin in the series depicts the iconic car-submarine, Wet Nellie from hit 70s film, The Spy Who Loved Me. And, like the first coin in the series, features and repeats each 1970s bond film titles behind the much-loved vehicle.
Throughout the 70s we saw a whole new era of Bond, with Sean Connery passing the iconic role on to Roger Moore, who is the oldest actor to have played Bond, making his debut as the secret agent at 45. Moore has undoubtably been in some of the most well-known bond movies, like Live and Let Die and Diamonds are Forever.
Secure the Bond of the 70s £5 for your collection in Brilliant Uncirculated quality here >>
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), 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
Continue to grow your Six Decades of Bond collection today for just £13.99 (+£2.99p&p) with the Bond of the 1990s £5 coin.
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
80th Anniversary of D-Day
On 12th April 2024, a Royal Proclamation announced a brand new UK 50p coming soon.
The design of this coin and full details haven’t yet been released, but here’s what we do know:
- For the obverse impression Our effigy with the inscription “· CHARLES III · D · G · REX · F · D · 50 PENCE ·” and the date of the year, and for the reverse a depiction of soldiers disembarking a landing craft, accompanied by the inscription “D-DAY 6 JUNE 1944 UTAH OMAHA GOLD JUNO SWORD”. The coin shall have a plain edge.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a D-Day themed UK coin, in 1994 a UK 50p was issued to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
We also saw a UK £2 issued in 2019 to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. The coin features arrows pointing across the English Channel to Normandy. Each arrow also has one of the code names used for each of the beaches where Allied troops landed – Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword.
Upcoming £5 Releases
Lunar Year of the Snake
The Lunar Year £5 coins are usually one of the first coins issued bearing the following year’s date. For example, the Lunar Year of the Dragon £5 was issued in September 2023 and was the first 2024 dated UK £5 coin.
The next Lunar Year £5 coin has been announced, and as 2025 will be the Year of the Snake, it’ll feature the snake.
Credit: cafeastrology
Here’s what we know so far about this upcoming coin as per the Royal Proclamation released on 13th March 2024:
- ‘For the obverse impression Our effigy with the inscription “· CHARLES III · D · G ·
REX · F · D · 5 POUNDS ·” and the date of the year, and for the reverse a depiction of a
snake upon grassy landscape with the inscription “YEAR OF THE SNAKE · ”, the date of
the year and the Chinese character for a snake. The coin shall have a grained edge.’
Decades of Bond £5 Series
We’re over halfway through the Decades of Bond £5 coin series, with 3 still to be released. Each coin in this series celebrates a decade of James Bond films, with iconic imagery from the movies and the film titles from each era repeated in the background.
So far, we’ve seen the Bond of the 60s coin featuring Little Nellie from You Only Live Twice, the Bond of the 70s coin showing Wet Nellie, the Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me, the Bond of the 80s £5 which features the Acrostar ‘Bede’ Jet from Octopussy and the Bond of the 90s £5 depicting the iconic Thames River chase scene from The World is Not Enough.
When you consider the huge popularity of the ‘B’ A-Z 10p which was dedicated to James Bond and the 2020 Bond £5 series, there’s no doubt that this theme is loved within the collecting community.
What do you think will feature on the upcoming Decades of Bond £5 coins?
Upcoming £2 Releases
200 Years of the National Gallery £2
The National Gallery £2 was featured in the 2024 Annual Coin Set, however it is yet to be individually issued. Featuring the iconic façade of the National Gallery building, this £2 celebrates the gallery’s 200th anniversary.
We can expect to see the 2024 National Gallery £2 issued individually later in the year, but if you can’t wait to get your hands on it, you can secure it in the 2024 Annual Set.
Winston Churchill £2
Usually, all the coins in the Annual Set are individually released throughout the year, however this year is different, as the Winston Churchill £2 will NOT be individually issued. So currently the only way to get your hands on it is in the 2024 Annual Set.
You can secure your 2024 Annual Set for just £42 (+p&p) here >>
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!