Posts Tagged ‘50p Coin’
Happy Birthday Ma’am!
Not only is our Queen now the longest reigning monarch in British history, but today Her Majesty is celebrating her 92nd Birthday – the only British sovereign to reach this milestone.
To celebrate, we’ve put together a timeline of the most significant moments in history while looking through some of the coins that have adorned Her Majesty’s portraits through the years.
Elizabeth immediately became Queen after her father King George VI passed away. Her Coronation was delayed for 16 months because of a traditional period of mourning that follows the death of a Monarch. The first commemorative crown of her reign was designed by Gilbert Ledward and captured the hearts of the nation.
The first coins of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign featured the first portrait of Her Majesty by Mary Gillick. The portrait is remembered for reflecting the optimistic mood of the nation and was also used on coinage in many of the commonwealth countries.
In 1965, a crown was released by the Royal Mint which changed everything. This particular Crown is famous for being the first British coin to feature anyone outside the Royal Family – Sir Winston Churchill.
On Decimal Day, the UK and Ireland decimalised their currencies. The new currency system meant that the pound would be divided into units of ten, including half, one, two, five and 50 pence.
The marriage of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip Mountbatten took place on the 20th November 1947 and in 1972, the couple celebrated 25 years together. The Royal Mint issued the first British coin to have a face value of 25p to mark their 25th Wedding Anniversary.
The thirteenth Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh in 1986 which saw the striking of the very first commemorative £2 coin. Not only that, it was the first coin to commemorate a sport.
The very first bi-metallic coin was issued in 1997 – one year prior to the portrait change. This coin is the one and only year that Raphael Maklouf’s portrait appears on the bi-metallic £2 coin. His portrait features Queen Elizabeth II wearing a necklace, which earned the coin its unique status and nickname in the collecting world, the ‘Queen with a Necklace’ £2.
2011 saw the introduction of a new design for the 1oz Silver Britannia who has a long standing history with British coinage. The coin features the 4th portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley which is regarded as being a realistic and mature representation of the Queen.
In 2015, British History was made as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrated an incredible Royal milestone, becoming our longest reigning monarch. This remarkable £20 coin was issued in celebration and features all 5 portraits of Her Majesty. The obverse features the fifth portrait of Her Majesty as 2015 was the first year that the Jody Clark portrait was used on UK coinage.
To celebrate the 90th Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II a selection of brand new commemorative coins were issued. Designed by Christopher Hobbs, the coin depicts nine roses – one for each decade of her life as well as the number ’90’ in the centre.
2016 proved to be a significant year for collectors and the 90th Birthday celebrations were no exception. The coins that appeared throughout Her Majesty’s reign have proved to be very popular over the years and we’re sure the 90th Birthday commemorative coins will be favourites among collectors in years to come.
Own your own piece of numismatic history
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Beatrix Potter revealed as the latest theme for 2016
2016 is already set to be an exciting year for Change Checkers with some key commemorative themes in the pipeline. But now the Royal Mint have pulled another rabbit out of their hat…
Beatrix Potter wrote and illustrated more than 20 children’s books including ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’
Peter Rabbit to be precise!
2016 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter, and a Royal Proclamation published on Friday has confirmed that one of Britain’s best-loved authors will be commemorated on two 50p coins next year.
National treasure
Beatrix Potter wrote and illustrated more than 20 children’s books starring characters such as Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle-Duck and Benjamin Bunny. Her charming stories have captured the imagination of children for generations and earned her status as a national treasure.
Her inclusion on next year’s coins is sure to be a welcome surprise for Change Checkers, but what can we expect from the designs?
As well as declaring the specification, each Royal Proclamation also gives a description of the design of any new coin. The first, as stated in the London Gazette, will feature:
- “A silhouette of Beatrix Potter accompanied by an image of Peter Rabbit surrounded by a floral motif with the inscription “BEATRIX POTTER 1866 1943”.
- The second will use a more simplistic design: “A portrait of Peter Rabbit with the inscription “PETER RABBIT”
A first for UK coins
Never has a female literary figure been commemorated on a UK coin, so the two new Beatrix Potter 50ps are likely to be in high demand once they finally make it into circulation.
Are you happy to see Beatrix Potter commemorated on our coins next year? Let us know your thoughts via Facebook or Twitter
10 UK coins featuring Scottish designs
As it’s St Andrew’s Day today I thought I’d have a look back at the UK coins with designs that have been inspired by Scotland. How many have you got in your collection?
Here are my top 10, with details taken from the Change Checker App…
50p: Glasgow Commonwealth Games
Year of issue: 2014
This 50p commemorates the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. The reverse design by Alex Goudon features a depiction of a sprinter and a cyclist alongside the St Andrew’s Cross. Athletics and cycling are two of the 17 different sports that featured in the Games over its 11 days.
£1 Coin: Scottish Thistle
Years of Issue: 1984 & 1989
The first reverse design series of £1 coins took floral emblems as its theme to represent the United Kingdom and its four constituent countries. They were designed by Lesley Durbin – one of the most highly-regarded silversmiths of the 20th Century. The Thistle is used on this coin to represent Scotland.
£1 Coin: Lion Rampant
Year of issue: 1994 & 1999
The second series of £1 coin designs used heraldic emblems to represent the United Kingdom and its four constituent countries. This coin features a Lion Rampant which is used to represent Scotland. The term ‘rampant’ refers to the position of the lion standing upright with forelegs raised and claws unsheathed, and this symbol was first used to represent the Scottish kingdom by King Alexander in the 13th Century.
£1 Coin: Floral Emblem of Scotland
Year of Issue: 2014
The fifth series of £1 coin designs uses pairs of floral emblems designed by Timothy Noad to represent the United Kingdom and its four constituent countries. This coin features a thistle alongside a bluebell to represent Scotland.
£2 Coin: Claim of Right
Year of issue: 1989
In 1689, Prince William and Mary accepted the Declaration of Rights prior to being offered the throne, which effectively shifted the balance of power from Crown to Parliament and changed the course of British political history. This £2 coin was issued in 1989 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of this landmark act. There were 2 versions of the coin issued – English and Scottish.
£2 Coin: Edinburgh Commonwealth Games
Year of issue: 1986
The thirteenth Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh in 1986, and are well remember 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. The reverse design features a thistle encircled by a laurel wreath over the cross of St. Andrew. This £2 was the first British coin issued to commemorate a sporting event.
£2 Coin: 2002 Commonwealth Games – Scotland
Year of issue: 2002
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, and prior to the Olympic Games in London in 2012, it was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK. There are four different designs of the £2 commemorative coin – all are similar except that the central cameo features a different flag for the four constituent countries of the UK. This coin represents Scotland.
£2 Coin: Act of Union
Year of issue: 2007
The political unification of Scotland and England was sealed in 1707 with the creation of one parliament for both countries – based at Westminster. Despite centuries of conflict and opposition, Scotland and England unified through this parliament, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain. The reverse design by Yvonne Holton features two jigsaw pieces representing both countries alongside a portcullis representing Parliament.
£2 Coin: 250th Anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns
Year of issue: 2009
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest literary figures in British history. Burns night is celebrated each year with a traditional Haggis supper on his birthday, 25th January, and is more widely observed in Scotland than the official national day, St Andrew’s Day. The reverse design of this £2 coin features an extract from Auld Lang Syne, Burns’ most famous work.
£5 Coin: 300th Anniversary of the Death of Queen Anne
Year of issue: 2014
Queen Anne was the second daughter of James II and supported the overthrow of her father by her sister Mark and brother-in-law WIlliam of Orange in 1688. Following William’s death in 1702, Anne took the throne as the very first Queen of Great Britain. She also oversaw the War of Spanish Succesion (1702-1714), an era which lay the foundation for Britain’s colonial power in the 18th century. This coin commemorates 300 years since her death in 1714 and features an elegant portrait of Anne as an 18th century miniature on the reverse.
2014 UK Commonwealth Games circulation 50p
To celebrate Glasgow holding the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Royal Mint issued an official XX Commonwealth Games 50p coin.
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.
The obverse features the fourth portrait of Her Majesty the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS.