Posts Tagged ‘Britannia’
Just Discovered: Rare “Inverted Effigy” £2 Coin
It’s time to really start examining your change again.
Change Checker has just been able to confirm that a small number of “Inverted Effigy” £2 Coins have entered circulation.
The Inverted Effigy Coin has the Queen’s head rotated clockwise by approximately 150 degrees
First discovered by a Change Checker, and now confirmed as genuine by The Royal Mint, this unusual strike appears on a handful of the 2015 Britannia £2 Coins.
The Royal Mint has accounted for the seemingly impossible misalignment of the Queen’s effigy as “almost certainly the result of one of the dies working loose and rotating during the striking process”.
The result is that the Queen’s head is offset by around 150 degrees compared to the Britannia design on the reverse of the coin.
Just how rare is the Inverted Effigy £2 Britannia?
The Royal Mint is unable to give any indication of how many Inverted Effigy coins have entered circulation but we can make some initial estimates.
The first-year 2015 £2 Britannia is already one of the most-scarce circulating £2 coins ever issued with just 650,000 coins passing through banks and cash centres. That already places it third equal in the all-time low mintage charts.
We have analysed 5,000 circulation coins and our results suggest that the Inverted Effigy may have affected as few as 1 in 200 of the coins struck – in other words around just 3,250 coins.
Of course, if the Inverted Effigy is a consequence of the die slipping during the striking process, it is possible that there may be other variations where the Queen’s head is less or more misaligned as the die has worked its way out of position.
Errors, mis-strikes and myths
Of course, given the many million coins The Royal Mint strike each year, it is to their immense credit that mis-strikes and errors are so few and far between. But, of course, when they do arise, they cause great collector excitement, as some of these other examples pay testament to.
- The Undated 20p – read more
- The “Silver” 2p – read more
- The 2014 Year of the Horse Silver £2 – read more
But there are a few myths out there too – upside down edge lettering, the “Pemember” Gunpowder Plot £2 coin and the “Necklace” £2 coin, which all have perfectly normal explanations.
Buyers beware
But finally a note of caution. I’m sure in time we’ll see some “examples” of the Inverted Effigy £2 for sale online. Before you think of buying one, please beware. Are you seeing a genuine Inverted Effigy or just a coin that someone has rotated in a photograph to make it look inverted?
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
Add the 2016 UK 90th Birthday CERTIFIED BU £5 to your collection today >>
Announcing: The return of Britannia to our coins
An early depiction of Britannia on a George II halfpenny
Earlier in the month, we revealed that Britannia would be making a triumphant return to British circulating coins, and today The Royal Mint have unveiled the new design which we will soon be seeing on the new £2 coin.
Having been something of an institution for British coins for over 300 years, it came as a shock to many that her image was dropped from the 50p in the first place.
A depiction of Britannia on a George III Cartwheel Penny had a nautical theme
The Romans were the first to personify Britain as a noble female warrior, but it was Charles II who introduced Britannia to our coinage in 1672. Her debut appearance was on the Farthing at a time when Britain was engaged in a naval battle with Holland and she came to be a defining symbol of British national spirit – particularly over the seas.
A Queen Victoria Penny featuring Britannia
Britannia’s depiction was originally based on Charles’ mistress, Frances Teresa Stuart, who Samuel Pepys described as “the greatest beauty I ever saw”. She modelled and was subsequently immortalised as the figure which the nation grew to love.
But her image on our coins has evolved and changed many times since then.
Originally shown holding a spear on the 1672 Farthing, on the famous Cartwheel Penny she was adapted to purvey a more nautical look. Her spear was changed to a trident – famously associated with Neptune, the Roman God of the seas. Waves were added to the foreground, with a ship on the horizon, and the Union Flag added to her shield, in a strong display of patriotism.
Britannia was depicted standing for the first time under Edward VII
This depiction of Britannia became a permanent feature on penny coins right up until decimalisation in 1971. Thereafter, she was introduced to the Fifty Pence piece, and remained until 2008 when she was famously replace with the Royal Shield of Arms, despite a Daily Mail campaign trying to save her.
A precious metal Britannia series was struck in silver and gold
Various alternatives of Britannia have existed over the years but it was not until Edward VII’s Florin that she appeared standing up. It was unusual for a coin to change so dramatically and it was considered a bold move to use a different version of the Britannia theme. The coin has since become a popular one amongst collectors, and it opened the door for a number of standing Britannia poses.
Britannia was even given the honour of being introduced as a coin in her own right. In 1987 a Gold Britannia coin was announced, and an entire precious metal series followed, with a silver version being added in 1997.
The astonishing fact is that Britannia has appeared on a circulating British coin in one way or another in an unbroken cycle between 1672 and 2008. Her reappearance to the definitive £2 coin is sure to delight collectors as she becomes a permanent feature of our pocket change once again.
Britannia’s return to the £2 coin means that the 2015 Technology £2 coin is now the very last of its kind. We have a small quantity of the Brilliant Uncirculated 2015 Technology £2 Coin available to buy in protective capsules. Click here for details.