D-Day commemorated by four world-renowned Mints

On 6th June 1944, the D-Day Landings turned the tide of the Second World War. Allied troops landed at five different beaches, famously codenamed: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword.

At these beaches, the largest amphibious assault in history was launched and this attack paved the way for the liberation of German-occupied France and is largely considered the start of the victory on the Western Front.

Most UK collectors will be familiar with the United Kingdom 75th Anniversary of D-Day £2 coin issued in 2019 to commemorate the historic event. However, Allied Nations across the globe have been commemorating this important anniversary with unique coin issues from their very own Mints.

Today, we will be looking at the extraordinary coins issued by Australia, Canada and Belgium, in addition to the UK £2, that have been brought together in a strictly limited presentation pack.

United Kingdom £2

Over sixty-one thousand British Troops were deployed as part of the D-Day Operations, landing on the 6th June at Gold and Sword. What’s more, by 1944 over 2 million troops from over 12 countries were in Britain in preparation for the invasion.

To commemorate Britain’s great effort in opening up this second front against the German army, The Royal Mint issued a United Kingdom £2 coin for 2019.

This coin was produced in collaboration with Imperial War Museums and was designed by Stephen Taylor. Speaking about his work on the design, Taylor emphasises that he wanted to ‘build up the scale of the operation’ and that the ‘fonts are inspired by markings on US, Canadian and British landing craft, capturing the spirit of the international cooperation.’

Canada $2

Operating within the British command structure, Canadian troops provided the third largest force for Allied operations in Western Europe. Landing at Juno, between British troops at Gold and Sword, over 21,000 Canadian troops were involved in the D-Day Landings.

The Canadians played a crucial role in the action that effectively ended the Normandy campaign a few months later, cutting off German forces at the Falaise gap.

To commemorate such a huge achievement, The Royal Canadian Mint issued a $2 coin, following their proud tradition of honouring Canada’s rich military history with commemorative $2 coins.  

The design, by Alan Daniel, features unique touches of selective colour to honour this most special anniversary.

Australia $1

On D-Day, over 2,000 Australian airmen took part in the battle of the skies above the invasion beaches, in addition to 500 Australian sailors serving in the escort fleets.

Notably, Australian officers held places in various British units throughout the campaign, gaining experience of British practises which they could then take home after the war.

Designed by Bronwyn King, the intricate design on this Australian $1 shows a flight of planes all heading in a single direction, with an Australian Kangaroo featured at the bottom.

Belgium 5 Euro

Although there are few recorded Belgium troops on 6th June D-Day Landings, Belgium soldiers played a key part in the Battle of Normandy, which followed the initial D-Day Landings operation.

What many people also don’t know is that the exiled Belgium government in the UK raised its own units in Britain, and Belgium pilots flew in the RAF.

Designed by Luc Luycx, this remarkable 5 euro features a map of Normandy with arrows pointing across to the beaches where troops landed on D-Day. The reverse of the coin shows a map of Europe with ‘Belgium’ in the country’s three languages: French, Dutch and German.

A total of 156,000 Allied Troops took part in the D-Day Landings from across 12 countries – it truly was an international effort!


75th Anniversary of D-Day Allied Nations Coin Pack

To commemorate this most important anniversary year, Change Checker have brought together these four remarkable coins from four world-renowned Mints to create the Change Checker 75th Anniversary of D-Day Allied Nations Coin Pack.

Change Checker 75th Anniversary of D-Day Allied Nations Coin Pack

To add one to your collection and commemorate the international troops who fought in D-Day, click here >>

5 Fascinating Coins from Around the World

As today is Random Acts of Kindness day, I’ve decided to take a look and some of the most random, weird and wonderful coins issued from all around the world.

Whilst these coins haven’t entered circulation, I’m sure you will agree that they are works of art from truly innovative Mints. It’s been really exciting to discover the unique coins different countries have to offer, so take a look at the designs below to see some of the fascinating coins international mints have produced. 

 

Germany’s see through 5 Euro

 

Developed by Dr Peter Huber and Günther Waadt, this unusual coin is a first of its kind. Released in 2016, the see through coin features a blue plastic ring in the middle and has been named ‘Blue Planet Earth’.

Not only is the blue ring easy to identify and authenticate by the naked eye, it is made of polymer plastic which behaves like a form of insulation between the pieces of two different metals and will be easy for cash machine to recognize whether it is real or fake.

 

German 5 euros. Credit: coincollectionmarket.com

 

A German Minting Technology team has spent a decade developing this new security feature. In fact, it’s the first coin to be made from a combination of metal and plastic materials which are rumoured to change colour when exposed to UV light. 

In 2017, five more coins were created to reflect Earth’s climatic zones with the use of a different coloured plastic polymer ring to represent each zone. The series will continue releasing one coin per year until 2021.

 

Canada’s 3D Snowball Fight 50 Cents

3D snowball fight 50 cents - The top 2018 Christmas coins from around the world!

Image credit: www.mint.ca

We all love a snowball fight and this wonderful Canadian 50 Cent coin allows you to bring to life the magic of a snowball fight on an innovative 3D coin! 

The Royal Canadian Mint is renowned for their forward thinking technology, and in 2018 they used lenticular printing to create artist Tony Bianco’s fun-filled design with an illusion of depth, which actually appears to move as the coin is viewed from different angles – so watch out for those snowballs!

It really put a smile on my face when I came upon this coin in my research, and with a mintage of just 20,000 I’m sure those few Canadian Change Checkers who were lucky enough to add this coin to their collection will really treasure this coin.

Palau’s Bottle Top Coin

This is the world’s first ever ‘beer bottle top-shaped’ legal tender coin. Issued in 2016 to honour the 500th Anniversary of the Bavarian Purity Law – the enactment by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria in 1516 states that only 4 ingredients can be used to produce the beer and even provides a restriction on pricing.

Whether you’re a beer lover or coin enthusiast – or both – I’m sure you’ll agree that this unusual coin is a fitting tribute to this landmark occasion in the history of brewing. 

The obverse of the crown-cap-shaped coin shows the coat of arms of the issuing state below an outrigger canoe. Whilst the reverse shows two toasting beer mugs and a crown.

 

Nauru’s First Issue of the Euro 10 Dollars

Image credit: Numista

This unique and incredibly intricate ten dollar coin was issued in Nauru (a tiny island in Micronesia, northeast of Australia) in 2002 to commemorate the first Euro coinage.

The unusual coin is shaped as a map of Europe and has been struck in .999 pure silver.

On the obverse you can see the Bank of Nauru’s coat of arms and on the reverse is a gold plated Euro coin and the words ‘2002 – FIRST ISSUE OF THE EURO’.

 

Chad’s Earth Meteorite Gold Proof 3000 Francs

Within this Pure Gold Proof coin, issued in Chad in 2017, is a Moldavite Tektite gemstone – unique evidence of what can happen on the incredibly rare occasion that a meteorite hits the Earth.

These gemstones can only be found at five locations on Earth, and throughout the Middle Ages, they were highly prized and strictly reserved for those born of royal blood and nobility.

Struck from 0.5g of pure Gold, this coin is what is known as ‘small’ Gold – a collecting craze that is proving to be extremely popular among collectors worldwide, making this already very unique coin even more special.

 

With so many fascinating coins issued around the world, you don’t have to look far to find inspiration for your international collection. What do you think about the coins above and have you found any weird and wonderful coins for yourself? 

 


 

The top 2018 Christmas coins from around the world!

I can’t help but get a bit excited at this time of year, and now that my Change Checker Advent calendar is counting down to Christmas, I really can’t wait for the big day!

But what’s got me even more excited is to see how Santa’s little elves have been busily working away this year to release the most wonderfully festive coins in time for Christmas.

From all across the world we’ve seen renowned Mints issue beautiful Christmas coins that would take pride of place in any collection and I for one would certainly treasure forever (here’s hoping there’s one for me under the tree this year!).

I’ve put together a list of some of my favourite 2018 Christmas coins from around the world that I’d like to share with you, starting of course with the UK Nutcracker £5.

 

2018 UK Nutcracker £5

2018 UK Nutcracker £5

We all know that £5 coins are the ultimate collector’s piece, so I really enjoyed seeing this year’s festive £5, the Nutcracker.

The 2018 Christmas £5 coin features a magical design of an enchanting Nutcracker scene, by acclaimed engraver, Harry Brockway. According to legend, ‘Nutcracker’ represents strength and power and serves as a guardian – the perfect protector to watch over your family this Christmas time.

This is actually only the second time ever that The Royal Mint has released a Christmas £5 coin, and I’m sure that collectors will want to stay on top of this new tradition and make sure they don’t miss any of these coins for their collection, starting with last year’s Christmas Tree £5.

 

2018 UK The Snowman 50p

2018 UK The Snowman 50p

I love The Snowman Christmas story and so it came as no surprise to me to see that this coin was a favourite this year, with both Silver Proof and Gold versions completely SELLING OUT on the first day of issue! 

Issued by The Royal Mint to celebrate the festive season, The Snowman 50p marks the 40th anniversary of the publication of Raymond Briggs’ much-loved festive tale and was designed by Natasha Ratcliffe to depict the boy and the snowman flying through the night sky above Brighton Pier.

The Isle of Man has previously issued Christmas 50ps featuring The Snowman and these now sell for £100’s on the secondary market, which I’m sure would have added to the collectability of this first ever UK Christmas 50p.

 

2018 Isle of Man Wren £2

2018 Isle of Man Hunt the Wren £2

You might be familiar with the Isle of Man Christmas 50p coins, but this Christmas a very special £2 coin has been issued featuring a festive wren design.

Hunt the Wren, as it is known on the island has become one of the most popular yet more unusual Manx traditions in practice today, although it actually dates back to Pagan times! This year, the Boxing Day tradition has been celebrated on a £2 coin and only a limited quantity of these coins will enter circulation on the Isle of Man.

Typically, the mintages for Isle of Man coins are much lower than UK coins, with none of the previous Manx Christmas 50ps exceeding 30,000!

 

2018 Canada 3D Snowball Fight 50 Cents

2018 Canada 3D Snowball Fight 50 Cents. Credit: www.mint.ca

We all love a snowball fight! Chances are though that in the UK we won’t see quite as much snow (if any) this year as Canada. But don’t despair, as this wonderful Canadian 50 Cent coin allows you to bring to life the magic of a snowball fight on an innovative 3D coin! 

The Royal Canadian Mint is renowned for their forward thinking technology, and this Christmas they have used lenticular printing to create artist Tony Bianco’s fun-filled design with an illusion of depth, which actually appears to move as the coin is viewed from different angles – so watch out for those snowballs!

It really put a smile on my face when I came upon this coin in my research, and with a mintage of just 20,000 I’m sure Canadian Change Checkers will be eager to add this coin to their collection.

 

2018 Australia Looney Tunes Christmas Star Shaped $1

2018 Australia Looney Tunes Christmas Star Shaped $1

When it comes to dressing the Christmas tree this year, I’m sure Australian Change Checkers will be thrilled with this exquisite star shaped 99.99% Pure Silver $1 coin, which comes with protective casing that can be hung as a decoration.

The Perth Mint has produced some fantastic star shaped Christmas coins over the past few years and this year’s coin is no exception. One of the best known animated characters of all time, Buggs Bunny and his girlfriend Lola are celebrated in colour printing for this vibrant and festive Looney Tunes design.

This coin is actually legal tender in Tuvalu (a small island off Australia), but I certainly wouldn’t be spending it if I found one in my stocking!

 

2018 New Zealand Disney Silver $1

2018 New Zealand Disney Silver $1

2018 must be the year for animated characters, as the new $1 from New Zealand features the iconic Mickey Mouse and his friends for this Disney Christmas themed 999 Fine Silver coin.

This is the fifth annual release from the New Zealand Mint and has been so incredibly popular this year that it has in fact sold out completely! Although with such an appealing theme and a very low mintage of just 10,000 this comes as no surprise to me.

Like the Australian Christmas coin, this $1 also comes in a special presentation case to be hung as a decoration – just imagine creating your very own tree filled with international Christmas coins!

I’m sure you’ll agree that wherever you are in the world, there’s something extra special about a Christmas coin which brings everyone together at this time of year. Whether or not you’re a dedicated collector, or simply enjoy Christmas collectables, these coins are impossible to resist!

 


 

 

Secure the perfect numismatic gift this Christmas! 

With Christmas just around the corner, check out our charming selection of festive commemoratives that could make the perfect gift for friends or family, or as a special Christmas treat for yourself… we won’t tell if you don’t.

There’s sure to be something that’ll catch your eye here >>