Celebrating a true hero – The UK Mary Seacole £5

For nearly 100 years, the story of an incredible, heroic woman was forgotten, but Mary Seacole is finally receiving the recognition she deserves by being celebrated on a UK coin.

2023 UK Mary Seacole £5
2023 UK Mary Seacole £5

A true likeness

This brand new UK £5 coin has been issued to mark Mary Seacole’s selfless efforts during the Crimean War, where she cared for sick and injured soldiers.

The reverse design by Sandra Deiana is based on a genuine photograph of Seacole. The photograph was taken around 1870 and is now held at Winchester College.

2023 UK Mary Seacole £5 obverse and reverse

Caring in the crossfire

From the age of 12, Mary Seacole helped her mother, a nurse who specialised in traditional Jamaican medicine. Inspired by her mother and following the death of her husband, Mary focussed on caring for the sick.

Original photograph of Mary Seacole taken around 1870. 
Credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Original photograph of Mary Seacole taken around 1870.
Credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Her medical expertise was invaluable during the Crimean War, where, along with Thomas Day, she opened a ‘British Hotel’ near the battlefields. She devoted her time and resources to caring for sick and injured soldiers, even riding on horseback into the battlefields under fire to help men from both sides of the conflict.

The 2023 UK Mary Seacole £5 has been created in collaboration with ‘The Mary Seacole Trust’ to pay tribute to her dedication to helping others.

‘The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands’

In 1957, Seacole penned a memoir, fittingly named ‘The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands’ which detailed her humanitarian contributions during her 75 years. It wasn’t until the 1970s that people started to discover her story and realise how much of an impact she made on history.

Seacole was commemorated with a memorial in 2016 which is located in front of St Thomas’ Hospital. The sculpture was designed by none other than Martin Jennings, the creator of the King Charles III effigy that we see on UK coinage.

Martin Jennings' 2016 Mary Seacole Memorial outside St Thomas' Hospital 
Credit: Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors, via Wikimedia Commons
Martin Jennings’ 2016 Mary Seacole Memorial outside St Thomas’ Hospital
Credit: Peter O’Connor aka anemoneprojectors, via Wikimedia Commons

Secure your 2023 UK Mary Seacole £5

You can celebrate Mary Seacole’s eventful life by securing the 2023 UK Mary Seacole £5 in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £12.99 (+p&p) >>

The 2p drought returns…2022 Mintage Figures REVEALED!

One of the biggest numismatic updates of the year comes when the latest mintage figures are announced, and The Royal Mint have just revealed the mintages of all coins that entered circulation in 2022! Each year, when this information is released, we update our Change Checker Mintage charts to see where new circulating coins rank.

We saw millions of almost every denomination enter circulation in 2022, however there was one denomination that you won’t find with a 2022 date in your change…read on to find out more.

50p Mintage Figures

50p Mintage Figure Chart
50p Mintage Figure Chart

Three commemorative 50p designs entered circulation in 2022, as well as the definitive Royal Shield 50p design. It was a year of ‘firsts’ as the 2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p was the first ever royal 50p to be issued and the Queen Elizabeth Memorial 50p was the first ever UK coin issued bearing King Charles III on the obverse.

2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p reverse
2022 Platinum Jubilee 50p reverse
2022 Queen Elizabeth Memorial 50p obverse
2022 Queen Elizabeth Memorial 50p obverse

With the Queen Elizabeth Memorial 50p marking a new era of coinage featuring the King, many collectors old and new were excited to find it in their change. We opened our collector map to track where they were popping up across the country, and it turned out the place most people found one was Newcastle!

Find out where the rest were found >>

Queen Elizabeth Memorial 50p Collector Map
Queen Elizabeth Memorial 50p Collector Map

Despite these new coins being extremely sought after amongst collectors, the 2009 Kew Gardens 50p remains at the top of our chart, with a circulating mintage of only 210,000!

 2009 Kew Gardens 50p
2009 Kew Gardens 50p

£2 Mintage Figures

£2 Mintage Figure Chart

After 2016, there was a 4 year period where no new £2 coins, either commemorative or definitive, entered circulation, however this changed in 2021 when 6,045,000 Britannia £2 coins were released into circulation.

The newly released figures show that in 2022, 4,030,000 Britannia £2s entered circulation, and although the amount is considerably lower than the previous year, it is indicative that there is a demand for £2 coins.

Britannia £2 reverse
Britannia £2 reverse

We still haven’t seen any new commemorative £2 coin designs enter circulation since 2016, however, when this does happen next, it’ll be the first to feature the King on the obverse – another collecting ‘first’!

2022 Definitives

The mintage figures for 2022 dated definitive coins were also revealed…

  • Nations of the Crown £1: 7,735,000
  • Royal Shield 20p: 42,875,000
  • Royal Shield 10p: 38,000,000
  • Royal Shield 5p: 42,800,000
  • Royal Shield 2p: 0
  • Royal Shield 1p: 30,000,000

As mentioned above, you might notice something odd about one of the denominations’ mintage figure – the Royal Shield 2p doesn’t have one! But this isn’t the first time that the 2 pence piece has had a mintage figure of zero.

2p Mintage Figures from The Royal Mint
2p Mintage Figures from The Royal Mint

No 2p coins entered circulation in 2018, 2019 or 2020, however it made a comeback in 2021 with a whopping 117,700,000 entering circulation. Despite its resurgence in 2021, it seems that the 2p drought could be returning – hopefully not for 3 years this time!


It’s always exciting when new mintage figures are revealed and you realise just how rare the change in your pocket really is!

2022 Circulation Coins
2022 Circulation Coins

Have you been lucky enough to find any 2022 dated coins in your change? Let us know in the comments!


If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use and allows users to:

– Find and identify the coins in their pocket
– Collect and track the coins they have
– Swap their spare coins with other Change Checkers

Sign-up here for FREE >>

Kick off the 2023 France Rugby World Cup with this 2 Euro coin!

This year, for the first time ever, the Rugby World Cup will take place entirely in France. To celebrate the most prestigious rugby tournament in the world, Monnaie De Paris have commissioned the release of a BRAND NEW 2 Euro coin!

2023 France Rugby World Cup 2 Euro
2023 France Rugby World Cup 2 Euro

A winning design

The obverse design features a rugby player clutching the ball, sprinting across the globe under a starry sky. The official Rugby World Cup France 2023 logo also features on the coin. The reverse bears the 2 Euro denomination and the outline of the European continent.

2023 France Rugby World Cup 2 Euro obverse
2023 France Rugby World Cup 2 Euro obverse

Own a piece of the Rugby World Cup

Since the creation of the first tournament in 1987, the Rugby World Cup has served as the pinnacle of sporting excellence. As the most prestigious rugby competition in the world, to win this competition is considered the ultimate summit in rugby.

What’s more, the country that emerges triumphant not only earns the coveted title, but also etches its name in sporting history.

2023 France Rugby World Cup obverse and reverse
2023 France Rugby World Cup obverse and reverse

Therefore, it’s only fitting that a brand new 2 Euro coin is issued to pay tribute to this iconic and vastly historic sporting event.

We only have a small allocation available, so these coins won’t be around for long. Secure yours here today >>

Both new and seasoned Change Checkers will recognise the vast potential held within this coin.

Sporting coins prove time and again to be hugely popular amongst collectors, from the 2011 Olympic 50ps to newer issues such as the 2023 Manx Grand Prix £2.

2023 Isle of Man Manx Grand Prix £2
2023 Isle of Man Manx Grand Prix £2
A selection of 2011 Olympic 50p coins
A selection of 2011 UK Olympic 50p coins

The Olympic 50ps were issued in 2011 to commemorate the Olympic Games being held in London, with each 50p in the 29-coin series representing a different sport.

Still today, 12 years later, the Olympic 50ps rank as some of the most sought-after coins on our Scarcity Index.

We’ve previously seen coins issued to celebrate specific sports such as the 2022 UK FA Cup £2 for football and the 1999 UK Rugby World Cup £2 which was issued to commemorate the tournament being hosted by the UK – so it’s not the first time that the sport has been celebrated on a coin!

2022 UK FA Cup £2
2022 UK FA Cup £2
1999 UK Rugby World Cup £2

A must-have for any sports enthusiast

Click here to secure your 2023 France Rugby World Cup 2 Euro for just £5.99 (+p&p) >>