Prince Charles in coins…

The Prince of Wales is the world’s longest serving heir apparent, supporting Her Majesty the Queen as her representative while also playing an important role in founding and supporting numerous charitable causes. And on the 14th November this year, HRH The Prince of Wales will celebrate a landmark birthday.

To celebrate the 70th birthday of our future King, The Royal Mint has just announced the release of a brand new UK coin.The release of this coin is sure to be exciting for Change Checkers  in the knowledge that the last UK £5 coin that featured Prince Charles turned out to be extremely rare.

The Prince of Wales has had numerous commemorative coins minted to mark special occasions throughout his lifetime, and to celebrate his 70th birthday we’ve taken a look back at the history of Prince Charles in coins.  From his first marriage to Princess Diana, to landmark birthday celebrations and now in 2018 as heir apparent to the throne, he will celebrate his 70th birthday…

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer 25 pence – 1981

Charles and Diana's Wedding

1981 Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer Crown

The first ever UK coin issued in the Prince of Wales’ honour, was for his wedding to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.  The coin was struck by The Royal Mint and was a crown tariffed at 25 pence (although no denomination was actually inscribed on the coin).

It was the first time that three people were portrayed on a British coin simultaneously, with the reverse featuring the conjoined profiles of the bridal couple and the effigy of Her Majesty the Queen by Arnold Machin RA.

You can add this coin to your collection here >>

Prince Charles’ 50th birthday – 1998

Prince Charles' 50th Birthday

1998 Prince Charles 50th birthday £5

To mark his 50th birthday, The Royal Mint struck a £5 coin issued in five metal versions, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Prince of Wales’ Trust.

This charitable organisation was established to further the interests of young people and also provides the theme for the reverse, which portrays the Prince alongside a 33 word inscription setting out the aims and ideals of the Trust. This inscription is so long that it actually takes the title as the longest inscription on any British coin!

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The Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles – 2005

2005 Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla £5

This 1 Dollar coin from the Cook Islands was issued to celebrate the wedding of Charles and Camilla, however it actually features the wrong date following a last minute delay to the wedding of 24 hours, so that HRH Prince Charles could attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II as the representative of the Queen. The date was unable to be changed as the coins had already been struck!

The design features a portrait of the couple and the incorrect date ‘08.04.2005’ and has a very low mintage of just 5,000, making it a significantly scarce and collectible coin.

Own this coin for your collection here >>

Prince Charles and Prince Charles’ 60th birthday – 2008

charles c2a35 - How rare is my £5 coin?

2008 Prince Charles 60th birthday £5

This £5 coin was released for Prince Charles’ 60th birthday and in fact has the lowest mintage figure in the history of UK ‘circulated’ £5 coins. Just 14,088 of these coins were struck by The Royal Mint in 2008 and was one of the last £5 coins to be issued at face value.

This coin features the portrait of Charles by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS, whose effigy of the Queen has been used on British coins since 1998. The inscription ICH DIEN means ‘I serve’ and is taken from the Badge of the Prince of Wales.

This coin is extremely sought after by collectors but unfortunately we do not have any stock currently available. Are you lucky enough to have this coin in your collection?

Four Generations of Royalty

2018 Four Generations of Royalty £5

At the start of this year, The Royal Mint released this £5 coin which was highly anticipated from the moment HRH Prince George of Cambridge was born on 22nd July 2013 – The Four Generations of Royalty £5 coin.

This is the first time ever that The Royal Mint has issued a coin that celebrates all four generations in line to the throne on a single coin.

The reverse features an original design by much-loved calligrapher Timothy Noad, and ornately shows the initials of the current four generations, E, C, W, G, and represents the heritage of the House of Windsor.

Add this coin to your collection here >>

Prince Charles’ 70th birthday – 2018

2018 Prince Charles 70th Birthday £5

2018 has been a truly unforgettable year for the Royals, celebrating the Queen’s 65th Jubilee, the birth of Prince Louis, the marriage of Harry and Meghan and on the 14th of November, the 70th birthday of HRH The Prince of Wales.

This brand new £5 coin celebrates Prince Charles’ 70th birthday this year, featuring a brand new portrait of the Prince, created by widely respected designer, Robert Elderston who was once an apprentice engraver at The Royal Mint at its previous home in Tower hill more than 50 years ago. 

What makes this coin particularly interesting is that it could be very similar to the portrait of Prince Charles that will feature on all United Kingdom coinage once he becomes King.

The 2018 Prince Charles £5 has now been officially released and is available to order here >>

It’s clear that each coin commemorating a momentus period of Prince Charles’ life has proven to be a rarity in some way, whether it be due to having such a low mintage figure, an unusual design or fascinating story.

As we know, £5 coins are reserved for the most important Royal and Historical anniversaries, and this £5 is the perfect way to celebrate the birthday of our future King.

Find out more about why you should be collecting £5 coins here >>

 

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Add the 2018 Prince Charles 70th birthday £5 coin to your collection today

Secure this £5 coin in Brilliant Uncirculated quality today >>

UPDATED: Commemorative 50p Coin Mintages

Earlier in the year, we updated our Change Checker Guide to UK Commemorative Coin Mintages which included details of all the coins issued into circulation in 2017.

But The Royal Mint has just updated its mintage figures for 2017-dated 50p coins.

It won’t be a surprise that the 2009 Kew Gardens remains king of the 50p coins, but owners of the 2017 Sir Isaac Newton 50p will be glad to hear that the coin has managed to keep its sought-after 2nd place position on the chart.  However, the final mintage has crept up by 1,500 bringing the total to 1,801,500

Whilst all four Beatrix Potter 50ps already had fairly high mintages when the figures were first revealed, the final mintages have since increased, the obvious change being the 2017 Benjamin Bunny 50p which has more than doubled.  It has been confirmed that further Benjamin Bunny 50ps went into circulation during 2018,  bringing the total mintage to 25,000,000.


Want to add the 2017 Jane Austen £2 to your collection?

jane austen - UPDATE: How rare is my coin? A Change Checker guide to UK coin mintages

Own it today in Brilliant Uncirculated quality. Secure yours here >>

Is football finally coming home? Official 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ Commemorative Coins released into circulation

England are in the FIFA World Cup™ semi-finals for the first time in 28 years and the country is going berserk – football could finally be coming home!

It was a nail biting progression from groups to final 16 and then the quarter-finals and now as we find ourselves approaching the semi’s against Croatia, the hopes of the nation are resting on the England team.

As we think back to ‘66 we remember the glory of victory and look to the semi-finals with hope for our second ever World Cup win!

 

Winning the 1966 World Cup. Credit: fifa.com

 

The FIFA World Cup™ is watched by over 700 million people and is the single biggest sporting event across the globe.

You don’t have to be a football fan to be swept along by the mania and support for our team, as chants of ‘football’s coming home’ ring out up and down the nation and the country prepares to watch the semi-finals against Croatia on Wednesday.

If this is to be our year, Official collectables will be massively sought-after – and not least these. Two of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ coins issued for the tournament.

These have been released into circulation over there but are still incredibly hard to get hold of.

Featuring the Official FIFA World Cup™ Emblem and World Cup Trophy, only a limited number of these coins are available and with the football frenzy that’s gripped the nation, we’re sure these will be hugely popular amongst coin collectors and England supporters alike.

Whatever the result of tomorrow’s match, the 2018 FIFA World Cup has shown the world who we are and how we play.

There’s an incredible buzz and excitement as England seizes the opportunity to bring it home and let’s hope that they do us proud!


BRING FOOTBALL HOME with the 2018 FIFA World Cup™ Commemorative Coins 

You can now own both 2018 FIFA World Cup™ Commemorative Coins in uncirculated quality for just £9.99 with FREE POSTAGE!

We only have a limited number available, so act quick to secure yours here >>