Posts Tagged ‘numismatics’
The D-Day 50p Face Value Giveaway
2024 marks 80 years since the historic event that turned the tide of the Second World War, forever remembered as D-Day. In commemoration, The Royal Mint has struck an official UK 50p.
This UK legal tender coin hasn’t entered circulation. However, we feel that a coin as momentous as this should be more widely available. Which is why we’re giving collectors the chance to get their hands on one for FACE-VALUE. That’s JUST 50p, POST FREE!
In fact, we have an incredible 7,000 D-Day 50ps up for grabs at this special face-value price…
So how can you get your hands on one?
Every time a new UK 50p is released, collectors on our Coin Launch Ballot list are given the opportunity to own the new issue for just 50p. Indeed, 1,000 Change Checkers are already lucky launch ballot winners able to secure this special offer.
1,000 further coins were available for the nation to own at face-value as in our National Ballot.
And, that’s not all, as we’re also taking this 50p with us to our upcoming live events, with an additional 5,000 coins available to swap!
5,000 D-Day 50ps Available to Swap at Change Checker Live!
We took 2,000 D-Day 50ps to Duxford Air Show on 1st and 2nd June to swap for just face value. You can watch the highlights from the show here >>
Make sure you’re following us across our social channels for details of our next event later in the year, where we’ll be swapping our final batch of D-Day 50ps at face-value!
An All-Time Favourite 50p
It’s been 30 years since the UK’s first D-Day 50p was released – struck to the larger specifications that can no longer be found in your change.
6.7 million of these were released into general circulation in 1994, but were removed when the new, smaller 50ps were issued in 1997.
However, this still proves to be a much-loved coin and was even voted as the all-time favourite 50p amongst Change Checkers.
As such, the new D-Day 50p promises to be highly sought-after collector coin.
Can’t wait to own the NEW D-Day 50p?
If you can’t wait to get your hands on the UK’s official D-Day 50p in superior collector quality, you can order yours for £5.99 here >>
A History of Britannia on UK Coinage
The allegorical figure of Britannia has had a presence on our coins from as early as the Roman era, to as recently as the end of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. Let’s take a closer look into the history of Britannia on our coinage, and why some coins she features on may be worth keeping an eye on!
Britannia’s debut on coins
Britannia is a fictional representation of Britain itself, and first appeared on our coins in Roman times.
This original interpretation of her can be seen wielding a spear and a shield on the rocks, and was created during the reign of Emperor Hadrian all the way back in 119 AD. She remained on Roman coins for some time, but later vanished from our coinage for 1,532 years!
A millennium later
In 1672, King Charles II brought Britannia back to lift the nations’ spirits. Seen over the waves, she keeps a spear in one hand, but this time holds an olive sprig in the other, as a symbol of peace. The shield remains, perched at her side, but it’s now embellished with the union flag.
Credit: Numista
At this point in time, the work of the navy was especially crucial in securing power, trade and success, and Britannia’s image became an emblem of Britain’s maritime prowess. This was further cemented by iterations of Britannia from 1797 onwards showing her with a trident in her left hand instead of a spear.
Credit: The Royal Mint Museum
Her portrait changed once again in 1825, where she can be seen facing the opposite way, with the addition of a Roman helmet, a nod to her origins on Roman coins
Credit: Numista
Many monarchs featured Britannia consistently on their coinage after her reintroduction in 1672 until 1971, mostly on bronze or copper coins. In 1987, her likeness was even used for gold bullion coins by the Royal Mint.
Britannia on UK decimal coins
Since it’s decimal introduction in 1969, Britannia could be found on definitive 50p coins all the way up to 2008, when her portrait was replaced by the Royal Shield design. This change caused an uproar within the coin collecting community and beyond, and even lead to a petition, as many felt she should remain on our 50p coin.
After a small break from circulating coinage, Britannia made a triumphant return as the face of the definitive £2 coin which was released in 2015.
The rarest definitive £2
This coin would go on to become the rarest definitive £2 coin to date, with the 2015 Britannia £2 coin securing a mintage of only 650,000! But why were so few minted?
Well both Technology and Britannia designs entered circulation in 2015, and with a massive 35,360,058 Technologies minted, there wasn’t the demand for a large amount of Britannias. The following year, only 2,925,000 Britannia £2s were minted, but after that, we didn’t see any new ones in our change until 2021 and 2022.
According to our most recent eBay Tracker, a 2015 dated Britannia £2 can fetch you as much as £6.24 on the secondary market, that’s over x3 its face value!
There is also an error version of this coin you can look out for, where the portrait on the obverse of the coin is misaligned by a 150 degree angle!
The 2015 £2 isn’t the only rare coin to feature Britannia however – as the 2008 Britannia 50p has a mintage of just 3,500,000 – which is far less than previous years! The mintage was so low in fact, that it brought down the average of the Britannia 50p as a whole, causing it to become ‘Less common’ on our Scarcity Index.
Will we see Britannia again?
Do you have any coins featuring Britannia in your collection? Perhaps you even have one of the rare or error versions of these coins, comment below!
This year, we can expect to see the new King Charles III definitive £2 entering circulation, so I wonder if we’ll see Britannia again on our circulating coins? Let us know what you think…
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A Legendary New Coin – The Maid Marian £5
They say behind every great man is a great woman…and that’s true for the Myths and Legends series, as the Robin Hood £5 is followed by the 2024 Maid Marian £5!
A striking design
The reverse design, by Jody Clark, shows the heroine framed amongst the foliage of Sherwood Forest, with native English foliage including oak leaves and ferns encroaching from the edge of the coin. Marian was known to be a skilful archer, and so she’s pictured with her bow and arrow upon her back.
When talking about his design on the Maid Marian £5, Jody Clark said ‘I wanted to show the connections between each legendary outlaw’s persona and the forest, which serves as both a sanctuary and a strategic ally’.
To highlight the dynamic design, your 2024 UK Maid Marian £5 has been struck to a Brilliant Uncirculated quality – the standard favoured among collectors.
Who is Maid Marian?
Maid Marian didn’t actually feature in any early, medieval versions of the Robin Hood legend, but began to appear in plays and stories in the 1600s. However, despite being a late-comer to the story, Marian has become a very important part of the Robin Hood legend.
Credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Known as Robin Hood’s one true love, English folklore depicts Maid Marian as courageous and independent as well as beautiful and loyal. It’s thought that her name was derived from her refusal to marry until Robin Hood and his merry men had received a King’s pardon, as before the 17th century, unmarried women were called maids.
Maid Marian has been portrayed in countless plays, movies, TV shows and other media, usually in human form, but some of you may remember Marian best as Hood’s foxy love interest in the 1973 Disney film ‘Robin Hood’.
Previously in the Myths and Legends series…
The 2024 Maid Marian £5 coin follows on from the Robin Hood £5, however the first three coins in the series focused on Arthurian Legends. The series kicked off with King Arthur, followed by mythical wizard Merlin and the Arthurian Legends collection concluded with shapeshifter and witch, Morgan Le Fay.
King Arthur, Merlin and Morgan le Fay
Continue your Myths and Legends collection
Secure your 2024 UK Maid Marian £5 for just £13.99 (+p&p) >>