The FIRST EVER British Red Cross £5 has JUST been released!

To honour the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the British Red Cross, The Royal Mint has issued a brand new £5 coin.

2020 UK British Red Cross £5

Currently supported by more than 18,000 domestic volunteers, the humanitarian mission of the British Red Cross exemplifies human kindness in times of great crisis, not just in the UK, but the world over.

Henry Gray’s bespoke design of this coin features a scarlet red cross at the heart of the coin, with the inscription ‘The Power of Kindness’ which echoes the organisation’s principles of selflessness, compassion and goodwill.

2020 UK British Red Cross £5

This coin also features an edge inscription that bears the motto of the British Red Cross, ‘PER HUMANITATEM AD PACEM’ which translates to ‘THROUGH HUMANITY TO PEACE’.

This coin is available in a number of specifications, including Brilliant Uncirculated quality, for just £14.99 (+p&p).

Inspiring Hope for a Kinder World

The British Red Cross is part of the world’s largest humanitarian network – the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent Movement.

Young Red Cross Nurses (1950s). Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

The history of the Red Cross dates back to 1870 where a petition was raised by Colonel Loyd-Lindsay, to provide aid and relief to both warring armies during the Franco-Prussian War, and in other wars and campaigns during the 19th century.

From hiring a wheelchair or dealing with loneliness, to adjusting to life in a new country, the British Red Cross help anyone, anywhere in the UK and around the world, to get the support they need if crisis strikes.

Around the world, whenever a humanitarian crisis occurs, the Red Cross or Red Crescent is always one of the first organisations on the scene thanks to kind volunteers.

The message of kindness is echoed in the inscription of this brand new 2020 UK British Red Cross £5, but it isn’t the only UK coin issued to celebrate humanitarian and charitable efforts

WWF 50p

2011 WWF 50p

The Worldwide Fund for Nature was formed in 1961 in Switzerland and the world’s leading independent conservation organisation.

WWF’s work is mostly focused on saving endangered species and conserving the world’s most precious natural places.

In 2011, to celebrate its 50th anniversary, The Royal Mint issued this 50p coin. It features 50 different icons to represent the variety of work which the organisation is involved with.

It entered circulation with a mintage of 3,400,000.

Florence Nightingale £2

2010 Florence Nightingale £2

Named after the Italian city in which she was born in 1820, Florence Nightingale is famous for her work in the military hospitals during the Crimean War where she tended to wounded soldiers.

In 1860 she laid the foundation of professional nursing with the establishment of her nursing school at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. Her book Notes on Nursing proved to be influential in changing the way hospitals were run and the role of nurses within them.

This coin was issued in 2010 to mark both the centenary of the death of Florence Nightingale and the 150th anniversary of the publication of her Notes on Nursing, celebrated in 2009.

It has a circulating mintage of 6,175,000.

2016 ‘Lest We Forget’ Poppy Coin

2016 ‘Lest We Forget’ Proof £5 Poppy Coin

In 2016, as a tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, the 2016 ‘Lest We Forget’ Proof £5 Poppy Coin was issued in Jersey in support of The Royal British Legion.

Inspired by the falling poppies at the Festival of Remembrance, the reverse features 11 masterfully engraved poppies struck to a proof finish.

Individual poppies have been selectively picked out in red ink and the words Lest We Forget can be seen in the background in gold ink.

It has an edition limit of just 4,950!

NHS 50p

1998 NHS 50p

Although the NHS isn’t a charity, or a donation funded service, it was founded in 1948 with the principle aim of providing a health service that would be available to all, based on a person’s clinical need, rather than their ability to pay.

It was the first ever health service to provide free health care and this year celebrates its 72nd birthday.

This coin was issued in 1998 to celebrate its 50th anniversary and has a circulating mintage of 5,001,000.


We’re so excited by this brand new £5 coin and we’re sure collectors will be racing to add this to their collections!

What other charitable, humanitarian or environment organisations would you like to see celebrated on a UK coin? Let us know below!


Secure the BRAND NEW 2020 UK British Red Cross £5 for JUST £14.99 (+p&p)

Click here to secure the 2020 British Red Cross £5 in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £14.99 (+p&p) >>

*A small percentage of the net wholesale price from the sale of this commemorative coin will be paid by The Royal Mint to Britcross Limited, a subsidiary of the British Red Cross Society, which makes an annual donation to the charity.*

5 things you can still do with your Round Pounds

The deadline day to trade in your Round £1 coins has now been and gone yet it’s estimated that there’s still over 450 million coins in circulation.

It’s estimated that there are still over 450 million Round Pounds still in circulation.

However, don’t panic if you didn’t have time to return them to the bank or have found some in a forgotten piggybank, there’s a number of options for you.

Here’s a list of five things you can do with your old Round Pounds to ensure that you don’t lose out:

1. Check if your coin is rare

If you find a Round Pound, the first thing to do is check to see if it’s rare. The most accurate way to determine the rarity of a circulation coin is our Scarcity Index.

Our Scarcity Index is the most accurate way to determine the scarcity of your Round Pounds.

From our experience we know that the rarer a coin is, the more desirable it becomes to collectors.

Although they are unlikely to make you rich overnight, some of the rarest circulation £1 coins currently sell for up to £20 on eBay. We’d also expect this to increase slightly now the coins have been withdrawn from circulation.

2. Donate your coin to The RBL Poppy Appeal

The RBL will accept donated Round Pounds for the duration of their Poppy Appeal.

The Royal British Legion have announced that this year they’ll be accepting donated old pounds for the duration of their Poppy Appeal.

You can support the Armed Forces community by donating your coins right up until Remembrance Sunday which falls on the 12th November.

 3. Return your coin to the bank

You can still deposit your Round Pounds at high street banks but you’ll need to be quick as this is only a temporary measure and at the bank’s discretion.

 4. Spend your coin

A number of retailers have announced that they’ll continue to accept the Round Pound even though it is officially no longer legal tender.

Tesco and Poundland have agreed to continue accepting the Round Pound; Tesco for an extra week and Poundland until the 31st October.

The Federation of Small Businesses has also advised its members to continue accepting the round coins to provide a “useful community service” to customers.

5. Swap your coin using the Change Checker Swap Centre

You can list your Round Pounds as available to swap using our Swap Centre.

Now that an estimated 1.2 billion Round Pounds have been withdrawn from circulation by the Royal Mint, not forgetting the many thousands that have been added to private collections, it’s become increasingly difficult for collectors to complete their Round Pound sets.

If you find a Round Pound which you do not need, why not list it as available to swap on our Swap Centre? It may well be that it is the exact coin somebody is looking for.