Posts Tagged ‘Royal Mint’
A work of art…the 2024 National Gallery £2
There’s one building in London that has a certain grandeur, a place that holds over 2,300 works of art dating back to the 13th century…
I am of course talking about the National Gallery, and to mark the gallery’s 200th anniversary, The Royal Mint have issued a new UK £2 coin!
Secure your 2024 UK National Gallery £2 >>
You might recognize this coin, because it was actually part of the 2024 Annual Coin Set issued earlier this year, but it’s now been individually released. It’s also the first individually issued £2 coin of 2024!
Where it all began…
The year is 1824, and recently deceased banker John Julius Angerstein’s collection of 38 historical paintings is looking for a new home. In an initiative led by politician George Agar Ellis, the government agreed to purchase the art and display it in the newly opened National Gallery, situated in Angerstein’s former townhouse on Pall Mall.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Over the next 10 years, the gallery acquired more and more paintings until eventually due to overcrowding and national embarrassment when compared to the likes of the Louvre, relocation was on the cards. In 1832, construction began on the Trafalgar Square site where the gallery resides today.
Credit: Morio, via Wikimedia Commons
A beacon of artistic inspiration
The National Gallery has been a beacon of artistic inspiration for two whole centuries, and its rich history is perfectly represented on this new £2 coin. The design showcases the iconic façade of the National Gallery building, paired with the inscription ‘200 years of the National Gallery’, a tribute to the milestone anniversary and the countless masterpieces housed within its walls.
Art enthusiasts will know that the National Gallery is home to some of the world’s most treasured works of art, from the tranquillity of Monet’s Water Lily Pond, to the vibrant hues of Vincent Van Gough’s Sunflowers. And you can own a piece of its artistic history by adding the National Gallery £2 to your collection.
Have you been to the National Gallery? What was your favourite piece of art you saw there? Let us know in the comments!
Own a piece of artistic history
Queen Camilla represents King Charles III at this year’s Royal Maundy Service
Maundy Thursday is an Easter tradition dating back to 1622, when Charles II was the reigning monarch. The tradition usually involves the monarch gifting members of the public coins as part of a special ceremony, however this year will be a bit different…
Credit: The Royal Family on Twitter
On behalf of The King
The annual Royal Maundy Service will take place today at Worcester Cathedral, where Her Majesty The Queen will be distributing the Royal Maundy gifts on behalf of His Majesty The King.
Queen Camilla will be accompanied by Lord High Almoner, Bishop John as the gifts are presented. He said: “It is an honour to be able to welcome HM The Queen to Worcester. This is an immensely special service and I know it will mean a huge amount to those who have been chosen to receive the coins, all of whom will have given years of service to their local communities.”
This isn’t the first time the Maundy Service has been hosted by someone other than the reigning monarch. In 2022, King Charles (then Prince) represented Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Maundy Service at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. It was believed to be only the fifth time during her reign that Queen Elizabeth II did not attend the service, including its cancellation due to Covid in 2020 and 2021.
Credit: Jason Pix
What coins are awarded?
Ceremonial coins will be presented to 75 men and 75 women specially chosen in recognition of the service they have given to the Church and local community.
Each recipient will be gifted two small leather string purses – one white, one red. The red purse contains ordinary coinage as money (in lieu of the food and clothing that was offered years ago), and the white purse contains specially minted silver Maundy coins with a collective face value of 75p (representing The King’s age).
Credit: The Royal Family on Twitter
Last year, among the coins in the red purse were the 2023 King’s 75th Birthday £5 and the 2023 Windrush Generation 50p – both of which featured in the 2023 Annual Coin Set. Considering this, it’s possible that commemorative coins from the 2024 Annual Coin Set may be included in this year’s offerings.
The History of Royal Maundy
Maundy Thursday is a key day during the Easter week which commemorates Jesus Christ’s last supper on the day before his crucifixion.
The Royal Maundy Church service takes place each year on this day, and is inspired by the generosity shown by Jesus in washing the feet of his disciples shortly before his death.
Credit: Regina magazine
Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when English monarchs would wash the feet of beggars and offer gifts of food and clothing in imitation of Jesus.
However it was King John who was the first to give to the poor on Maundy Thursday and by the early 14th century, it had become customary for the sovereign to provide a meal, together with gifts of food and clothing.
Sharing the Wealth
For numismatists, the day has added significance in the form of Maundy money, which is given out by the reigning monarch each year at the service.
Credit: Wehwalt via Wikimedia Commons
The tradition of giving out money began with Charles II, with the first set of Maundy coins consisting of a four penny, three penny, two penny and a penny. The coins have remained in much the same form since then, and are traditionally struck in sterling silver.
Have you or anyone you know ever received Maundy Money for your services? Let us know in the comments below!
Kick start your King Charles III collection with the New UK Coinage Set
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To collect, or not to collect…the Shakespeare £2 coins!
The answer, of course, is to collect!
Seasoned collectors will know that the 2016 Shakespeare £2 coins are some of the most popular coins in circulation. This isn’t only because they celebrate the most influential literary figure in British history, but because of their intriguing designs and interesting mintage figures.
The Shakespeare £2 coins were issued in 2016 to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of playwright, poet and actor, William Shakespeare. Each of the 3 coins honours a different genre of Shakespeare’s works – tragedies, comedies and histories.
Tragedies
The Shakespeare Tragedies £2 is inspired by Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies such as Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. The design, by John Bergdahl, features a skull from the iconic scene in Hamlet where the Prince speaks to the skull of dead court jester, Yorick, lamenting over the fragility of life and the inevitability of death. Next to the skull is a rose, representing Romeo and Juliet.
The edge inscription even reads ‘WHAT A PIECE OF WORK IS A MAN’ – the start of a well know quote from Hamlet.
Histories
This coin pays tribute to Shakespeare’s historical plays. It carries the edge inscription ‘THE HOLLOW CROWN’ and features a crown and dagger design. The crown represents the seven different kings who were titular characters in Shakespeare’s historical plays, and the sword is a symbols of the battles and wars that took place in many of these stories.
Comedies
The Comedies £2 features a design of a cap and bells with a Jester’s stick, taking inspiration from Shakespeare’s most famous comedy play – A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
It features the edge inscription ‘ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE’, a quote from As You Like It.
Did you know?
When these coins first entered circulation back in 2016, they were stocked in the tills at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, where Hamlet was being performed at the time.
Mintage Figures
On entering circulation in 2016, mintage figures were released, revealing the Shakespeare Comedies £2 as the rarest of the 3 coins with only 4,355,000 entering circulation. Original figures released were as follows:
- Shakespeare Histories: 4,615,000
- Shakespeare Tragedies: 5,995,000
- Shakespeare Comedies: 4,355,000
However this would change 3 years later in 2019 when the mintages of the Histories £2 and the Tragedies £2 were corrected. Although the Comedies £2 remained the rarest of the 3, it turns out the mintage of the Tragedies £2 was lower than originally stated.
The corrected mintage figures for the 2016 Shakespeare £2 coins are as follows:
- Shakespeare Histories: 5,655,000
- Shakespeare Tragedies: 4,615,000
- Shakespeare Comedies: 4,355,000
As you can see from the £2 mintage figure chart below, both the Comedies and Tragedies are in the top 30 rarest coins in circulation (based solely on mintage figures).
Do you have any Shakespeare £2 coins in your collection? 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:
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