Posts Tagged ‘Royal Mint’
What are the ‘Royal Tudor Beasts’ and why do they feature on UK £5 coins?
Following on from the huge popularity of the Queen’s Beasts £5 series, a new series of £5 coins was revealed. The Royal Tudor Beasts series will take you back to the time of King Henry VIII and the mighty Tudor dynasty!
Ten heraldic beasts have stood guard, still, and silent on the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace for hundreds of years, representing the royal lineage of King Henry VIII and Jane Seymour. And it’s these intriguing beasts that feature on the coin in the Royal Tudor Beasts £5 series…
2025 Greyhound of Richmond £5
The latest addition to the series is the 2025 UK Greyhound of Richmond £5. The Greyhound of Richmond is one of ten magnificent King’s Beasts sculptures you’ll find flanking the moat bridge of Hampton Court palace.
Representing loyalty, the Greyhound was a symbol strongly associated with the House of Lancaster and was later adopted by the Tudor family when Henry VIII’s grandfather Edmund Tudor, the Earl of Richmond, chose the white Greyhound as his heraldic supporter.
Sculptor David Lawrence’s intricate engraving depicts the beast with its slim build and prominent ribcage holding a jousting shield bearing the three lions of England passant guardant.
Secure the 2025 UK Greyhound of Richmond £5 for your collection >>
2025 UK The Queen’s Panther £5
The Royal Tudor Beasts series continued with the 2025 UK The Queen’s Panther £5. The Queen’s Panther is one of 10 King’s Beasts flanking the moat bridge, and one of the last beasts visitors encounter before entering Hampton Court Palace.
David Lawrence’s intricate design depicts the cunning panther in its traditional “incensed” form, with flames flaring from its mouth and ears to symbolise its fragrant and supposedly enticing breath.
Unlike the Seymour Panther, the Queen’s Panther holds a shield bearing the Royal coat of arms of King Henry VIII split by the coat of arms of the House of Seymour, symbolising the powerful union between King Henry VIII and his wife, Jane Seymour.
2024 UK Tudor Dragon £5
The series continued with the 2024 UK Tudor Dragon £5. The Tudor Dragon is one of the last of the 10 King’s Beasts you’ll pass on the moat bridge before entering Hampton Court Palace.
The dragon represents the Welsh lineage of the Tudor dynasty, and has been associated with Wales for centuries since it was adopted by Henry VIII. The red dragon even features on the Welsh flag to this day.
Sculptor David Lawrence aimed to portray all of the heraldic beasts in the Tudor Beasts series in a natural and realistic way. He worked in collaboration with the experts at Historic Royal Palaces on his design, which shows the Tudor Dragon in all its majestic glory, holding a shield emblazoned with the Beaufort Portcullis badge.
Secure your 2024 UK Tudor Dragon £5 in CERTIFIED Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £13.99 >>
2024 UK Seymour Unicorn £5
The Seymour Unicorn, believed to be the strongest of all creatures, is one of ten magnificent King’s Beasts sculptures you’ll find if you visit Hampton Court Palace.
The reverse design features an exquisite engraving of the Seymour Unicorn in all its majestic glory by sculptor, David Lawrence. It was also only the second coin in the Tudor Beasts series to feature King Charles III on the obverse.
Before it was chosen by Henry VIII to flank the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace, the unicorn was rarely used as a royal heraldic beast. The monarch’s decision to choose the unicorn may have been motivated by his desperation to have a son with his third wife, Jane Seymour, as the unicorn is thought to represent purity and fertility.
Secure your 2024 UK Seymour Unicorn £5 in CERTIFIED Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £13.99(+p&p) >>
2023 UK Bull of Clarence £5
**No longer available at The Mint**
The Bull of Clarence joined The Royal Mint’s Tudor Beasts Collection, representing bravery and wealth!
Excitingly, this was the FIRST coin in the series to feature King Charles III’s effigy! The first three coins in the series have featured Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait, making it one of just a few duel-portrait series!
Looking back at British history, the Bull of Clarence was particularly popular with royals. It was once used by the first Duke of Clarence as a Yorkist badge, and then later by Henry VIII!
Like the other seven beasts, a statue of the Royal Bull resides outside Hampton Court Palace. But, the Tudor beasts once found home in Henry VIII’s Privy Garden at the palace, used to emphasise his legitimacy as a king!
Secure the 2023 UK Bull of Clarence £5 in Brilliant Uncirculated quality >>
2023 UK Yale of Beaufort £5
**No longer available at The Mint**
Issued as one of only two UK £5 coins dated 2023 to feature the Queen’s portrait, this coin is now off sale at the mint and set to become increasingly sought-after…
As you cross the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace, you’ll see the peculiar statue of the Yale of Beaufort, Arms of Jane Seymour in its possession. It’s said that Henry VIII gave this beast to his new wife – and what a gift it was!
With a mixture of antelope, lion and boar-like features, it is certainly a sight to behold, but especially so on the UK £5 coin designed by David Lawrence. The design surely captures the power associated with the Beaufort family, who Seymour had familial ties with through her brother, Edward.
Secure your 2023 UK Yale of Beaufort £5 here >>
2022 UK Lion of England £5
**No longer available at The Mint**
One of the first beasts to greet you on the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace, the crowned Lion of England supports a shield bearing the combination of two coats of arms – of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour.
A brave and ferocious lion has featured on the shield of England for as long as it has existed. Representing English courage, strength, dignity, and pride, this beast remains an iconic heraldic symbol to this very day.
Designed by David Lawrence, this £5 coin shows the crowned Lion in a powerful stance. Its lips are curled, exposing the ferocious grimace of teeth, and its claws clasp tightly around the shield of arms it stands to protect.
This coin is no longer available at The Royal Mint, but you can order your 2022 UK Lion of England £5 coin for JUST £24.99 (+p&p) today by clicking here >>
2022 UK Seymour Panther £5
**No longer available at The Mint**
The Seymour Panther was gifted to Jane Seymour by King Henry VIII from the royal treasury of beasts. It is one of the ten magnificent King’s Beasts sculptures you’ll find if you visit Hampton Court Palace.
The exquisite reverse design of this £5 coin, by David Lawrence, depicts the panther in all its glory, with flames coming out of its mouth and ears. Known for its intoxicating breath, the Seymour Panther represents the union between the mighty King Henry VIII and his wife, Jane Seymour.
This coin was the very first issue in The Royal Mint’s Tudor Beasts Collection, and it is no longer available from The Royal Mint. You can order your 2022 UK Seymour Panther £5 coin for £24.99 (+p&p) today by clicking here >>
The heraldic beasts of the Tudor dynasty
Over 400 years ago, Henry VIII commissioned the sculpting of 10 heraldic animal statues. They were produced to represent the ancestry of King Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour.
These became known as “The King’s Beasts” and can still be seen to this day, guarding the main entrance to Hampton Court Palace. One of the responsibilities of the beasts is to support various shields which themselves have symbols known as badges.
King Henry VIII had numerous beasts decorating Hampton Court where the Queen’s own beasts now reside. The Tudor Beasts are: the Lion of England, the Royal Dragon, the Tudor Dragon, the Black Bull of Clarence, the Yale of Beaufort, the White Lion of Mortimer, the White Greyhound of Richmond, the Seymour Lion, the Seymour Panther and the Seymour Unicorn.
The Queen’s ten beasts were modeled after these creatures and guarded her coronation in 1952. Woodford, the sculptor instructed to produce these ten new statues, did not produce exact replicas to those of Henry VIII’s beasts, as these would have had little connection with Her Majesty’s own family or ancestry.
Now that you know about the history of the Tudor creatures, which beast are you excited to see featured on our £5 coin? Let us know in the comments below!
Continue your Royal Tudor Beasts £5 Collection
Secure the 2025 UK Greyhound of Richmond £5 for your collection today >>
New UK £5 pays tribute to HRH Prince Philip
In commemoration of the life and achievements of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a UK £5 coin has just been issued.
Issued shortly after what would have been his 100th birthday and within just three months of his passing, this special tribute to Prince Philip features a portrait created by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS that was personally approved by The Duke of Edinburgh himself.
As Britain’s longest serving Consort – the Queen’s “strength and stay” – and as former President of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee, it is only fitting that a new UK coin should be issued in his honour.
You can secure yours now in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £10.99 here >>
This new release become the sixth UK coin to feature HRH Prince Philip and in this blog we’ll take a look back at his life as celebrated on £5 coins, as well as the role the Duke played in shaping UK currency.
Prince Philip in Coins
The 1972 Crown issued to mark his Silver Wedding Anniversary was an understated affair. However, in 1997, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary, and Prince Philip featured on a UK coin for the very first time as part of a conjoined effigy on the obverse of the commemorative £5 coin. 2007 saw a similar conjoined portrait before the recent 2017 Platinum Wedding Anniversary design, which featured the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh on horseback in what can only been seen as a nod to the original 1953 Coronation Crown as well as a third conjoined portrait.
Yet it was in 2011 that Prince Philip was finally granted the greatest privilege – his own £5 Coin to celebrate his 90th Birthday – a splendid close up portrait of the Duke by Mark Richards FRBS. This was followed in 2017, with a design of the young Prince Philip by Humphrey Paget to mark Prince Philip stepping down from public duties after 70 years of service.
First Job – new coin designs
Not only does the Duke feature on a number of UK coins, he also had a hand in the creation of new coins too!
On 21 March 1952, just weeks after the Queen’s accession to the throne, Prince Philip attended his first meeting as President of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee on the design of coins, medals, seals and decorations (RMAC); a role that he would hold for the next 47 years, until his retirement in 1999.
A keen artist himself, the Prince’s first job was to oversee the selection of the Queen’s portrait to ordain her new coins. An uncrowned Queen was chosen from a field of seventeen designs, giving Nottingham born sculptor, Mary Gillick, the honour of creating the most seen portrait of the new Queen.
Equally importantly, the young Prince oversaw the design of the most important coin of the moment – the Coronation Crown, featuring Gilbert Ledward’s Queen on horseback on the obverse and Edgar Fuller’s reverse design containing the Coats of Arms of the constituent nations of the United Kingdom.
The UK’s biggest ever currency change
Gillick’s design remained on pre-decimal coinage until 1970, when Prince Philip was involved in another huge coinage milestone – the introduction of decimalisation.
The process required a complete redesign of Britain’s coinage as well as an updated effigy of Her Majesty, designed to help the new denominations stand out.
The RMAC selected Royal Academician Arnold Machin to sculpt the Queen, this time wearing a tiara. However, it was the reverse coin designs that were perhaps more significant.
A “monstrous piece of metal”
Under Prince Philip’s presidency, the RMAC started to work in top secret on designs as early as 1962, before there was any official government announcement confirming decimalisation.
The final designs were created by Christopher Ironside and featured heraldic elements of the United Kingdom. But it was the new 50p coin – introduced to replace the 10/- note – that caused the greatest stir, with its unique heptagonal (7-sided) shape.
Now Britain’s most popular coin with collectors, that was certainly not the case on its launch with one newspaper calling it a “monstrous piece of metal” and a retired colonel even starting Anti-Heptagonist movement.
In the 28 years that followed Decimalisation, Prince Philip guided the RMAC through two more effigies, Raphael Maklouf (1985 – 1997) and Ian Rank-Broadly (1998 – 2015), as well as the launch of 20p, £1 and £2 coins into circulation and numerous commemorative issues.
Prince Philip will be remembered for many things – and among them we will remember him as the man who has had more influence over the nation’s coins than any other.
With the release of the new Prince Philip £5, his legacy continues to live on as we celebrate his incredible life and achievements.
Secure your Prince Philip £5 Set today!
Today, you have the opportunity to secure the brand new 2021 UK Prince Philip £5 in Brilliant Uncirculated quality, alongside the 2017 Prince Philip £5 and the 2017 Platinum Wedding £5 coins to make the perfect Prince Philip £5 Set.
Your coins have been struck to a Brilliant Uncirculated finish and protectively encapsulated in official Change Checker packaging to preserve for generations to come.
A real collector’s set, these coins pay a special tribute to the Prince who will forever be remembered as a treasured member of British royal history.
95th Birthday of HM Queen Elizabeth II celebrated on BRAND NEW £5 coin!
This year, Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her 95th birthday – making her the first ruling monarch in British history to reach this milestone!
In celebration of this incredible royal event, a UK £5 coin has been issued!
Designed by heraldic artist, Timothy Noad, the coin features the Royal Cypher ‘EIIR’ and the quote, “MY HEART AND MY DEVOTION” a nod to part of her 1957 Christmas broadcast, which was the first to be televised.
We also see the date of Her Majesty’s birth and the year 2021, highlighting the remarkable 95th anniversary year.
To secure this brand new 2021 UK Queen Elizabeth 95th Anniversary £5 for JUST £10.99 (+p&p) simply click here >>
This coin was first issued as part of the 2021 Annual Coin Set and has already been proving incredibly popular with collectors.
And when you consider the popularity of previous coins celebrating Her Majesty, we’re expecting demand for this coin to be high…
2016 UK Queen Elizabeth II 90th Birthday £5
To celebrate the 90th Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II The Royal Mint issued a new commemorative £5 coin.
This coin features a design by Christopher Hobbs, depicting nine roses, inspired by Her Majesty’s love of flowers – one for each decade of Her Majesty’s life.
You’ll notice the flowers in the wreath are each different to the next one. As this was such a personal occasion, Hobbs chose to move away from heraldic flowers and to use a more natural floral image instead.
The obverse features the fifth portrait of Her Majesty the Queen, designed by Royal Mint engraver Jody Clark.
Excitingly for collectors, Change Checker has a limited number of Official 2016 UK Queen’s 90th Birthday £5 BU packs remaining. To secure yours for JUST £30.00 (+p&p) click here >>
2006 UK Queen Elizabeth II 80th Birthday £5
This coin was issued in 2006 to commemorate Her Majesty’s 80th birthday. The reverse design by Danuta Solowiej-Wedderburn features three trumpeters with trumpet banners accompanied by the inscription Vivat Regina (long live the Queen) and the anniversary dates.
This £5 coin is the fourth rarest £5 (as of the latest mintage update in 2013) and it is incredibly popular with collectors!
Change Checker has very limited stock remaining of this coin. To secure one for your collection, click here >>
2012 UK Diamond Jubilee £5
In 2012, the Queen celebrated her Diamond Jubilee having reached 50 years on the throne.
This is the first coin ever struck to commemorate a Diamond Jubilee – there were no special coins for Queen Victoria’s in 1897. The obverse features a new portrait of Her Majesty crowned and wearing the robes of the Order of the Garter, created especially for the Diamond Jubilee by Ian Rank-Broadley.
Also designed by Ian Rank-Broadley, the obverse features a portrait of the young Queen Elizabeth just as she appeared in her first portrait with the Latin words DIRIGE DEUS GRESSUS MEOS (May God Guide My Steps).
If you don’t have this coin in your collection yet, Change Checker has strictly limited stock remaining. Secure yours here >>
2002 UK Golden Jubilee £5
In 2002, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, the Royal Mint produced this £5 coin.
On one side appears an unusual bust portrait of the Queen wearing the robes of state. The dramatic impact of this motif are heightened by the absence of any inscription other than the value in small lettering around the foot.
The reverse design, as with the original Coronation crown of 1953 features the Queen on horseback. The Latin motto AMOR POPULI PRAESIDIUM REG(inae) meaning ‘The love of the people is the Queen’s protection’ was last used on the coinage of Charles I.
You can add this coin to your collection here >>
1993 UK 40th Anniversary of the Coronation £5
This £5 coin was issued to mark 40 years since the Queen’s coronation in 1953.
The obverse features the original portrait by Mary Gillick placed in a circle surrounded by eight mounted trumpeters of the Household Cavalry separated by swords and sceptres.
The reverse features the Crown of St Edward which was used at the Coronation, set within 40 radiating trumpets.
The words FAITH AND TRUTH I WILL BEAR UNTO YOU, from the Coronation oath, are inscribed at the top, with the double dates 1953 and 1993 appearing at the foot.
Change Checker has limited stock remaining of this coin. Secure one for your collection here >>
Vote for your favourite!
In celebration of the release of the brand new 2021 UK Queen Elizabeth II 95th Birthday £5, we want you to vote for your favourite coin commemorating Her Majesty.
Have your say:
Results will be revealed next Monday!
Secure the 2021 UK Queen Elizabeth II 95th Birthday £5
Secure the 2021 UK Queen Elizabeth II 95th Birthday £5 for JUST £10.99 (+p&p) here >>
Your coin will come in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality presented in official Change Checker packaging.