Posts Tagged ‘The Royal Mint’
It’s here! How you can own the 2014 First World War £2
Following the resounding success of Change Checker’s Great Commonwealth Games 50p Swap (see the feedback on Twitter here) during which we swapped well over 6,000 coins, we are pleased to introduce the First World War £2 Coin Swap – offering collectors the chance to own the very latest commemorative coin before it has even entered circulation!
The new First World War £2 features Lord Kitchener’s famous pose
The 2014 First World War £2 is the most highly anticipated circulation coin in recent memory. With Lord Kitchener’s iconic call to arms adorning the reverse, it is set to be one of the most collectable coins for years to come.
We know that all too often the newest coins can be the trickiest to get hold of, but our philosophy is to offer keen collectors the unique chance to own them in the fairest way possible – by swapping with us on a like for like basis.
If you are new to Change Checker or new to our swapping process, here is how it works;
Choose the £2 coin(s) you would like to swap. This can be any commemorative design from the last 15 years and you can swap up to a maximum of FIVE coins with us. Bear in mind we are only swapping commemorative designs not the definitive ‘Technology’ £2.
Complete our quick online form. We will email you a copy of this to print out and send in with your coin(s).
You’ll receive your brand new and uncirculated First World War £2 coin(s) within 10 working days of posting yours.
We’ve got your First World War £2 ready to send!
It’s as easy as that!
Please also remember to obtain proof of postage from the Post Office – this will help us out with any customer service queries if they arise.
Ready? Click here to get started!
A guide to collecting the UK’s rarest circulating coins
After the interest in last week’s charts, I thought I would go into a little more detail about the coins which came out on top – because when it comes to collecting, there is one fact which is always inevitable – the rarest coins are always in highest demand.
So which coins in your pocket are the rare ones?
- Fifty Pence coins
The Kew Gardens 50p is the rarest coin in circulation
Where else to start but the Kew Gardens 50p? As any change checker knows, it is the rarest coin currently in circulation, with just 210,000 struck. To put that in perspective – the next scarcest designs are the 2003 Suffragettes and 2011 WWF 50ps respectively with a mintage of just over 3 million apiece. The famous Chinese Pagoda of the gardens features on the reverse of the coin and is definitely worth looking for in your change. It remains the Holy Grail of circulation coins eluding even the keenest of collectors.
- Olympic Fifty Pence series
The ‘Offside Rule’ Football design is the rarest in the Olympic 50p series
In celebration of London 2012, the Royal Mint issued a series of 29 different 50p designs – each representing a sport from either the Olympic or Paralympic Games. They have gone on to become some of the most highly sought-after coins and are still frequently hoarded from circulation. The ‘Offside rule’ Football 50p had everyone talking about its innovative design, but it also holds the title of the Olympic 50p with the lowest mintage. Only 1,125,500 were struck, which is marginally more than the Triathlon and Judo designs which are the next rarest in the series.
- One Pound coins
The Edinburgh design is the £1 with the lowest mintage
The £1 coin has not traditionally been a place for one-off commemorative designs, but themes have followed a similar pattern over the years, with the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom being represented in cycles. In recent years, the mintage of commemorative £1 coins has dropped off considerably, and the capital cities series is currently the most scarce. The 2011 Edinburgh design is the only £1 coin with a mintage below 1 million and the Cardiff and London issues follow closely behind. By way of comparison, there were over 443 million Royal Arms Shield £1 coins issued in 1983 alone.
- Two Pound coins
The 2002 Commonwealth Games N.Ireland is the rarest £2 in circulation, but it can be tricky to spot!
The 2002 Commonwealth Games £2 designs are notoriously difficult to find. There are four different versions, all similar, but with a different flag to represent each of the four constituent countries of the UK. You’ll need to look very closely at each flag to know which version you’ve got. The Northern Ireland design is the rarest £2 coin in circulation – only 485,500 were struck. The other three in the series are similarly scarce, so finding any Commonwealth Games £2 in your change is an achievement! Other £2 coins worthy of note include the three Olympic-themed designs; 2008 Handover, 2008 Centenary and 2012 Handover which also have mintages of less than one million.
So the next time you’re flicking through your coins, remember – all coins are not created equal! There are some you should count yourself lucky to have, and if you come across any of the rare coins mentioned in this post – it might just be worth hanging on to them!
Collect your coins with Change Checker
Interested in the designs mentioned in this blog?
You can find, collect and even swap every commemorative coin in circulation with the FREE Change Checker App.
Click here to try it out!
Designing the new £1 – my top 5…
To coincide with the introduction of a brand new style of £1 coin, the Treasury have opened a national public contest to find the very first design. So I thought I’d pick out 5 of my favourite designs which have graced the reverse of our pound coins over the last 30 years.
1) Floral Emblems
The Welsh Leek £1
In 1984 the first themed £1 coins were introduced with a series of floral emblems. I’ve singled out the Welsh Leek because it features an edge inscription written in the Welsh language – a rare break from the traditional Latin. PLEIDIOL WYF I’M GWLAD is inscribed around the edge of each coin, which translated means ‘True am I to my country”. The design was struck in two years; 1985 and 1990.
2) Heraldic Emblems
The Heraldic Emblem £1 for Northern Ireland
The heraldic emblems series followed in 1995 with some familiar national symbols. The interesting one for me is the Northern Irish design which features a Broighter Collar. The Broighter collar was discovered in 1896 amongst a hoard of gold Iron Age artefacts in Northern Ireland, and is said to be the finest example of Irish La Tène goldworking in Europe. It’s a subtle and commonly overlooked feature of this reverse design.
3) Bridges
The Millennium Bridge features on this 2007 £1 coin
A change of tack from the Royal Mint in 2004 with iconic bridges from each country being chosen as the subject matter. The bold architectural shape of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge makes for an impressive reverse design and I think it’s the pick of the bunch. Interestingly the bridge itself is the world’s first tilting bridge and won a number of awards for its design and lighting. Each of the bridge coins were only struck in one year, this one is dated 2007.
4) Capital Cities
The rarest £1 in circulation is this Edinburgh design
The four capital cities of the United Kingdom was the next theme introduced in 2010 with the Coat of Arms for Belfast, London, Cardiff and Edinburgh featuring as the principal focus of each design. The Edinburgh design is of the most interest to collectors, because it is currently the rarest £1 design in circulation. Less than 1 million were struck, and it is often the only one which eludes even the keenest of Change Checkers.
5) The Royal Arms
This crowned Royal Arms Shield was only struck in 1988
Of course, in addition to all these commemorative themes are the definitive designs which have followed the same trend since the inaugural pound coin of 1983. Each one features the Royal Arms Shield of the United Kingdom, combining all four of the constituent countries. Look out for this one on the left with the crowned shield. Unlike the others, it was only struck in one year – 1988 – so is a bit more trick to find. Chances are it will also be a bit worse for wear after 26 years in circulation!
So when the new £1 does enter circulation in 2017, what will it look like? We already know that it will look radically different from the existing coin, but will its design follow a similar trend to those of the past? The extreme change in the coin’s shape may give rise to a similarly extreme rethink in its design, but one thing is for certain – it will forever be a truly significant moment in British numismatic history.
Own the rare Edinburgh £1 coin in silver
Our friends at the Westminster Collection have a small number of the rare Edinburgh design available in silver.