Coins
New United Kingdom £5 coin released to celebrate the Queen’s 70th Wedding Anniversary
On the 20th November, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh will celebrate their Platinum Wedding Anniversary – that’s an incredible 70 years of marriage and a first in British royal history. To mark this important milestone, The Royal Mint has released a brand new £5 coin in tribute to the longest marriage in royal history.
Dual Portrait
Dual Portrait
The obverse features a special double portrait of the royal couple by sculptor Etienne Millner. The traditional design depicts Her Majesty wearing a royal coronet and Prince Philip shown in the supporting position of a royal consort.
Two reverse designs
Artist John Bergdahl has created two reverse designs, the equestrian design and the double shield design.
The first design depicts Her Majesty and Prince Philip at the Trooping the Colour. The Queen is riding her favourite horse Burmese.
Over the years, designs that feature mounted figures have become a traditional way to mark important royal occasions, such as the Golden and Diamond Jubilee £5 Coins…
The Diamond and Golden Jubilee UK £5 Coins
The second design, the double shield, was inspired by the official programme of events for state occasions at the time that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh were married. It comprises double arms which depict the heraldic lineage of both families at the time of their union.
UK 2017 Platinum Wedding 5oz Silver Proof
Available in precious metal and base metal, here’s your guide to the new 2017 United Kingdom Platinum Wedding Anniversary £5 coin range.
Perfect Quality. Very Affordable.
Change Checker Certified BU Collector Card
The Royal Mint is releasing a brilliant uncirculated base metal version of the Platinum Wedding Anniversary £5 coin. These coins have been specially struck and carefully handled to ensure that they are free of scratches and chips found amongst circulating coins.
Known as Brilliant Uncirculated (BU), they are available for £13.00 in a Royal Mint Presentation Pack or £10.99 in a Change Checker Certified Brilliant Uncirculated Collector Card.
Silver Proof – the Collector’s Favourite.
UK 2017 Platinum Wedding Silver Proof £5
The Silver Proof £5 coin is firmly established as the most sought-after coin amongst collectors because they have all the qualities that collectors really desire.
Precious metal content – struck from 925/1000 Sterling Silver
Strictly Limited Edition – just 15,000 coins. The Sapphire Jubilee Silver £5 with an edition limit of 8,000 sold out in just one week. This one looks to sell out quickly too.
The perfect Proof Finish – even better than Brilliant Uncirculated. Proof coins are struck several times using specially polished dies to create a flawless finish with a perfect mirrored background. The ultimate coin quality.
The Gold Standard
The Platinum Wedding Anniversary UK Gold Proof Coin
For the ultimate limited edition, a Gold Proof coin has also been issued. Struck in 22 carat Gold, just 1,250 individual coins have been authorised for release.
The UK Platinum Wedding Anniversary Coin Range
If you’re interested …
You can own one of the special Collector Edition UK Platinum Wedding Anniversary Coins today.
New one-year only double portrait released to celebrate The Queen and Prince Philip’s 70 years of marriage
On the 20th November, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh will celebrate their Platinum Wedding Anniversary – that’s an incredible 70 years of marriage and a first in British royal history.
The Platinum Wedding Anniversary Five Pound Proof Coin
In honour of the occasion a new coin has been issued – featuring a specially commissioned one-year-only double portrait.
The coin has been officially approved by both Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip, and proudly displays their initials surrounded by a design inspired by the North Rose Window of Westminster Abbey – where their wedding took place in 1947.
But it is the new double portrait that will turn heads and have collectors rushing to secure theirs. Designed by renowned sculptor Luigi Badia, it features both The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh and will only ever be seen on Platinum Wedding Anniversary Coins.
It’s not very often that one-year-only portraits are released, not to mention a double portrait. They really are only issued for the most important Royal anniversaries.
New one-year-only obverse design
As you’ll appreciate, designing a new effigy is not a simple process, with an extremely rigorous approval procedure.
That’s why special portraits such as this are few and far between and are so popular with collectors.
Luigi, from New York, explains the concept behind the design:
“I was extremely honored to be commissioned to sculpt a brand new portrait to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s 70th wedding anniversary. I was inspired to use a contemporary image of the royal couple to capture both their achievement of reaching such a milestone and to reflect on the long life they have shared together.”
The design process…
The design is intricately engraved onto the die
Careful consideration has to be put into the shape and size of the coin. Luigi painstakingly hand-engraved the design – with the added complication of retaining the typesetting within the circular shape.
The finalised ‘plaster’ engraving is then ready to be reduced down into a die (shown opposite) – which is hardened and used to mint the commemorative coins collectors can own.
Struck to a variety of specifications…
The new coin is to be struck in a range of different specifications, from a face value version right up to a staggering 10oz platinum edition – which has already sold out.
And the other coins are likely to prove just as popular – with a highly collectable proof coin, a pure silver coin, and a 5oz gold coin amongst those available, there is something to suit everyone.
These coins really do make a fitting tribute to Her Majesty and Prince Philip’s 70 years of marriage, and the stunning double portrait marks them out as truly prestigious commemoratives to forever remember this once-in-a-lifetime celebration.
The Platinum Wedding Five Pound Proof Coin
If you are interested…
You can mark the occasion by adding the Platinum Wedding Anniversary Proof £5 Coin to your collection today. It’s limited to just 4,950 worldwide and a sell-out is expected, especially as it features the new one-year-only double portrait.
The Secret Life of Isaac Newton…
English mathematician, astronomer, and physicist, Sir Isaac Newton is one of the most famous scientists of all time. He is renowned for producing the single most influential book on physics ever written, The Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, but not many people know that discovering why apples fell from trees and changing the way we understand the universe were not the only problems he dealt with…
Newton and the Counterfeiter
The Tower of London – Home of The Royal Mint for 500 years. From 1279 – 1812.
In 1695, The Royal Mint discovered that a large number of the UK’s circulating coins were fake. In fact, 10% of England’s coinage was known to be phony. Unable to keep up with the increasing intelligent counterfeiting methods they turned to England’s ‘brightest mind’ for help.
Sir Isaac Newton was appointed warden of The Royal Mint, with a sole purpose of enforcing laws against counterfeiting.
Most counterfeits were easy targets for Newton, but one man in particular kept eluding his grasp – William Chaloner.
Chaloner was a nail maker by trade but found a more worthwhile application for molten metals. The counterfeiter’s self-made wealth enabled him to pose in a way that matched his intellect.
Newton wanted nothing more than to finish Chaloner. He went into full detective-mode.
Newton undercover
Sir Isaac Newton
Newton constructed a strong case, using his network of informants and spies around London in a systematic way to form a complete representation of Chaloner’s actions. He even went undercover himself to obtain evidence from witnesses at pubs around the city. By the time the trial came, he had gathered eight witnesses.
The treason charge stuck – on March 3rd 1699, William Chaloner was sentenced to hang.
Later that year, Newton was made the Master of the Mint, a position he would hold until his death in 1727.
Master of the Mint
Newton took up his duties with effect from Christmas Day 1699. Immediately his active involvement in the affairs of The Royal Mint became undoubtable, he took the role very seriously before retiring from his duties at Cambridge in 1701.
He survived the political upheavals of those distressing times and in 1705 he was knighted by Queen Anne, making him just the second scientist ever to be knighted.
The first gold standard
During his role as Master of the Mint, Sir Isaac Newton wrote a report to the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty’s Treasury, as a result the relationship between gold and silver coins was forever changed by Royal proclamation at the end of 1717. It forbid the exchange of gold Guineas for more than 21 silver shillings. This meant that silver coins were being used to pay for imports, subsequently Britain saw a silver shortage – effectively moving the country from the silver standard to its first gold standard.
His Legacy to our coinage
The UK Sir Isaac Newton 50p
As a result of Newton’s vision, coins struck by The Royal Mint remain unrivalled in their accuracy and purity. He helped to make Britain’s currency one of the most respected and admired in the world. As one of the most famous figures to ever hold the role of Master of the Mint and author of the single most influential book on physics ever written it is entirely appropriate he is celebrated on a UK coin.
If you’re interested…
A brand new UK 50p coin has just been issued by The Royal Mint to commemorate the 375th anniversary of Sir Isaac Newton’s birth and his outstanding legacy.
You can own one today.