Information
New UK coin released celebrating the Four Generations of Royalty for first time ever
The Royal Mint has today announced the release of a coin that everyone has been anticipating since the moment HRH Prince George of Cambridge was born on 22nd July 2013 – a coin celebrating the four generations of royalty.
2018 UK Four Generations of Royalty £5 coin
This is the first time that all four generations of royalty have been celebrated on a UK coin. The last time four generations of royalty were celebrated together was in 1894 under the reign of Queen Victoria.
2018 is an incredibly special year for the Royal family as they celebrate a variety of important milestones including the Queen’s 65th anniversary of her Coronation, the Prince of Wales’ 70th birthday and Prince George’s 5th birthday so it’s perfect timing for such a special coin issue!
Here’s everything you need to know about this important new release:
The stunning reverse features an original design by much-loved heraldic artist Timothy Noad, and ornately shows the initials of the current four generations, E, C, W, G, and represents the heritage of the House of Windsor.
The coin is available in several different finishes, all with varying edition limits that are likely to sell out quickly. Here’s your guide to the new 2018 Four Generations of Royalty coin range:
Perfect Quality. Very Affordable.
UK 2018 Four Generations of Royalty CERTIFIED BU £5 coin
The Royal Mint is releasing a brilliant uncirculated base metal version of the Four Generations of Royalty £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.
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.
UK 2018 Four Generations of Royalty Silver Proof £5 coin
- Precious metal content– struck from 925/1000 Sterling Silver.
- Strictly Limited Edition– just 5,000 coins. That’s 3,000 less than the Sapphire Jubilee £5 Silver Proof coin. That had a mintage of 8,000 and completely sold out at The Royal Mint.
- 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.
Double the thickness. More than twice as limited.
UK 2018 Four Generations of Royalty Silver Proof Piedfort £5 coin
For silver collectors looking for something even more collectable, the double thickness Piedfort edition is the pinnacle of Royal Mint craftsmanship, they are twice the thickness and weight of a standard coin. They also have much lower edition limits than their standard silver counterparts.
There are just 2,000 Four Generations of Royalty £5 silver proof Piedfort’s – less than half the maximum mintage for the standard £5 silver proof.
The Gold Standard
UK 2018 Four Generations of Royalty 1/4 oz Gold Proof coin
For the ultimate limited edition, you can own the Four Generations of Royalty in Gold proof. This has been issued in two specifications: the Gold Proof ¼ oz coin and the £5 Gold Proof coin.
The ¼ oz is struck from 24 Carat Gold and just 1,100 have been authorised for release.
The £5 is struck from 39.94g of 22 Carat Gold to a flawless proof finish. Only 500 will be issued – 250 LESS than the equivalent Sapphire Jubilee Gold £5 that completely sold out at the Mint in ONE WEEK.
Due to its very limited nature, we will contact you directly to discuss owning the Gold Proof £5 Coin if you are interested – please complete the form below:
If you’re interested …
You can own one of the special collector edition Four Generations of Royalty £5 coins today, click here to view the full range >>
Remember the ‘Classic Toys’ of your childhood – vote for your favourite
This August Royal Mail will be releasing a brand new set of stamps which will undoubtedly prove popular with collectors young and old.
The stamp issue celebrates ten of the UK’s most iconic and beloved ‘Classic Toys’ from the last 100 years – from Meccano to Action Man.
And although this brand new issue will undoubtedly evoke strong feelings of nostalgia across generations, given the variety it certainly begs the question, which was your favourite?
Take a look at the stamps above and VOTE for your favourite on the poll at the bottom of the page
Here’s a little bit more about each of the stamps:
1)1st Class: Merrythought Bear
Merrythought is a toy manufacturing company established in 1930. Its most famous individual bear was arguably ‘Mr Whoppit’ which was based on the “Woppit” character from the Robin comic in 1956.
2) 1st Class: Sindy Doll (first appearance 1963)
Sindy was the best-selling toy in the UK in both 1968 and 1970. With her wholesome looks proving a big hit. Originally designed by Dennis Arkinstall for Pedigree Toys and Dolls, she was modelled on an adolescent girl, and new outfits were issued every six months.
3) 1st Class: Spirograph (first appearance 1965)
Spirograph employs complicated mathematical formulae to create hypotrochoids and epitrochoids, using ‘rotor’ and ‘stator’ pieces. This sounds much too complicated for a toy aimed at children, but the mathematics works unseen in the background – all a child has to do is stick a coloured pen through a hole in one of the Spirograph tools on a piece of paper, twirl it around a few times and watch a pattern emerge. Awarded ‘Toy of the Year’ by the British Association of Toy Retailers in 1967.
4) 1st Class: Stickle Bricks
Stickle Bricks are primarily intended for toddlers and were invented in 1969. An individual stickle brick is a colourful plastic shape which is a few centimetres long and which has a “brush” of small plastic “fingers” on one or more edges. The fingers of adjacent stickle bricks can interlock, allowing them to be joined in various ways.
5) 1st Class: W. Britain Toy Figures
The William Britain company originally produced lead soldiers but subsequently switched to plastic, acquiring a manufacturer of plastic soldiers, Herald, in 1959. The soldiers proved particularly popular in the 1970s, the key selling point being that they came ready-painted. US Cavalry, Greek warriors and cowboys and Indians were among the most popular characters.
6) 1st Class: Space Hopper
Although the origins of this concept are Italian, it was initially intended as an exercise device rather than as a toy and featured a wooden handle. The version we know and love was a British creation, from Mettoy who added the ribbed, antennae-like handles and the iconic kangaroo face, in 1969. The ‘Space Hopper’ name captured the imagination of children.
7) 1st Class: Fuzzy-Felt
Fuzzy-Felt was created in 1950 by Lois Allan and comprises a flocked backing board onto which a number of felt shapes – silhouettes or more detailed printed versions, it can be placed to create different pictures.
8) 1st Class: Meccano
Invented by Frank Hornby, this was originally marketed as ‘Mechanics Made Easy’ (1901), but the name was switched to the more familiar Meccano in 1907. Meccano retains the basic elements including the spacing on the perforations and the 5/32inch Whitworth thread on the screws, meaning that new Meccano sets can still incorporate old pieces. Meccano is one of the crown jewels of the British toy industry, although now French-owned, Meccano remains amongst the most collectable of British toy manufacturers.
9) 1st Class: Action Man
American toy firm Hasbro invented the concept of a doll that boys could play with – 1964’s GI Joe, with features based on decorated war veterans. The first dolls for the UK market appeared in 1966, initially named Action Soldier. Among the most popular are footballer kits and the Red Devil parachutist, Action Man was awarded ‘Toy of the Year’ by the British Association of Toy Retailers in 1966. A 2004 poll of the public to find Britain’s Favourite Toy placed Action Man at number 2.
10) 1st Class: Hornby Dublo
Frank Hornby first introduced the scale model train sets in 1920. Originally, sets were built on the ‘O-gauge’ scale (about twice the size of the current Hornby sets). Hornby’s genius was to switch to the OO-gauge (known as ‘Horny Dublo’) from 1938, which allowed for complex layouts to be built on a smaller budget and in a smaller space, taking into account the modest size of the average British living room. Hornby trains are able to appeal to many different character types across multiple generations.
Which was your favourite? VOTE NOW in our poll below:
If you’re interested…
Pre-order your ‘Classic Toys’ First Day Cover today
The ‘Classic Toys’ stamps are sure to be of interest to anyone who fondly remembers the iconic British toys explored in the Royal Mail issue.
You can reserve all of the new ‘Classic Toys’ stamps now on a limited edition First Day Cover.
As Royal Mail’s new Songbird stamps hit the right note with collectors, BBC’s Chris Packham signs for Westminster…
4th May sees the release of Royal Mail’s stunning new Songbird stamps. As soon as we heard about the release of the stamps, we discussed who we could work with to create the ultimate presentation for collectors.
Chris Packham signing the limited edition Songbird Stamps Collector Card
It didn’t take long for us to unanimously agree that Chris Packham was our man!
Chris is one of today’s most highly respected television naturalists presenting BBC’s Springwatch, Autumnwatch & Winterwatch. And adding further to his CV, he proudly serves as Vice President of the RSPB.
Shortly after contacting him, we were delighted to hear Chris had agreed to sign 500 framed Songbirds stamp sets for us. Here he is at home signing the first of the collector cards.
Once these arrive back with us, they’ll be sent off to Royal Mail to have the stamps specially postmarked with the first day of issue postmark and then returned to us once again to have them professionally framed.
The full set of stamps features the Nightingale, Wren, Blackcap, Cuckoo, Yellowhammer, Great Tit, Goldcrest, Willow Warbler, Song Thrush and Skylark.
If you’re interested…
We’re now taking pre-orders for the special Chris Packham Signed Edition. Just 500 will be made featuring all the Songbirds stamps on a Framed Collector Card, postmarked with their first day of issue…
So if you want one, click here for details before they sell out.