Royalty
The Easter coins that trace their history back to the time of Jesus…
It’s a tradition that dates back to the time of the Bible. During the Last Supper, Jesus famously washed the feet of his disciples as a sign of his humility, and it was this religious event that inspired an Easter tradition which takes place to this day.
Since the thirteenth century, members of the Royal Family have followed Jesus’ example, giving gifts to the poor and washing their feet on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday. By the eighteenth century, the act of washing feet was discontinued and the accompanying gifts were replaced by a money allowance, known as Maundy money.
And it was this change that created one of the most interesting of all the historic Royal Mint releases.
The first Maundy money ceremony took place in the reign of Charles II, when the King gave people undated hammered coins in 1662. The tradition has continued for over 350 years and today’s recipients of Royal Maundy are elderly men and women, chosen because of the Christian service they have given to the Church and the community.
At the ceremony, the monarch hands each recipient two small leather string purses. A red purse contains ordinary coins, while a white one contains the extremely special silver Maundy coins, amounting to the same number of pence as the years of the sovereign’s age.
Its deeply historical roots are what makes Maundy Money a rare highlight in any classic coin collection. But because of their extremely limited mintage and the fact they have never been issued into general circulation, they now stand as a one of the most highly sought after Easter gifts in the world!
What goes in to developing not one but THREE brand new portraits…
It’s surprising, in this new digital age, just how ‘hands-on’ designing a coin is. In fact, it’s very much the job of a master craftsman.
Never was this more evident than when the Isle of Man Treasury chose to mark the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Queen Victoria with three new coins, each with a brand new portrait.
The man they turned to was renowned sculptor Luigi Badia and here’s the remarkable process of how these coins were developed.
First Stage – Pencil designs
Like most products across all industries, designing a coin starts with pencil sketches. These are then amended, potentially many times, until a final sketch is produced and approved.
Second Stage – Plaster modelling
The second stage is arguably the most visually stunning. The sculptor, Luigi Badia in this case, will turn their sketches into a 3D ‘Plaster’ design. The skill involved in this process is really very impressive as every tiny detail must be modelled.
The plaster is far larger than the actual coin size to allow for this detail to be captured. The design will be resized in the next step of the process.
Third Stage – Digital Modelling
It’s during this stage where technology has certainly helped the design process. The 3D ‘Plaster’ designs are scanned and a digital file, called a greyscale, is created.
An engraving machine then uses this file to cut the design into a piece of steel that’s the actual size of the final coin. This will then be used to make the dies that will actually strike the coins.
Fourth Stage – Coin Striking
This final stage is when the physical coin comes to life. The specially prepared die is used to ‘strike’ the design onto a metal ‘blank’. The metal used for the blank can vary widely, from cupro-nickel to silver and gold.
Only once the mint is perfectly happy with the quality of the struck coins will they be issued.
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Discover 200 years of fascinating UK silver coins…
British coinage has had its fair share of fascinating tales over the years. When searching for coins, I’m always seeking to find classic coins whose numismatic interest and history mean that they will forever be sought-after pieces.
Which is why, with the help of my UK coin specialist, I’ve decided to narrow down what I believe to be six of the most interesting and collectable UK historic silver coins issued over the past 200 years.
Read below to discover the stories of six coins that cover some of the most important events in British numismatic history – including influential design changes, mistaken introductions and controversial issues.
The Great Recoinage Shilling – George III Bull Head Silver Sixpence
1816 marked one of the most important moments in the history of British coinage – The Great Recoinage. For Georgian Britain, it was a change as big as Decimalisation for you or me. The George III Bull Head Sixpence was introduced as part of an attempt to re-stabilise the currency following economic difficulties caused by both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and marks one of the most important moments in British numismatic history.
The Coin of the Colonies – Victoria Silver Three Halfpence
During the 1800s demand grew for British coinage from all across the globe, with over 25% of the world’s population using coins bearing Queen Victoria’s portrait. The British three halfpence was a silver coin produced for circulation in the British colonies with a denomination which had never been seen in mainland Britain before. What makes this coin so interesting is that it has no indication of what country it was minted for, which meant that it could be used across most of the globe!
The Longest ‘Reigning’ Portrait – Victoria Young Head Shilling
The first effigy to feature on Queen Victoria’s coinage was the Young Head portrait featuring a particularly youthful and charming portrait of the young Queen. The Victoria Shilling featured the Young Head portrait from 1839 to 1887, which is the longest period a single portrait has ever featured on a British circulation coin.
The Withdrawn Sixpence Pair – 1887 Victoria Silver Sixpences
In 1887, new coin designs were issued to mark Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. Surprisingly, the new design of the Silver Sixpence shared the same design as the Gold Half Sovereign. Of course, it didn’t take long for crafty opportunists to start coating the Silver Sixpence in gold paint and passing them off as the far more valuable Half Sovereign. The authorities hastily withdrew the Sixpence and a quick redesign took place with ‘SIX PENCE’ written across the middle of the coin.
The Rocking Horse Crown – 1935 George V Silver Crown
The ‘Rocking Horse’ Crown was issued for just one-year-only in 1935 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of George V. Significantly, this special Silver Jubilee Crown was the first-time a commemorative crown was ever struck and started what is now one of the most popular numismatic collecting trends ever seen. Despite its significance, this coin caused controversy when it was first issued, with many traditionalists disliking the art deco reinterpretation of the iconic St. George and the Dragon design.
Each of these coins has unique story that makes them all must haves for any collector with an interest in historic UK coins. We’re certainly lucky to live in a nation with such a rich numismatic history!
However, these coins are now historic artefacts in their own right, and considering that many have been melted down over the past two centuries for their valuable silver content, they are now extremely rare.
I’m sure you’ll agree, that considering the fantastic history along with the scarcity of all six of these coins, they can all be considered amongst the most interesting and collectable UK Silver coins of the past 200 years.
If you’re interested…
Understandably, it is extremely difficult to build up a stock of these fascinating coins. But working with my extensive network of suppliers, I have been able to put together 22 sets of these iconic silver coins to now offer to my collectors. But with such limited numbers available you will need to act now if you want to add these fascinating coins to your collection.