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Breaking 50p news from deep in the Hundred Acre Wood
The Royal Mint have just confirmed a brand new 50p series will be launching on 23rd September featuring characters from Britain’s favourite books – Winnie the Pooh!
Each design has been inspired by A.A. Milne’s classic children’s stories starting with Pooh Bear himself and is sure to be one of the most popular coin releases this year.
Originally published in 1926, Winnie the Pooh is a story about the adventures of Christopher Robin’s honey-loving teddy bear and his friends Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Owl, Kanger, and Rabbit.
Since then, Winnie the Pooh has featured in over 11 films, 11 television programmes, 4 different books, and has become a worldwide collectable item.
Whilst the designs of the upcoming 50p coins are currently top-secret, we can’t wait to see this loveable bear and his friends come to life once more, this time on the UK’s most collected coin.
But who is your favourite character? Let us know in the comments below!
And if you want to be the very first to hear of any updates, make sure you sign up at the bottom of this blog!
By signing up we’ll make sure you’re the first to know any updates about these new coins, including when they are launched. So what are you waiting for?
Ground-breaking NEW minting technology makes the impossible possible…
Back in January, I attended the largest coin show in the world – the World Money Fair. Thousands of collectors and hundreds of dealers and Mints from all over the world attend the annual fair to showcase their new releases and the very latest in minting technology.
I’m always looking for new and unusual coins to offer collectors, whether that be a shape, size or technologically advanced coins that push the limits on what can be achieved in the minting world.
So, ever since I arrived back in the UK, there’s been some incredibly exciting coin news I’ve been wanting to share with you.
But before you read anything else, you need to know that the majority of the range completely SOLD OUT before going on general release so you get the enormity of how big a deal this is!
Introducing Smartminting 2.0
Most collectors are already familiar with Smartminting technology. Only achieved by a small number of mints across the world, the exact techniques used in Smartminting are a fiercely guarded secret, but essentially the state of the art technology allows unprecedented levels of intricate detail and extraordinary high relief while only very slightly increasing the weight.
So what more could Smartminting 2.0 possibly offer I hear you ask?
This new technology (or ‘Smartminting Reloaded’ as it’s been coined in the collecting world) breaks many barriers that were previously considered impossible… Until now.
Take a look at the images I’ve included below, and you’ll see BOTH sides of the coin can now be struck to an incredible high relief proof finish. But that’s not all, the relief levels are 100% higher than what was previously possible!
And if that’s not enough, for the FIRST TIME EVER, Smartminting technology has been applied to a coin made from copper.
You’ll notice the incredible relief of the Eagle’s claws which make it look like they’re literally ripping through the metal and right through the other side of the coin!
Featuring ‘Incuse’ Striking
It also features ‘incuse’ striking. An incuse strike is a relatively new minting process that allows a design to be struck into a coin creating a ‘sunken’ design, as opposed to the standard raised relief. Few mints in the world have attempted Incuse striking as the unique and unusual format makes them more challenging to strike and, therefore highly unusual to come by.
The ‘Incuse’ strike is visible where the depth of the claw marks are left in the surface of the coin.
Also notice how the high relief of the Eagle’s head extends to the edges of the coin instead of just the centre, leveraging the whole surface area of the coin.
This ground-breaking technology has been deployed on a range of Majestic Eagle coins. The design featured was chosen to symbolise strength, leadership and vision and I’m sure you’ll agree it beautifully showcases just what the new Smartminting enhancements are.
However, to fully appreciate this coin, I ask, that you to watch this video. This coin really is an outstanding work of art and this video is the only way to fully appreciate this coin without physically holding it.
If you’re interested…
The Majestic Copper Eagle is strictly limited to JUST 5,000 collectors worldwide and I am delighted to have been able to get hold of an allocation to offer collectors. But they’ve been selling extremely quickly, so you’ll need to pre-order one now to ensure you can add one to your collection. Priced at JUST £55 (+p&p), click here to secure the Majestic Copper Eagle for your collection NOW >>
The most collectable Sovereign yet – Australia’s FIRST ever Piedfort Sovereign
The Gold Sovereign is undoubtedly one of the most famous gold coins in the world. It’s a classic piece of coinage that is coveted the world over and is highly sought after every year by thousands of collectors.
But have you heard of a Piedfort Sovereign? They’re incredibly rare and are some of the most highly sought-after issues I’ve ever seen – demand for the first UK Piedfort Sovereign was so high that it sold out within 24 hours!
Now, in its 165th year, the Perth Mint has created numismatic history by releasing the first ever Australian Piedfort Sovereign.
Crucially, there are three key reasons why this limited edition coin is set to be the most collectable and sought-after Sovereign ever issued…
1. It’s a piece of numismatic history
The Australian Sovereign is as close to a well-kept coin secret as you’re going to find. It’s been struck every year since 1855 to the same exact specification as the UK Sovereign.
Importantly, this is the very first time the Australian Sovereign has been struck to a Piedfort specification. This makes it a significant piece of numismatic history, as it is the first-of-its-kind to ever be struck.
But it’s not only the Piedfort specification that makes this coin historically significant. The classic Australian Sovereign design features a special one-year-only “165” privy mark, to mark the 165th anniversary of the first Australian Sovereign. The Sovereign is the ‘King of Coins’ so this superior issue couldn’t be a more fitting tribute.
These two facts alone make this issue incredibly desirable and will make it a priority for collectors in the future.
2. Superior, highly collectable specification
In the 12th century Piedforts were considered prestige pieces and ownership was often used to signify a person’s wealth and power. Today, Piedforts continue to be limited issues and striking of such pieces is reserved strictly for the most important events.
Struck on double thickness blanks, Piedforts are twice the weight and contain twice the amount of precious metal as their standard coin counterparts. They’re some of the finest examples of coin craftsmanship you’ll ever see.
What’s more, they have tiny edition limits and consequently fast sell-out rates. This makes them some of the most collectable coins around.
3. Sell-out all but guaranteed
I saved the most significant point for last. You see, when the very first UK Piedfort Sovereign was released in 2017, with an edition limit of 3,500, it completely sold out within 24 hours at the Mint.
Compare this to the very first Australian Piedfort Sovereign, with a worldwide edition limit of 350 coins. Yes, you read that correctly, JUST 350 single Australian Piedfort Sovereigns have been issued – that’s a mere TENTH of the number of UK Piedfort Sovereigns that sold out in 24 hours.
The high demand of Piedfort Sovereigns suggests that we are looking at a record-breaking sell-out.
If you’re interested…
As official Perth Mint distributors we have been fortunate to secure a limited number of these limited edition Sovereigns for UK collectors. Just 350 have been issued worldwide, making it ten times rarer than the first ever UK Piedfort Sovereign that sold out within 24 hours of release.
Considering that this coin is a numismatic ‘first’ very few will make their way out of Australia, meaning your chances of owning one are very limited. Don’t hesitate, click here for more information >>
