Shop
The day a Hawker Hurricane SAVED Buckingham Palace
On 15th September 1940 (later known as Battle of Britain Day), the Luftwaffe launched its largest and most concentrated attack against London in the hope of drawing the RAF to annihilation.
One German Dornier lagged behind and then started heading straight for Buckingham Palace. Sergeant Pilot Ray Holmes attempted to shoot it down before running out of ammunition. Without hesitation, he knew what he had to do; he had to hit it. At speeds in excess of 400mph, they collided.
The Dornier crashed to earth, prevented from destroying the Palace. The Hurricane TM-B was also critically damaged and entered a vertical dive. Seeing there was no way to save the aircraft, an injured Holmes ejected to safety while the Hurricane plummeted to the ground, crashing where Buckingham Palace Road meets Pimlico Road and Ebury Bridge. Amazingly, these were the only two aircraft to crash on the City of London throughout the entire war.
The recovery of the remains…
Chris Bennett, a veteran of several aircraft excavations, decided to take on the project of excavating this famous aircraft; which was no easy task considering the Hurricane was buried underneath one of London’s busiest roads. After 13 years of planning and setbacks, he finally got the go-ahead to begin excavation, as well as TV production company Mentorn securing a spot on Channel 5 for a live broadcast!
The recovered Merlin engine, along with other parts, were exhibited at the ‘Westminster at War’ exhibition in Leicester Square and then at the Imperial War Museum. The aluminium engine casing however, was melted down and cast into sculptures, the first two of which were presented to Ray Holme’s family and Her Majesty the Queen.
The BRAND NEW Hawker Hurricane Provenance Medal
And now, a small number of collectors have the chance to own a BRAND NEW Commemorative featuring an ACTUAL piece of the plane that Ray Holmes was flying on the 15th September 1940 when he saved Buckingham Palace!
This incredible commemorative features an original piece of Hawker Hurricane, meticulously hand-sculpted into the shape of the iconic plane and precision set into the deluxe SUPERSIZE 70mm Medal.
Even without the genuine piece of Hawker Hurricane, this medal is a work of engineering art in its own right. Combined with the original piece of the Hawker Hurricane, you’d have to look for many years to find something better.
Just 250 lucky collectors have the chance to own this special new commemorative. Last year’s Provenance medal featuring a piece of Spitfire SOLD OUT in a matter of days. Click here to secure your Hurricane Commemorative while you still can!
FIVE BRAND NEW Christmas Carol 50p COINS REVEALED
Whether it’s in person or virtually this Christmas, we are ready to start singing from the hymn sheet as one of our favourite times of year approaches. And to make it even better, we can now reveal with great excitement our brand new Christmas Carol 50p Coins!
The tradition of singing Christmas Carols during the festive period dates back to the 19th century. In fact, it is believed that the Christmas Carol Service was invented in Truro by Edward White Benson, who later became the Archbishop of Canterbury.
These stunning new festive 50p coins celebrate some of the most renowned Christmas carols and I’m sure there are many of us, myself included, with very fond memories of singing carols throughout the festive season.
The FIVE new coins have been issued by Guernsey Treasury and are fully authorised by Her Majesty the Queen. Each feature a specially commissioned design by artist Jo Goodberry (you may remember she designed the incredibly popular Pantomime 50ps last year), including; Away in a Manger, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O Little Town of Bethlehem, While Shepherds watched their flocks, and We Three Kings.
So whether you’re looking for the new centrepiece for your collection, you’re an avid 50p collector, or you’re looking for the perfect Christmas gift for a loved one, I’m sure you’ll love these new 50p coins.
Find out more about the different ways you can own these wonderful Christmas Carol 50p Coins below:
The Christmas Carol 50p Brilliant Uncirculated Coin Collection Pack
Over the last couple of years, new 50p coins have launched a whole new generation of collectors and so demand for these latest 50ps is expected to be very high. The coins will arrive ready to display in a customised presentation pack. You can secure the complete set of FIVE TODAY for only £30.00!
The Limited Edition 2020 Christmas Carol Silver Proof 50p Coin Collection
The coins you can see here have all been struck from .925 Solid Silver to a pristine Proof finish and feature selective colour printing. Importantly, this set is one of the only ways you can own all five of these designs. None will be released individually. With an extremely limited worldwide mintage of JUST 2,020 they’re not expected to be available for long.
Click here to secure yours today >>
The 2020 Christmas Carol 50p Christmas Card
The new Brilliant Uncirculated ‘Hark the Herald’ Christmas 50p is the only coin from the collection to be available on its own within this stunning Christmas card. What better way is there to wish family and friends a very Merry Christmas? Priced at just £7.99 it’s the perfect way to get ahead with your Christmas shopping this year.
The Christmas Carol Ultimate 50p Coin Cover
The ULTIMATE Stamp and Coin Cover is also available for pre-order. Featuring all five coins in Brilliant Uncirculated quality, this cover has been carefully paired with the elusive 1982 Royal Mail Christmas Carol stamps. These stamps are not easy to get hold of, and only 750 covers are being released worldwide with a postmark on the first day of Advent – 1st December 2020.
Prices start from just £7.99 so if you’re interested please click here to see the whole range >>
Why time is ticking for you to secure the NEW 2021 Gold Proof Sovereign…
The new 2021 Gold Proof Sovereign has been released today, and it’s sure to be the Sovereign release of the decade. But you may only have days to own one. Let me tell you why…
We’re in the golden age of the Proof Sovereign. As you may know, the Proof Sovereign has become the UK’s flagship annual release that’s highly sought-after worldwide.
As you can see, recent UK Gold Proof Sovereigns have an undisputed track record of completely selling out. Many with a matter of weeks.
TWO special features to mark Her Majesty’s incredible reign
In 2021 we will mark the Her Majesty the Queen’s milestone 95th birthday.
To celebrate this, the Proof Sovereign features a special one-year-only unique ‘95’ privy mint mark. Sovereigns featuring privy marks are some of the most collectable Sovereigns around, so demand WILL be high.
One-year-only privy marks are only applied to coins for the most significant events and anniversaries and this is certainly an important one.
But that’s not all!
Most significantly, for the first time since the Proof Sovereign was first issued as a collector’s piece in 1979, the specification has been altered and just 95 mill marks have been precisely engraved on the edge of the coin. A Sovereign would usually have 108 mills. Each one of the 95 mill marks on this coin represents a year of Her Majesty’s life, and is an exceptional tribute to her incredible life and reign.
These TWO special features mean that this Sovereign will be a collecting priority and is sure to be the most sought-after yet.
The most significant Sovereign of this decade
Queen Elizabeth IIs’ reign is arguably one of the most important and impressive in Britain’s history.
That’s because she is longest reigning head of state the UK, and in fact the world, has ever seen. 81% of the British population have been born following her coronation, so she is the only monarch that the majority of us have ever known.
Not only that, only a mere 0.9% of British people are over the age of 90 – so our Queen is part of a very elite club! This could very well be the most significant Sovereign we see this decade – it’s forever a symbol of the Queen’s longevity.
22 Carat Gold Pedigree
The 2021 Sovereign is minted from 22 Carat Gold and it is this historical pedigree that makes the coin so admired and sought-after around the world.
It is also one of the finest examples of British craftsmanship. The exceptional ‘proof’ finish is the result of the coin being struck up to 4 times using specially polished dies.
The time and effort required to produce the frosted relief and mirrored background of the coin is why a proof finish is considered the pinnacle of the mint-masters art – and the most sought-after by collectors.
And with an edition limit of JUST 7,995 worldwide – the SAME edition limit as last year’s Sovereign that COMPLETELY SOLD OUT in a matter of weeks – this year’s Proof Sovereign has all the elements to be the most collectable gold coin of the year, if not decade.
If you’re interested…
You can secure the 2021 Gold Proof Sovereign now, but you’ll have to act quickly. You can secure yours today for a down payment of JUST £62.50 followed by nine further interest-free instalments – the most affordable way to own the new coin.