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All 9 Red Arrow pilots put their names to the ultimate Silver tribute…and we’ve just presented it to them!
Today, we had the honour of meeting all 9 Red Arrows pilots at the Bournemouth Air Festival to present them with a very special gift…
Red Arrows with the official 2017 Red Arrows Display Season Medals
Karen & Alex had the pleasure of personally presenting them with a 5oz of Pure Silver commemorative medal featuring each of their 9 signatures carefully engraved onto it.
The Official 2017 Red Arrows Signature 5oz Silver Medal
Officially licensed and approved by the Royal Air Force and the team who helped us create this superb piece, just 450 have been issued worldwide and we reserved issue number 1 of 450 of these pieces to present to them today (and, so they didn’t have to share, we also presented them with a Red Arrows 2017 Display Season Medal each).
Each signature on the 5oz Silver Medal is meticulously engraved above their team number. Then to complete the piece, each member’s iconic Hawk jet with the RAF roundel at the centre is highlighted in vivid colour, surrounded by an altimeter inspired pattern – the most fitting piece to present to the Reds today. (Details below on how you can own one.)
It’s not the first time The Westminster Collection has had the chance to chat to one of the Red Arrows – in fact you can find out if being a Red Arrow is just like being in Top Gun straight from Red 9 himself in our previous blog here >>
The Official 2017 Red Arrows Signature 5oz Silver Medal
You have the opportunity to own the official Red Arrows Signature 5oz Silver Medal. This is a rare chance to own an item so closely and personally linked to the Red Arrows themselves and we only have a few remaining so you’ll have to act quickly to secure yours. Click here for more information and to order yours now >>
Will these coins bring you luck?
Do you believe in luck? Have you ever owned an item you consider lucky, such as a piece of clothing or perhaps a coin?
Money in general has been considered a source of luck for hundreds of years, such as the lucky penny or the action of throwing money into a fountain to bring fortune. Now let me tell you about a very special ‘lucky’ coin.
The 20 Francs Gold Lucky Angel Coin
The Lucky Angel Coin is one of the most impressive and desirable of all European gold coins, not only due to its beautiful design, but because it is thought to bring such great luck.
The Design:
- The angel depicted on the obverse represents the Spirit of France and is shown writing the French Constitution.
- A rooster appears next to the angel as a symbol of vigilance.
- Behind the angel stands the fasces – previously carried by Roman magistrates as a representation of power.
- On top of this is the Cap of Liberty.
Let’s start at the beginning.
Legend has it that an earlier version of this coin accompanied Napoleon in his rise to power in France and on each heroic campaign, until he arrogantly flung his coin into the river… on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, in which he was defeated and ended his rule as the French Emperor!
This coin was then re-created during the French Revolution and Augustin Dupré was commissioned by King Louis XVI to design it. He was a firm believer in the power of guardian angels and incorporated this theme into his design.
Years later he fell out of favour with the king and was condemned to death. Dupré claimed that the Angel coin saved him from the guillotine because he had it in his pocket. He said a quick prayer as he knelt beneath the deadly blade and rubbed his coin for good luck. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck nearby, causing a panic and halting his execution! Before it could be rescheduled, Dupré was granted a pardon, his life saved.
From that moment on it became known as the ‘Angel Coin’ and many stories were told of the wonders of the coin.
Fishermen never went to sea without it, WWI French pilots never flew without it.
Even pilots from Britain and the United States carried the French coins into battle with them. US pilots continued to put their faith in the coin’s protective powers during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
In fact, the legend of these coins carried such weight that Hermann Goering, the engineer of Hitler’s evil vision, ordered his soldiers to round them up and had them buried in a location that has never been discovered.
The legend continues.
To this day, many pilots, rescue and police heroes proclaim the Angel’s power of luck and protection.
Some blame the coin’s remarkable good fortune on coincidence, others luck, and others a reward for faith. Who knows what these coins actually do, but their legend in itself is enough to want to own one!
If you’re interested…
You have the unique chance to own the world’s luckiest coin… will you be lucky enough to secure one? Click here to find out more
Why this year’s official Poppy coin is one of the most poignant yet…
The official new Poppy Coin has just been issued in support of The Royal British Legion and this year the design features the stylised poppy that’s synonymous with the Legion with particularly poignant wording from the ‘Ode of Remembrance’.
I caught up with designer Christopher Lloyd to ask him about the story behind his design:
Christopher Lloyd, designer of the Official Poppy Coin 2017
“As the coin is the only official coin to support The Royal British Legion, the most important part of the coin had to be the Legion’s stylised poppy. I wanted to make this the centrepiece of the coin so decided to highlight the poppy in full colour.”
“The brief this year was to use the wording from Laurence Binyon’s famous poem ‘For the Fallen’ which was written during the First World War. I felt the words ‘We Will Remember Them’ were particularly poignant, especially as it forms part of the ‘Ode of Remembrance’ which is recited at remembrance services across the world, so I gave these special words the same red highlighting as the poppy itself to make it really stand out”.
2017 Remembrance Poppy Coin Design Sketches
“It has been an honour to design the 2017 Poppy coin and I hope it helps to support the important work of The Royal British Legion.”
A coin for every collection
A whole range of different coin specifications are to be struck, meaning there is a coin for every collection. From a special Proof quality cupro-nickel £5 coin – right up to an astonishing 5oz Gold edition, the new Poppy Coin is undoubtedly a moving tribute for Remembrance Day and it’s certainly one of my favourites.
Officially issued in support of The Royal British Legion
To support the work of The Royal British Legion, The Westminster Collection have organised for a donation from the sale of each coin to go directly to the charity, helping them to continue to provide financial, social and emotional support to all who have served and are currently serving in the British Armed Forces and their families.
2017 Remembrance Poppy Gold-Plated Proof Coin
If you’re interested…
The 2017 Remembrance Gold-Plated Proof £5 Poppy Coin is available now.
Click here for more details and to add one to your collection today…
A donation from the sale of each coin will go directly to The Royal British Legion.