Posts Tagged ‘Coin’
The Magic of the Snowman™ Returns: A Look at the New 2024 Snowman 50p Coin
For collectors and fans of Christmas nostalgia, the annual release of The Snowman™ 50p coin has become a festive tradition in its own right. Since the first coin debuted in 2018, the Royal Mint has celebrated the timeless charm of Raymond Briggs’ classic tale by bringing this beloved character to life in beautifully crafted designs. Let’s take a brief journey through the history of these iconic coins before unveiling the latest 2024 edition!
A Walk Through Past Designs
The Snowman™ 50p series began in 2018, and since then, each year has introduced a fresh design, capturing the spirit of the heartwarming story. Some of the notable previous designs include:
- 2018: The debut coin depicted The Snowman™ flying through the snow speckled sky, hand in hand with his awe-struck companion, James.
- 2019: This coin features The Snowman™ and James, the hero of the story standing in a beautiful snowy landscape.
- 2020: The 2020 design features The Snowman™, in a green hat, smiling while he hugs James tightly.
- 2021: Another wonderful depiction where James draws a smile on The Snowman’s™ face, taken from a scene in the original tale.
- 2022: We saw a beloved new character featured on the design, The Snowman™ and The Snowdog, the sequel to The Snowman™, based on Raymond Briggs’ classic Christmas story.
- 2023: The 2023 coin showcased a festive design, featuring James and his frosty friend – dancing beneath the magical Northern Lights.
Introducing the 2024 Snowman™ 50p Coin
Now, in 2024, the magic of The Snowman™ returns once more with a fresh new design that’s sure to capture hearts. This year’s edition features the beloved Snowman placing a star on the top of the colourful Christmas Tree, and is strictly limited to JUST 7,000. Whether you’ve been collecting since 2018 or are just now starting your The Snowman™ collection, this new coin is a must-have for the holiday season.
As always, the 2024 coin will be highly sought after by collectors, so don’t miss your chance to add it to your collection or gift it to a loved one this Christmas!
Explore the full 2024 UK The Snowman™ 50p coin range today.
Bring home a piece of Christmas magic!
Revealed: The UK Sovereign’s Biggest Transformation Yet
What’s changing, why it matters, and what you need to know…
The 2025 Sovereign has finally been revealed and Britain’s flagship gold coin is entering a ground breaking new chapter, bringing the most significant changes in recent history.
First is the announcement that 2025 will be the last ever Sovereign issue struck in the iconic rose-gold alloy, marking the end of an era for one of Britain’s most treasured coins.
From 2026 onwards, collectors will see a new yellow-gold alloy take its place. This change represents a new era for the UK Sovereign, ensuring that the 2025 coin will be highly sought after as the last of its kind.
Here’s how you can expect the Sovereign’s appearance to change:
A Silver Sovereign shocks the collecting world
Perhaps the biggest shock, in a move that nobody saw coming, The Royal Mint has also revealed the first-ever UK Silver Sovereign.
This unprecedented addition to the Sovereign family has already caused a stir among collectors. Silver Sovereigns are set to become a collector’s must-have, offering a new and exciting way to own a piece of numismatic history.
The Return of the Shield Design
As if these changes weren’t exciting enough, The Royal Mint has also introduced a brand-new design on the Gold Proof Sovereign’s reverse. For the first time in over two decades, the 2025 Sovereign will feature a Shield design, paying tribute to 200 years since the Shield first appeared on a Sovereign in 1825, under the reign of King George IV.
The last time we saw a proper Shield design on a Sovereign was in 2002, in honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. That edition was a phenomenon, with all 20,500 coins selling out and becoming one of the most coveted Sovereigns of the modern era.
With an edition limit of just 5,000 for the 2025 Shield Sovereign, we’re expecting a collector rush like we haven’t seen in years.
Key details for collectors
Here’s the information we have right now on the 2025 Proof Sovereign range:
| Coin | Edition Limit |
|---|---|
| The Sovereign (Shield Design) | 5,000 |
| The Sovereign 3-Coin Set (Shield Design) | 650 |
| The Piedfort Sovereign (Shield Design) | 1,250 |
| The Sovereign (George & the Dragon Design) | 2,025 |
| The Silver Sovereign (George & the Dragon Design) | 50,000 |
The Sovereigns will go on sale soon. Quick sell-outs are expected across the range.
Royal Seal of Approval: What is a Great Seal?
What are the Great Seals of the Realm?
Since the reign of Edward the Confessor in the eleventh century, the Great Seals of the Realm have been used in Britain to symbolise the official will and authority of the monarch.
Referred to as the ‘clavis regni,’ or ‘key of government,’ they are such critical tools of state that historically, counterfeiting them was deemed high treason, punishable by death.
Their role has remained virtually unchanged for the past 1,000 years – still used in the twenty-first century as they were in the eleventh. All important state documents have to include a seal as the physical mark of royal ratification.
Every monarch has had their own unique seal – with some even having multiple if they ruled for many years. This is because of the composition of a Great Seal.
And The Royal Mint have brought this historic tradition to life with a brand-new recreation of Henry VIII’s seal. You can secure it now in Proof or Silver quality by clicking here, or read on to learn more…
How a Great Seal is Made
Consisting of a pair of silver moulds, or matrices, into which the monarch’s design has been engraved. Cakes of softened wax or more recently of a plastic compound are placed alongside a set of ribbon or cord in between the matrices and when pressure is applied, an impression of the design is made on both sides. The Great Seal can then be attached to the important state document using the loose end of the ribbons or cord. You can see this in the image below.
Warwickshire County Record Office reference CR341/2
So, from this process you can imagine that during a long reign the silver matrices would become worn until they could no longer be used. Only one Great Seal is to be in use at a time, therefore the old one is ceremonially defaced and presented by the monarch to the Lord Chancellor.
Interesting Fact
During the 63-year reign of Queen Victoria, four Great Seals were created.
What was the Lord Chancellor’s role?
Traditionally, the Lord Chancellor has been the custodian of the Great Seal. This is because the office originated as secretary to the Monarch, responsible for supervising, preparing and dispatching the Monarchs letters. This meant that they had the use of the Sovereign’s seal, which soon became the symbol of the office.
Each Great Seal is kept in a richly decorated purse, and it was customary to present a new purse each year.
Interesting Fact
Lord Eldon, during the early nineteenth century, received so many of the elaborately decorated purses that his wife was able to turn them into bed hangings.
How the Great Seal has adapted to modern times
Due to the expansion of the UK government’s dealings over time, the amount of wax used to make the Great Seals each month reached a peak of 50 kilogrammes. This resulted in The Crown Office Act of 1887. The act declared that many of the documents once passed under the seal would now be ratified with a new device called the Wafer Seal.
This device has the obverse design of the Great Seal and makes an impression on paper, which can be on the document itself or on a separate wafer. The traditional version of the Great Seal made of wax or plastic compound is now reserved for documents deemed to be of the utmost importance such as treaties with foreign governments.
Interesting Fact
Queen Elizabeth II had two seals during her reign – the first came into service in 1953 and lasted all the way to 2001, when the new seal was produced.
Royal Mint Release
The Great Seals fascinating history is incredibly tied with our monarchy and democracy – a true representation of our constitutional monarchy.
The brand-new Royal Mint release is a stunning embodiment of this century old tradition.
Remastered from specimens held in The Royal Mint Museum’s collection, you have the opportunity to own a high-quality recreation of Henry VIII’s Great Seal. One of the most notorious monarchs in British history.
The official Royal Mint packaging ties in perfectly, with the ‘cords’ featured that are involved in the production and attaching of the Great Seal to the state document – as well as exploring Henry VIII’s unique royal seal and its historical significance.
Click here to explore the range today >>
