Posts Tagged ‘Football’
The historic collection celebrating England’s World Cup wins
Many look back fondly at 1966, when Bobby Moore’s team beat West Germany 4-2 in the Football World Cup final, securing the coveted trophy.
In 2003, rugby fans cheered as England defeated Australia in the nail-biting Rugby World Cup final.
And, the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup saw the England team claim victory over rivals New Zealand.
All 3 sporting events have been forever engraved into England’s history books, and they are revisited by fans each time the World Cup tournaments come back around.
Celebrating the legacy of our sporting achievements, the Sovereign World Cup Winners Collection brings together 3 historic Sovereigns.
Each represents the 3 years that England’s sporting teams were victorious in a World Cup competition have been hand selected to form this magnificent collection.
These have been incredibly difficult to source – particularly the 1966 Sovereign, owing to the fact it is over 50 years old.
Because of this scarcity, only 25 collections are available. And, when you consider their precious metal content and the great significance of these years, they surely won’t be available for long.
If you become one of just 25 collectors to own this sporting Sovereign trio, you’ll be able to stylishly present them in a luxurious wooden display case for all to see.
To find out more about this incredible collection, click here >>
ATTENTION FOOTBALL FANS: NEW COIN ALERT
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the FA Cup, The Royal Mint have JUST CONFIRMED that a new UK £2 coin will be released this year.
The real magic of football all started with the FA Cup. Where underdogs play alongside premier league giants creating unforgettable sporting moments. The local games, the atmosphere, the people, the community spirit and the feeling that you really are part of it. It’s amazing to think that what all starts in your local park could take your team to Wembley stadium, and the infamous tournament final.
The FA Cup is the longest standing football tournament, producing hometown heroes and capturing the nation every year since the first ever final was played in 1872.
Ahead of this release, we’ve put together 7 top football facts to test your knowledge of the popular sport.
1. FIFA is a French acronym for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football) and manages football around the world. They organise and champion worldwide tournaments, most notably the World Cup.
2. Not every country can participate in FIFA – Greenland isn’t able to join as the country cannot grow regulation-length grass. Seems ironic, doesn’t it?
3. As I’m sure many football fans will know (or will want to forget), Arsenal FC has won the FA Cup 14 times since it began in 1871.
4. Do you know the offside rule? It’s football topic talked about enough to have been made into a coin design in 2011! To put it somewhat simply, a player is offside if the ball is played forward to them in the opposing teams half of the pitch, and there is no one on the opposite team between them and the opposing goalkeeper.
5. If you thought those old and torn footballs at the bottom of the pile at school were bad, at least you didn’t use an animal’s organ! Apparently, an inflated pig’s bladder was once used to play the famous sport.
6. Did you know that, if a team scores an own goal through a direct free kick, then it’s a corner to the opposing team, rather than a goal?
7. Chilean football team Colo-Colo walked into the Estadio Monumental of Santiago with rescue dogs that were in need of a home. In partnership with shelter Union de Amigos de los Animales (UAA), the team highlighted the need for adoption of homeless dogs.
Let us know your favourite football facts in the comments!
We all know how popular football is across the UK – and just how popular Football themed commemoratives can be.
If you want to make sure you score a Football £2 for your collection on release day, before anyone else, you can sign up to our UK New Issue BU Pack Coin subscription.
It means that you’ll automatically be sent the new coin issue on launch day, without having to do anything, securing your commemorative before anyone else.
And you can always cancel or pause your subscription online!
Britain through the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: Part 2
The Land of Hope and Glory Collection tells the story of Britain through the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. As Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee fast approaches, this blog series will revisit the historic moments during Her Majesty’s record-breaking reign that have helped define Great Britain. This week, let’s journey back to 1960s football, fashion and more.
Did you know that instant potato, the mash you buy pre-made at the supermarket, wasn’t a shop bought item until 1968? Angel Delight made its debut in 1967 and spreadable margarine wasn’t a thing before 1969!
Many do reminisce on the 60s as the time to be alive.
Swinging Sixties Fashion
In the early 60s, the emergence of supermodels like Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton redefined beauty and became true fashion icons. The latest clothing styles could be found in London Boutique shops. And whilst children began to practice with makeup on their dolls, teenagers discovered false eyelashes.
Inspiration came from the likes of the mods on scooters, skinheads, and hippies with their long flowing hairstyles.
Mary Quant, the queen of the miniskirt, had a boutique on Carnaby Street in London called Bazaar. She also released her own line of cosmetics in 1966. Many began to embrace their natural curves — new trends such as wearing trouser suits and miniskirts emerged.
England wins the FIFA World Cup
The TV audience in 1966 had to follow along the England match against Germany in black and white. However, for the first time they could see slow motion replays from the live match.
Multiple towns in England hosted games for the tournament, but the final was played at Wembley Stadium on the 30th July 1966.
Although the match didn’t get off to a good start and there were a few hiccups throughout, the team managed to bring home the first World Cup title for England.
Her Majesty the Queen and HRH Prince Philip were amongst the 93,000 spectators. The Queen then presented the trophy for the 1966 FIFA World Cup.
The shot by Geoff Hurst, which hit the crossbar and landed down near the goal line, was decided by the referee as a goal — which was highly contested at the time.
Years later, technology had advanced, and the ball was never over the line.
Beatlemania
The Beatles.
Need we say more?
Comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, The Beatles were managed by Brian Epstein and signed by EMI on the Parlophone Label.
Did you know that they were originally turned down by Decca, the British record label?
Changing the pop music scene forever, Please Please Me was released January 12th 1963, and was an instant favourite among the public. They remained number 1 on the charts for 6 months with their first album, which was recorded in an entire 13-hour session.
First Flight of the Concorde
Concorde was the first successful civilian aeroplane to travel faster than the speed of sound.
Built jointly between Great Britain and France, it reduced the flight time between London and New York to roughly three hours.
Eventually flown worldwide, she first took to the skies on March 2nd 1969.
Sadly, in the end it was found the aeroplane had several problems such as noise and high expenses. However, it did unify the work of different countries, ensuring that Europe paved the way for aerospace development.
The Great Train Robbery
15 men and £2,600,000. What a heist that is.
Aided by two accomplices, these fifteen men managed to stop the Glasgow–London Royal Mail Train, steal over two and a half million pounds from the front two carriages, and transport the lot with their Land Rovers to a nearby hideaway, all without the staff in the remaining ten carriages even knowing a thing.
August 8th, 1963. The day they got lucky.
It was a bank holiday so the amount they stole was much larger than they had anticipated getting.
At their hideaway they noticed low flying RAF aircraft which they assumed were on the look-out for them. They in fact weren’t. But this spooked the robbers so much that they left and hired six thieves to burn the place down.
The poor job the thieves did left fingerprint marks on a Monopoly board and a ketchup bottle.
If you’re interested…
The Land of Hope and Glory Collection celebrates Britain through the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. And today, you can start the Collection of a Lifetime. Click here to secure the first Medal, featuring the Queen’s Coronation for FREE >>
If you haven’t read the first blog in the series, click here >>