Posts Tagged ‘numismatics’
Happy New Year and Happy New Coins – 2023 Annual Coin Set JUST ISSUED!
Happy New Year everyone! And with a New Year comes new coins…
The Royal Mint has issued 5 brand new UK commemorative coins in their 2023 Annual Coin Set, celebrating some of the most significant anniversaries of the year.
The FIRST 2023 dated coins featuring King Charles III
Importantly, each of the coins in this set will feature the new King Charles III portrait on the obverse for the first time, welcoming a new era of UK coinage.
King Charles III 75th Birthday £5
The first coin in the set is a brand new £5 coin, issued to celebrate King Charles III’s 75th Birthday. The King will celebrate his milestone birthday on 14th November, this along with his coronation on 6th May is sure to make 2023 a monumental year for His Majesty.
This £5 coin pays tribute to the newly crowned monarch with a heraldic design that’s been approved by His Majesty, along with an edge inscription on the precious metal editions reading ‘RESTORING HARMONY WITH NATURE’.
75 Years of the NHS 50p
To mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS, a brand new UK 50p has been issued. The design features just some of the words that can be used to describe our incredible NHS, such as dedication, hope, respect, compassion and dignity.
What’s more, The Royal Mint will be donating 100% of proceeds from the NHS 50p to NHS Charities, meaning that a portion of your purchase will go directly to providing extra support for staff, patients and NHS communities.
The Windrush Generation 50p
The second 50p in the set marks 75 years since the HMT Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks. The ship has become symbolic of its passengers and their subsequent generations who have played a pivotal role in shaping the United Kingdom since the Second World War.
Designed by artist Valda Jackson, the 50p depicts 2 of the ship’s passengers set against a backdrop of the Union Jack.
J R R Tolkein £2
The first new £2 coin has been issued to mark 50 years since the death of one of the most famous authors in British history, J R R Tolkein. Best known for creating The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Tolkein led a popular resurgence of the fantasy genre, leading to him being identified as the ‘father of modern fantasy literature’.
In honour of his intellect and imagination, this £2 features Tolkein’s unique monogram surrounded by an incredibly detailed runic band and the quote ‘NOT ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE LOST’ as the edge inscription.
Flying Scotsman £2
The last coin in the set is another £2, this one celebrating 100 years of the world record holding locomotive, the Flying Scotsman. Built in 1923 at Doncaster Works, the Flying Scotsman was the first locomotive to officially reach 100mph, the first to circumnavigate the globe and break the record for the longest non stop run in a steam locomotive.
The coin’s design features the iconic locomotive along with the years 1923-2023 and its LNER number, 4472. The edge inscription also reads ‘LIVE FOR THE JOURNEY’.
Secure the 2023 Annual Set
The 2023 Annual Coin set is available in Silver Proof, Gold Proof, DateStamp, Proof quality and of course, brilliant uncirculated quality.
Securing the 2023 Annual Set is the only way to own these commemorative UK coins before they’re individually released later in the year, so to be one of the first to have these coins in your collection, click here >>
Vote for your 2022 Coin of the Year
As 2022 draws to a close, it’s the perfect opportunity to look back at some of the most popular UK and British Isles coins from the past 12 months.
But, I need YOUR HELP deciding which coin will be crowned the 2022 Coin of the Year.
The results are in…
Watch our video to find out which coins made it into the top 5 >>
Missing any of these from your collection?
If you’re missing any of the top 5 coins from your collection, you can still secure them here.
Unearth the Terracotta Warriors with Smartminting technology
In 1974 a Chinese farmer came across a discovery that would captivate the world … they unearthed the 2,000-year-old Terracotta Warriors.
While digging a well in Xian, China, local farmers came across pieces of a terracotta figure. These shards turned out to be part of the 8,000-warrior-strong Terracotta Army, whose purpose was to stand guard for the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, for all of his eternal afterlife.
Qin Shi Huang – The First Emperor of China
Qin Shi Huang was the founder of the Qin dynasty and reigned as the first emperor of China between 221-210 BCE.
The emperor longed to find himself an elixir of immortality and summoned magicians and alchemists to his court to discover life-prolonging elixirs.
When his magicians were unable to find a way to make him immortal, the emperor decided to create an impressive tomb for himself. Rulers in ancient China typically had two or three statues to guard them in the afterlife, but Qin Shi Huang demanded a whole army be built to protect him.
The Terracotta Warriors
What makes these warriors so impressive is that each life-sized statue has been individually created with its own unique features, thought to represent some of the actual soldiers of the day. It is estimated that it took 720,000 artisans over 40 years to complete this incredible army.
It is no surprise that this impressive find is praised as the eighth wonder of the world and was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
Along with the army, many other figures have been found, these include entertainers, animals, and a pair of intricately detailed, ten-foot-long bronze chariots drawn by four bronze horses.
To honour this legendary discovery, a palace-approved coin has been issued featuring 3 of the warriors, each recreated in stunning detail using the most advanced minting technology available.
Extraordinary Smartminting technology
This BRAND NEW Terracotta Warrior coin has been made using innovative smartminting technology, which provides an unprecedented level of intricate detail with extraordinary high relief. This means that the warriors and carriage on BOTH sides of the coin can be seen in 3-dimensions to a high-quality proof-like finish.
You can see this impressive craftsmanship in the video below.
Only a small number of mints across the world are able to use smartminting technology due to its extreme complexity, this means that limited ranges using this technique have been released.
And fittingly, they have been struck from a rarely used coin material, copper, complimenting the Terracotta colour of the warriors themselves.
I have only been able to secure 250 of these magnificent coins, so you’ll have to act quickly if you want to add one to your collection.