Posts Tagged ‘Silver Proof Coin’
New Peter Rabbit coin breaks the internet – Silver Proof 50p sells out in HOURS
The record-breaking 2017 Peter Rabbit UK Silver 50p Coin
Britain showed itself as a nation of nostalgic coin lovers as the release of the new Peter Rabbit Silver Proof 50p brought the numismatic net to a standstill.
At one point The Royal Mint had over 50,000 people in a queue to access its website and The Westminster Collection also saw record traffic – with all hands on deck to keep the servers running.
All available Peter Rabbit coins were sold out before the newspapers even ran a story – and collectors who got in early were left feeling like they won the lottery.
30,000 coins gone in just a few hours
The pandemonium echoed the release of the 2016 Peter Rabbit 50p, which also caused a collecting frenzy but was limited to 15,000 coins. This year’s issue has an edition limit of 30,000 but the demand was also amplified.
The coin was fully allocated across the board by 4pm, but the queues were still long as collectors changed their focus to the Brilliant Uncirculated editions of the coin. Savvy buyers were desperate to bag what will go down in history as one of the UK’s most sought-after coins.
Beatrix Potter coins are big news
Fully allocated across the board by 4pm on its day of issue
The lucky few that secured the 2016 coin for £55 now own a coin that changes hands for up to £400 on Ebay. This year’s coin has already started appearing in auctions, and whatever happens it looks like the £60 retail price will turn out to be a bargain.
Undoubtedly a few speculators got in there but with demand so high it was literally first come, first served – leveling the playing field and making getting a coin a real achievement for anyone.
Did you manage to secure a 2017 Peter Rabbit Silver Proof 50p? If you were one of the lucky ones, let us know in the comments!
Still available…
We still have stock of the collector edition Certified Brilliant Uncirculated 2017 Peter Rabbit 50p available. Click here now to secure yours – you will also have the chance to pre-order the other three coins in the series.
New coin issued to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th Birthday
The Queen Elizabeth II 90th Birthday Proof £5 coin issued by Jersey
On 21st April, 2016, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her 90th birthday – the first British monarch ever to do so.
In honour of the occasion a new coin has been issued – featuring a specially commissioned one-year-only birthday portrait.
The coin has been officially approved by Her Majesty the Queen, and proudly displays the royal cypher atop a large “90”. The central design is flanked by the Royal Standard and Union Flags on either side.
But it is the new effigy that will fuel collector demand. Replacing the familiar standard portrait for one year only, renowned sculptor Luigi Badia was tasked with creating a special 90th Birthday engraving of the Queen.
The specially commissioned 90th Birthday effigy by renowned sculptor Luigi Badia.
As you’ll appreciate, that is not a simple process, with an extremely rigorous approval procedure. To give you some idea, the Palace requested three separate revisions until they felt the effigy was perfect.
That’s why special portraits such as this are few and far between and are so popular with collectors.
Luigi, from New York, explains the concept behind the design:
“I was extremely honored to be commissioned to sculpt a brand new portrait to celebrate Her Majesty’s 90th birthday. I was inspired to use the St Edward’s crown as it captures her sense of duty from when she first wore it during her Coronation in 1953, a sense of duty that she has had through-out her life and reign”
The design process…
The design is intricately engraved onto the die
Careful consideration has to be put into the shape and size of the coin. Luigi painstakingly hand-engraved the design – with the added complication of retaining the typesetting within the circular shape.
The finalised ‘plaster’ engraving is then ready to be reduced down into a die (shown opposite) – which is hardened and used to mint the commemorative coins collectors can own.
Struck to a variety of specifications…
The new coin is to be struck in a range of different specifications, from a face value version right up to a staggering 10oz gold edition – which has already sold out.
And the other coins are likely to prove just as popular – with a highly collectable proof coin, a pure silver coin, and a 1/4oz gold coin amongst those available, there is something to suit everyone.
These coins really do make a fitting tribute to Her Majesty, and the stunning 90th birthday portrait marks them out as truly prestigious commemoratives to forever remember this once-in-a-lifetime celebration.
Special proof coin available now… 
If you want to mark the occasion you can add a Queen Elizabeth II 90th Birthday Proof £5 Coin to your collection today.
Revealed: The UK’s Secret New Coins
If you believe that as a UK citizen you have access to (even priority over) all new UK coins, THINK AGAIN.
It seems that’s no longer the case.
We’ve recently uncovered two UK issues that appear to have never been released to British collectors.
The First World War coin for US Collectors only
The platinum Kitchener coin – exclusively for the US
The first is a special Platinum version of the Lord Kitchener £2 Coin. UK collectors were treated to base metal, silver and gold versions of the coin last year, but never a Platinum coin.
Yet, a couple of months ago, we heard information that US Collectors had access to a Platinum version – apparently released exclusively for a Royal Mint Distributor in the USA.
Why the best Battle of Waterloo Silver Coin has been kept for the Dutch
The “Secret” UK 2015 Silver Waterloo £2 Coin
But that’s not the only example. If you buy a 3 coin silver set from the Dutch Mint, you can own a special version of Battle of Waterloo Silver Proof Coin – seemingly never listed nor offered by the Royal Mint.
What’s more, the “secret” coin, reserved for the European market, WEIGHS MORE, has PURER SILVER and has a LOWER EDITION LIMIT than the version for British collectors. In short, it is superior in all three elements that create value for the collector.
More secrets to uncover?
These are just two examples, but are there more collecting gems hidden in international markets still to be discovered?
Well I think the answer is probably “Yes”.
We have, for example, come across a Royal Proclamation published on 20 February detailing a 1½ ounce silver £2 coin featuring “three Lions passant guardant, being that quartering of Our Royal Arms know heraldically as England”.
Now that’s certainly not a coin we have seen in the UK.
The best is heading abroad.
Put simply, some of the UK’s most collectable coins are heading abroad.
These are coins that will always have an interesting story behind them. The sort of thing that coin catalogues notice and future collectors love.
In fact, imagine yourself watching the Antiques Roadshow in years to come…
“The Royal Mint regularly issued Silver Proof Coins but this Battle of Waterloo coin’s a bit different. It was never made available to UK collectors…”
If you’re interested…
The “Secret” Battle of Waterloo 1 Ounce Silver Proof
As soon as we heard rumours of the Battle of Waterloo 1 Ounce Silver Proof Coin, we made enquiries amongst the European coin trade to see whether we could secure some for UK collectors.
***NOW SOLD OUT***