Posts Tagged ‘uk 50p coin’
Discover the UK Coronation Coin Designs…
Last week, The Royal Mint and Buckingham Palace revealed the designs of the UK’s Coronation coins.
Since then, collectors have been eagerly eyeing up the coins they want to get their hands on when they are officially available to buy on the 24th April.
Let’s take a look at the designs…
The Portrait
The special portrait of King Charles III that will be used on this Coronation range of coins has been designed by sculptor Martin Jennings (who also designed the standard effigy). In this portrait, King Charles III is depicted wearing the Tudor Crown.
The crown itself was destroyed back in 1649 during the Civil War, but it was personally selected by King Charles III for his portrait to follow suit of previous 20th century kings, including that of his grandfather, King George VI.
The Tudor Crown also features on Charles III’s Royal Cypher – his royal monogram.
Source: The Royal Family royal.uk
The 50p
The 50p coin design will feature the King’s Royal Cypher, alongside a stunning line drawing of the front of Westminster Abbey.
Created by The Royal Mint’s resident designer Natasha Jenkins, it’s a reference to the Coronation Day itself, when Charles and Camilla will arrive at Westminster Abbey to be crowned.
The £5
Timothy Noad is the designer behind the Coronation £5 coin, a man with an already prolific portfolio in coins. Previously, his designs have featured on the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee issues, as well as three rare changes in design of the Sovereign.
The design of the Coronation £5 features the renowned St Edward’s Crown, carefully joined by the two sceptres that King Charles will hold on the day of the Coronation. These crown jewels have been an iconic symbol of the United Kingdom since they were first created for Charles II in 1661.
Source: Royal Collection Trust
The Ounce
The ounce range of coins feature a heraldic design by John Berhdahl – the designer of the special Platinum Jubilee obverse last year.
Fascinatingly, John has said that he imagined the coin by sketching the initial design on tracing paper, then overlaying more tracing paper to manipulate the layers of the design.
The Sovereign
There will be a limited number of Sovereigns struck on the day of the Coronation on 6th May 2023. As the perfect way to commemorate this day, the design will go back to the original Pistrucci St George and the Dragon design. This will be the first opportunity for collectors to own a 2023 Sovereign.
The coin range will be available to purchase on Monday 24th April on the Westminster Collection website, but if you want to be the first to hear more about the coins, sign-up here:
A history of sought-after Harry Potter collectables
The UK’s FIRST Harry Potter 50p is now available, and it features a special lenticular element. In this blog, I’ll tell you why Harry Potter collectables are some of the most sought-after out there…
The stories of Harry Potter are among some of the most-popular in the world.
In fact, more than 500 million copies of the Harry Potter books have sold worldwide!
Around the world, Harry Potter themed collectables and memorabilia are extremely popular with collectors and fans alike.
Particularly, first editions of Harry Potter collectables, or those with unique features are particularly in-demand.
Considering the brand new Harry Potter 50p is both a UK FIRST and it includes a special lenticular feature, it will surely follow in some HUGE footsteps. But, how much have previous Harry Potter collectables sold for on the secondary market?
Sought-after Harry Potter collectables
Let’s take a look at some Harry Potter memorabilia that has fetched HUGE sums on secondary market sites….
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a fictional book mentioned in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and it was brought to life when JK Rowling hand-wrote and self-illustrated 7 copies of the book.
Credit: Good Housekeeping
All 7 copies were bound in Moroccan leather and decorated with silver ornaments and semi precious stones. These books are incredibly rare with only 7 in existence.
Subsequently, one sold at auction for £1.95 million, a world record for a modern manuscript!
This is a key example of how edition limits can drive up demand for collectable items.
Considering the strict worldwide edition limits of the precious metal Harry Potter 50p coins, we don’t expect these to be available for long…
Chocolate Frog Trading Cards
The Gold Albus Dumbledore Trading cards, available in the Harry Potter Chocolate Frogs, were previously been listed on eBay for over $900!
These cards are especially in demand as they are only available from Universal Studios in Japan and feature a special lenticular design.
Credit: eBay
Like the Albus Dumbledore Trading Card, the UK’s FIRST Harry Potter 50p excitingly also features a unique lenticular feature.
Evidently, Harry Potter themed collectables with strict edition limits and unique features can be worth a small fortune.
And, with recent UK 50p launches selling out at The Royal Mint in limited edition presentations, including the recently issued BBC 50p, this brand new coin is sure to be a hit with collectors.
So, don’t hesitate in adding the UK’s first Harry Potter 50p to your collection.
UK 50p inspired by Jim Kay’s illustrations of Harry Potter
A brand new collection of UK 50p coins is now available, celebrating 25 years since the first publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Since 1997, more than half a billion Harry Potter books have been sold. That means one in fifteen people in the world owns a Harry Potter book.
25 years on, the Harry Potter books continue to evolve. Most significantly, with newer illustrations by renowned artists, like Jim Kay.
Bringing magic to the page
Jim Kay is thought to have worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week on his reimagined illustrations of Harry Potter and the Wizarding World.
Jim Kay is the star of Bloomsbury’s latest editions and his illustrations can be seen in books 1-5.
From left to right: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire and The Order of the Phoenix.
Speaking to The British Library, Kay said the commission of all seven illustrated Harry Potter books is the “most frightening” an artist could get.
When creating his illustrations for these books, Kay describes wanting to “give people something to discover on each reading”.
His illustrations take inspiration from museums, libraries, National Trust properties, and everything in between.
Drawing the Boy Who Lived
Jim Kay admits that the hardest thing to visualise in the whole project is Harry himself.
Sticking to the origins of the famous character, his drawings of the Boy Who Lived show a young boy, with as he describes, “an unusual face”.
2022 UK Harry Potter 50p
Jim Kay says seeing his illustrations on large scale print still fills him with fear. But, we’re sure he is delighted to see his drawings brought to life on the UK 50p for the first time.
The brand new collection of 50p coins is made up of four coins, starting with Harry Potter..
The first coin in the series is now available to order, with the remaining coins also available to pre-order.
Click here to add the Harry Potter 50p to your collection >>