A history of Sir Winston Churchill on UK coins
The 9th April marks National Winston Churchill Day, a moment to reflect on and celebrate one of the most iconic figures in British history. In honour of National Winston Churchill Day, let’s take a look at the man who led Britain to victory in World War II and the UK coins that he features on.
Image Credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Who was Sir Winston Churchill?
Sir Winston Churchill was a British statesman and leader, known for his role as Prime Minister during the Second World War. However he was a man of many talents, serving in the British army from 1895 to 1899, creating over 500 oil paintings and even winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his mastery of historical and biographical descriptions.
Image Credit: Public Domain, Via Wikimedia Commons
Churchill has been celebrated for his leadership, speeches, and contributions to British and global history, so it’s only fitting that he features on several UK coins.
1965 Churchill Crown
In 1965 shortly after his death, Churchill became the first person outside of the Royal family to be commemorated on a British coin, making numismatic history. The nation mourned the loss of one of the best loved Prime Ministers, and his 90 year life was honoured with a state funeral in London, the first afforded to a ‘commoner’ in more than a century!
The reverse design features a sombre-looking head and shoulders portrait of Churchill wearing a ‘siren suit’ – overalls designed to be worn in wartime air-raid shelters, invented and popularised by Churchill.
2010 Olympic Churchill £5
After a 45 year hiatus, Winston Churchill returned to UK coins in 2010 when The Royal Mint issued a limited edition £5 coin celebrating the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The coin featured an instantly recognisable depiction of the Winston Churchill statue in Parliament Square, along with the London 2012 logo and a quote from British businesswoman, Anita Roddick. The quote reads “Be daring, be first, be different, be just”, capturing the spirit of pride in our nation.
2015 Winston Churchill £5
To mark 50 years since Churchill’s death, The Royal Mint issued a new £5 coin in 2015, heavily inspired by the 1965 Churchill Crown.
One of the UK’s finest portrait sculptors, Mark Richards FRBS, wanted to create a design on the 2015 Winston Churchill £5 conveying Churchill as larger than life, and so used an engraving larger than the coin itself.
2024 Winston Churchill £2
The most recent coin to feature Winston Churchill was issued as part of the 2024 Annual Set and marks 150 years since his birth.
The 2024 Winston Churchill £2 depicts him as a young man during his time in the Cavalry army, with the years of his life 1874-1965 either side of his portrait.
As the first UK £2 coin to feature Churchill, this coin sparked much excitement amongst collectors and interestingly, it wasn’t individually released. This means that the only way for collectors to get their hands on it is by securing the 2024 Annual Coin Set.
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