Posts by Change Checker
World Coins struck by The Royal Mint
It’s common knowledge among Change Checkers that The Royal Mint strikes all the coins in the United Kingdom – and has done for centuries.
But what may come as a surprise to many collectors is The Royal Mint has historically struck coins for a variety of countries around the world!
Currently, outside of the UK, The Royal Mint provides services for over 60 different countries, including New Zealand and many Caribbean nations.
In the past, The Royal Mint has struck coins for North and South America, Africa and the Middle East!
In this blog, we take a look at our Top Five most interesting world coins struck by our very own UK Royal Mint and the stories behind them.
“From Norway to New Zealand, from Bermuda to Brunei, coins have been struck at The Royal Mint for countries all over the world.”
– The Royal Mint Museum
New Brunswick 1861 Half-Cent
Across the 18th and 19th centuries The Royal Mint, which was then based in London, minted several coins for North American states and the Caribbean.
Interestingly, in 1861 a half-cent coin, made of bronze, was minted for New Brunswick. More than 200,000 of these half-cent coins were struck, even though the denomination wasn’t actually needed.
It is said these coins were struck as a misunderstanding at The Royal Mint (that’s quite a misunderstanding!) and the majority of these were melted down. However, there has been reports that a lucky few coins have survived!
Norway 1942 25 Aurar
Many Change Checkers might be familiar with some of the coins struck by the UK Royal Mint throughout the Second World after reading our blog featuring coins struck in the UK for Iceland.
In addition to this a coinage was undertaken in the Second World War for the Norwegian government in anticipation of the country’s liberation from occupying forces.
Made out of Nickel-Brass and shipped to Norway ready for their liberation, this could have been one of the most exciting Norwegian coins in circulation.
However, the coin was never issued and the large majority of these were returned to The Royal Mint a few years later and melted down.
Nigeria 1959 Shilling
This Nigerian Shilling was made out of Cupro-Nickel, the same composition we are familiar with on modern United Kingdom 50 pence coins.
With an order of more than 1,000 million pieces for this new, distinctive Nigerian coinage, this is by far the largest international coin order The Royal Mint had ever received – quite the honour!
Hong Kong 1863 Mil
Introduced in 1863, the Hong Kong Mils were the first-ever perforated coins to be produced at The Royal Mint.
Perforated coins usually refer to coins which have a hole punched through the middle.
To date, although The Royal Mint have produced this style of coins for several other nations including East Africa, the United Kingdom has never had a perforated coin in their tender.
Australia 1951 Penny
Demand for Australian coinage in 1951 exceeded the capacity of the Brand Mints in Melbourne and Perth, and so the UK Royal Mint was approached for assistance.
Interestingly, the Australian coinage pieces struck in London are distinguishable by the addition of the tiny letters ‘PL’ which recalls a mintmark used by the UK Mint in Roman times.
So, there we have it! Our Top Five most interesting coins struck by the UK Royal Mint for countries around the world!
These coins tell quite the story of The Royal Mint’s long and important history in world coinage.
If you have any exciting coins from around the world or stories you’d like to share, let us know in the comments below!
If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use and allows users to:
– Find and identify the coins in their pocket
– Collect and track the coins they have
– Swap their spare coins with other Change Checkers
Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app
How much is an A-Z of Great Britain 10p worth now?
The A-Z of Great Britain 10p coins have been a firm favourite with collectors since they were first released last year, with 26 Quintessentially British designs capturing the public’s imagination.
Unsurprisingly, some designs are proving more popular than others, but which ones are likely to fetch the most on the secondary market?
We’ve done the hard work for you by taking a look at which A-Z 10p coins are selling for the most on eBay and which ones you should be looking out for.
The Ones to Watch…
If you’ve been lucky enough to find the ‘B’ for Bond 10p in your change, you may want to keep hold of it as it currently sells on eBay for around £3.05 – over 30 times its face value!
This coin also currently holds the top spot on our Scarcity Index, so it seems collectors everywhere are desperate to add this 10p to their collection!
In very close second, the ‘C’ for Cricket 10p sells for an average of £2.98, followed by ‘J’ for Jubilee in third, which has been selling for around £2.69.
How Many A-Z 10ps Are Out There?
Earlier this year it was confirmed that there were only 220,000 of each individual design released into circulation in 2018. We know that there were 2.1 million coins issued for 2019 but we’re yet to find out the individual mintage figures for each design.
When the official figures are released we could well see some of these coins increasing in value on the secondary market due to their low mintage!
These coins are notoriously tricky to find, but have you been lucky enough to come across any in your change? Let us know in the comments below.
Own the 2019 Complete Certified Uncirculated A-Z 10p Set
To secure the 2019 Complete Certified Uncirculated A-Z 10p Set, click here
The Queen £5 coin – What we know so far…
*** UPDATE ***
Following the Royal Proclamation on the 8th November, The Royal Mint have now confirmed there will be a Music Legends coin series!
It’s safe to assume Queen will be part of this series, but who else would you like to see on a Music Legends coin? Let us know in the comments below and sign up for updates at the bottom of the blog!
As of the Royal Proclamations issued on 8th November 2019, a very exciting United Kingdom £5 coin has been confirmed for 2020.
The reverse design is said to feature ‘a keyboard, drum, bass and electric guitar accompanied by a microphone and the inscription “QUEEN”‘.
This is the first time a band has been commemorated on a UK coin which makes this announcement particularly exciting.
At the moment, the designs are still top secret but you can fill in our sign-up form below to stay up-to-date with all the latest news about this release.
Stay up to date with all the latest Queen £5 news…
Fill in your details below to be kept up to date with all the latest news about the 2020 Queen £5 coin.
If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use and allows users to:
– Find and identify the coins in their pocket
– Collect and track the coins they have
– Swap their spare coins with other Change Checkers
Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app