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Influential women who have featured on UK coins
The 8th March, is International Women’s Day. To celebrate, we take a close look at just some of the incredible women who have been commemorated on our UK coins!
Her Majesty The Queen (1926 – Present)
It’s really a no brainer that we’re going to start with Her Majesty the Queen as her portrait features on all of our current UK coinage and has featured on no less than 15 commemorative £5 coins and crowns!
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is our longest reigning monarch, the fifth longest reigning monarch worldwide, and our first ruling monarch to have reached her 95th birthday year!
There have been some incredible coins celebrating Her Majesty, including the recently issued 2021 UK 95th Birthday £5, the 2018 65th Coronation Anniversary £5, and even the 1977 Silver Jubilee 25p Crown.
Queen Elizabeth II is arguably the most loved and respected monarch our country has even seen so it’s only right on the day we honour the achievements of women throughout history, that we dedicate a portion to Her Majesty.
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana Frances Spencer married the Prince of Wales in July 1981. Constantly the subject of media frenzy, Diana tragically died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 whilst trying to escape paparazzi. The world was stunned at her tragic death and it triggered grief all around the world.
Diana left a legacy of bravery, courage, and kindness. She played a significant role in banning landmines, setting up and supporting a range of charity operations, and being an active role model for both her children and members of society.
In 1999, to commemorative Lady Diana’s life, The Royal Mint issued this £5 featuring her profile on the reverse.
Beatrix Potter (1866 – 1943)
Beatrix Potter truly was a woman ahead of her time. Not only was she an accomplished children’s author and illustrator, she was a passionate and knowledgeable farmer and conservationist – long before it became popular.
However, it’s fair to say her enchanting tales of countryside characters, including Peter Rabbit and Mrs. Tiggywinkle, skyrocketed her to stardom. And in 2016, Beatrix Potter’s life was commemorated on a brand new series of 50p coins.
We’ve since seen 15 coins celebrating the famous author, including the very latest 2020 Peter Rabbit 50p which was confirmed as the very last UK 50p featuring the cheeky character.
Rosalind Franklin (1920 – 1958)
English chemist, Rosalind Franklin, sits right at the very heart of the story of DNA.
Her ground-breaking research and inspiring work ethic were central to the discovery of the helical structure of DNA, which was later publicised by Watson and Crick.
Tragically, at the age of just 27, Franklin passed away from ovarian cancer, robbing her of the same awards and recognitions that her colleagues were gifted.
But in 2020, to celebrate what would have been her 100th birthday, she also became the second scientist to be celebrated in The Royal Mint’s Innovation in Science series.
The reverse design of this coin, by David Knapton, features a depiction of her famous Photograph 51, which enabled her to discover the structure of DNA in her laboratory in Cambridge.
Florence Nightingale (1820 – 1910)
Named after the Italian city in which she was born in 1820, Florence Nightingale is famous for her work in the military hospitals during the Crimean War where she tended to wounded soldiers.
In 1860 she laid the foundation of professional nursing with the establishment of her nursing school at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London. Her book ‘Notes on Nursing’ proved to be influential in changing the way hospitals were run and the role of nurses within them.
Released in 2010 to commemorate 150 years of nursing, the reverse design of this £2 coin, by Gordon Summers, features the image of a nurse taking the pulse of a patient.
Agatha Christie (1890 – 1976)
After the end of the First World War, Christie published her first novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles. This incredibly popular story introduced readers to one of Christie’s most famous characters – Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.
Writing well into her later years, Christie wrote more than 70 detective novels as well as short fiction. Her books have been made into films, television, and radio programmes. In 1971, she was made a Dame of the British Empire for her outstanding contribution to literature.
In 2020, to mark 100 years since her first publication, The Royal Mint celebrated the world’s best-selling novelist with a new £2 coin.
David Lawrence’s design of this coin pays homage to Christie’s crime novels, with a piece of jigsaw slotting into place and her signature at the bottom.
There really have been some incredible women celebrated on our UK coins and this is just a small selection!
Is there an influential women you’d like to see on our coins in the future? Let us know in the comments below!
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February 2018 Video Newsletter
Watch as Yasmin and Luke discuss all the latest news from the world of change collecting:
New £2 coin series announced to commemorate RAF centenary
What a year 2018 is turning out to be, we’ve had four new Beatrix Potter 50p coin, 26 A-Z 10p coins and now I’m delighted to reveal five new £2 coins to commemorate the Centenary of the Royal Air Force.
The Royal Air Force was formed on April 1st 1918, in the early years of aviation. It was the world’s first independent air force, and is recognised today all over the world for its capability, courage and innovation.
You may already be familiar with the RAF Centenary Badge £2 as this was revealed on New Year’s Day as part of the 2018 year set.
Designed by Rhys Morgan, this first coin in the series celebrates the Royal Air Force as a whole, featuring the badge of the RAF.
This coin is available to own today in CERTIFIED Brilliant Uncirculated condition.
But, you won’t have seen the four other coins, all designed by brothers Richard and Neil Talbot, that make up this spectacular series. Let’s take a look.
RAF – Spitfire
This coin features one of the most famous aircraft ever built, the Supermarine Spitfire, and is the second coin in the series. Designed by Reginald Mitchell, the Spitfire first flew in 1936, its sleek, streamlined fuselage, beautiful elliptical wing shape and incomparable Rolls Royce Merlin engine making it perhaps the most graceful fighter aircraft ever designed.
This coin is also available to own today in CERTIFIED Brilliant Uncirculated condition.
RAF – Vulcan
This coin features the Vulcan bomber and is the third in the series. With it’s instantly recognisable delta wing, the Vulcan combined awesome capability with grace and beauty unmatched by another bomber from the jet-age. In flight, the aircraft was the epitome of power, with superb range and load-carrying capacity.
This coin will be released in May.
RAF – Sea King
This coin features the Sea King helicopter and is the fourth in the series. The Sea King entered service with the Royal Air Force in 1978, exclusively in a search and rescue role, and the last Sea King mission took place on October 4th 2015 when a man found unconscious on Ilfracombe beach was picked up and flown to hospital.
You’ll be able to add this coin to your collection in August.
RAF – Lightning
This, the last coin in the series, features the RAF’s newest aircraft, the F-35 Lightning II. As a fifth-generation aircraft, the complementary air superiority capabilities of Lightning will make a potent mix with the Typhoon.
You’ll be able to own this coin in September.
I’d love to know what is your favourite design from the RAF Centenary £2 series. Personally, I love the Vulcan coin as I remember seeing it’s final flight many years ago as it flew over my school.
The 2018 RAF Spitfire CERTIFIED Brilliant Uncirculated £2 coin