Harry Kane could be bringing more than football home…
As England heads into the semi-finals, the Golden Boot looks like it could be a fit for captain Harry Kane, but football might not be the only thing that’s coming home if we make it through to the finals…
Eleven special £5 notes, engraved with a tiny portrait of footballer Harry Kane, will be put into circulation if England reach the World Cup final. And each banknote could be worth more than £20,000!
England captain Harry Kane. Credit: bbc.co.uk
Specialist micro-engraver Graham Short has been using fine needles to carefully etch Kane’s portrait on the ‘clear section’ of the polymer £5 notes to celebrate the success of the England Football team.
But they will only be put into circulation if England beat Croatia during Wednesday’s semi-final match… So if you’re not already into the football, here’s another reason to back the England team!
Each note has taken six days to complete and they will be distributed by Mr Short in Norwich and the Midlands, Sheffield, Manchester and North Yorkshire as he makes his way around the country.
You may remember our previous blog detailing some of Mr Shorts other work which featured a micro-engraving of Jane Austen on the Polymer banknotes of which there is still one left to find.
Eagle eyed collectors have been hunting down this final note and will be excited to hear about the Harry Kane designs, should they be released.
Jane Austen etched onto polymer banknote. Credit: BBC Scotland Twitter
According to Gallery owner Mr Huggins-Haig, artist Graham Short’s work has an insurance valuation of £50,000 so £20,000 for a banknote with his artwork on as a reasonable estimate. Mr Short’s last work, a portrait of the Queen on a pinhead, sold for £100,000.
As before, anyone who finds one of the notes has been advised to contact the Tony Huggins-Haig Gallery in Kelso, which launched the project as they will provide advice on how to put the artwork up for auction.
Royal Mint re-date coin for England fans…
To celebrate England’s on-going success, The Royal Mint has issued a special release that is only available to purchase for four weeks – the UK 2018 Lion of England £5 BU pack.
This is definitely one for the collector. Not on the original scheduled release list, the coin features the Lion of England with a special 2018 striking date – a rare occurrence and one that will make this coin hugely collectable to not only football fans but sharp-eyed collectors.
Make sure to secure your 2018 Lion of England £5 coin today >>
The birthday coin that’s fit for a Prince is finally released!
On the 22nd of July 2013, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed their first child, Prince George into the world. As third in line to the throne, the Prince has grown up in the limelight, warming hearts of people the world over and being adored during Royal Tours with his parents.
Prince George. Credit: www.royal.uk
Now, as the 22nd of July 2018 approaches, the nation looks to celebrate the fifth birthday of the much loved Prince with a commemorative £5 coin issued by The Royal Mint.
This brand new coin design was revealed at the start of the year and has now been officially released to mark HRH Prince George’s fifth birthday in July.
The new £5 coin issued to mark Prince George’s 5th birthday.
This modern interpretation of a traditional design by esteemed mint designer, Jody Clark portrays an image of Saint George slaying the mythical dragon with a spear.
Saint George is known as the patron saint of England, upholding the ideals of honour, bravery and gallantry. The legend of George and the Dragon dates back to the 7th century or earlier, symbolising the victory of good over evil.
This is the first time that Saint George and the Dragon has been depicted on a base metal coin in over 60 years, a key feature for collectors.
It seems fitting that this traditional depiction should be used to represent our young Prince as he reaches this milestone in his early life, taking on the responsibility of being a big brother to his two younger siblings and tackling the trials of starting education, all alongside his Royal duties and representing the country of course.
Commemoratives marking Prince George’s fifth birthday are sure to be in high demand and £5 coins are reserved for the most important Royal and historical anniversaries, making this coin the perfect way to celebrate this special Royal Birthday.
As our future King, any coin issued to celebrate Prince George will be highly sought after, especially amongst Royalty collectors who won’t want any gaps in their collection.
Secure the 2018 Prince George’s 5th birthday £5 coin today!
Your Prince George’s 5th birthday £5 coin is struck to a superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality, and is protectively encapsulated.
Five Fun Facts about US coins for American Independence Day!
Today is American Independence Day and we thought there could be no better way to join in the 4th of July celebrations than to share five fun facts you might not know about US coinage!
1) The reverses are struck upside down.
Did you know that on US coins, the reverses are stuck upside down? This is arguably due to the fact that originally, the Mint wanted to differentiate their coins from their medals. The medals’ faces are struck with the same orientation as they are supposed to be worn, and therefore when rotated, still show an upright image.
Upside down reverses. Credit: coincommunity.com
2) By law, US coin designs must give “an impression emblematic of liberty.”
The USA, as a nation, are well known for being one of the most patriotic countries in the world. They uphold strong values of liberty and freedom, from everyday life to sporting events and even on their coinage! As a result of this, US coin designers are legally required to display an impression emblematic of liberty in their coin designs.
Statue of Liberty, a true symbol of patriotism.
3) The coinage act of 1792, establishing the U.S. Mint, made defacing, counterfeiting, or embezzling of coins by Mint employees punishable by death.
The death penalty is still legal in 31 US states and the coinage act of 1792 is still in place today. This states that any Mint employee caught defacing, counterfeiting or embezzling coins can be, in theory, sentenced to death. Whether or not this would be upheld in today’s court of law is debatable.
Defaced coin. Credit: pinterest.co.uk/crumley1065/the-coin-box
4) Origin of the “buck”.
This well-known slang term for an American dollar is thought to have originated in the early US frontier days when the hide of a male deer (a buck) was common currency, due to the scarcity of coinage. The term has since been adopted into everyday language and certainly seems to be here to stay for a while!
Buck. Credit: state.nj.us
5) The U.S. Mint’s coin production has grown over 131,000,000% since production first started in 1793.
The US Mint’s operation has grown and advanced greatly since the first mintage in 1972, when production consisted of 11,178 copper cents. Today the Mint produces an average of 14.7 million coins per day. The first mint in Philadelphia actually used horses to drive the machinery, whereas today, much more modern techniques are used and greater numbers of coins can be produced.
So there we have it, five fun facts about US coinage! Whether they come in handy at your next quiz night, give you something interesting to bring up in conversation, or even spark your interest in collecting US coins, we hope you’ve enjoyed finding out more about US coins.
Own the US Coin Pack today!
If this has sparked your interest in US coins, why not own the coin pack containing 6 US coins from the 1 Cent to the 1 Dollar? Each coin is protectively encapsulated in display packaging with an image of the iconic Grand Canyon and additional information about the USA and their coinage.