Bond is Back! The Six Decades of 007 Coin Series…
Following the 60th Anniversary since Bond first appeared on the silver screen, The Royal Mint have launched a seven-coin series celebrating each decade of James Bond! The series kicked off in November 2023 with the Bond of the 60s £5, and since then we’ve seen every decade of 007 up to the 2010s celebrated on UK coins. The series now comes to a close with the Six Decades of Bond £5.
Six Decades of Bond £5
The seventh and final coin in the series celebrates all six decades of Bond, with a design including all the legendary vehicles that have featured on each coin in the series so far. From the trusty autogyro ‘Little Nellie’ to the dependable Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander plane, you’ll see some of the most recognisable crafts from Bond films over the years around the edge of the iconic gun barrel design.
The 2024 Six Decades of Bond £5 boasts a dynamic design by Matt Dent and Christian Davies, produced in partnership with EON Productions Ltd and Danjaq, making it the perfect piece of officially licensed memorabilia for fans of the James Bond franchise. And if you already have any of the previous Decades of Bond £5s, it’s a must have for your collection.
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Bond of the 10s
The sixth and penultimate coin in the series celebrates James Bond films of the 2010s leading into the 2020s, including the most recent film in the franchise – No Time to Die. This era saw the release of three incredible new 007 films, Daniel Craig breaking the record for the longest-serving Bond actor, and the first time in the franchise that 007 is thought to have died.
The reverse design of the Bond Films of the 10s £5, created by award-winning agency Bison Bison, features the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander plane from the iconic Austria chase scene in Spectre. The plane is set against the titles of Bond films of the 2010s and 2020s repeating in the background, all encircled by the ever-present gun barrel design.
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Bond of the 00s
The fifth coin in the series celebrates the Bond films of the 2000s and marks Daniel Craig’s debut as Bond in Casino Royale in 2006. Another two 007 films hit the big screens in the 2000s, including Die Another Day and Quantum of Solace. Can you spot these titles written on the new Bond £5?
But the star of the show on this action-packed coin is the iconic hovercraft from the opening sequence in Die Another Day.
Credit: Diecast
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Bond of the 90s
The fourth coin in the series bounces back to 1990s and marks Pierce Brosnan’s acting debut as Bond in GoldenEye in 1995. Another two 007 films hit the big screens in the 90s, including Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough. Can you spot these titles written on the new Bond £5?
But the star of the show on this action-packed coin is none other than Q Branch’s speedboat from the iconic River Thames scene in The World Is Not Enough.
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Bond of the 80s
The third coin in the series transports us back to 1980, and honours two beloved Bond actors. Sir Roger Moore who continued to portray James Bond from the 70s through to 1985, and Timothy Dalton who put a more serious spin on the role and played the iconic agent from 1987 to 1989.
Depicted on the third coin is the MI6 agent in the Acrostar ‘Bede’ Jet that appeared in the opening sequence for Moore’s sixth 007 film, Octopussy. Repeating over in the background is each of the 80s Bond film titles, behind the BD-J5 Acrostar.
The 80s brought us some of the most well-known Bond movies, with the likes of For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy and Licence to Kill. This decade was a real defining era for James Bond, I have to say, I think it represents Bond perfectly.
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Bond of the 70s
This second coin in the series depicts the iconic car-submarine, Wet Nellie from hit 70s film, The Spy Who Loved Me. And, like the first coin in the series, features and repeats each 1970s bond film titles behind the much-loved vehicle.
Throughout the 70s we saw a whole new era of Bond, with Sean Connery passing the iconic role on to Roger Moore, who is the oldest actor to have played Bond, making his debut as the secret agent at 45. Moore has undoubtably been in some of the most well-known bond movies, like Live and Let Die and Diamonds are Forever.
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Bond of the 60s
Sean Connery captivated our hearts as he became the first James Bond in 1962’s, Dr. No. To this day, he’s ranked by entertainment publication, Collider, as the most popular Bond, and to no surprise. Connery’s distinct, Scottish accent helped define some of Bond’s most memorable quotes.
The first coin in the series depicts Sean Connery in the trusty ‘autogyro’ (a one-person aircraft) named ‘Little Nellie’ from the much-loved, You Only Live Twice. With a subtle nod to Connery’s work as the special agent, each of his 007 film titles appear behind James Bond in Little Nellie.
The Beginning of Bond
70 years ago writer Ian Fleming first brought James Bond into the world, in the April of 1953 with his first 007 novel – Casino Royale. Paving the way for eleven more Bond novels to be made, and inspiring a whole franchise based on the famous spy himself.
Just under 10 years later, 007 took to the screen and the first James Bond movie was made, bringing the impressive agent ‘to life’ in 1962. And, it hasn’t stopped there, with the most recent Bond movie, No Time to Die, only coming out 2 years ago!
Credit: ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv / Fotograf: Comet Photo AG (Zürich), via Wikimedia Commons
A History of Bond Coins
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Bond on our UK coins!
First appearing in 2018 on the ‘B’ for Bond coin as part of the A-Z of Great Britain 10p collection, 220,000 Bond 10ps were first issued in 2018, followed by 84,000 in 2019! This 10p has proved extremely popular with collectors and has been at the top of Change Checker Scarcity Index in recent rankings.
And, how could we forget that in 2020 we had the three-part 007 £5 coin series, in which each of the coins placed together, spell out ‘007’, alongside some of Bond’s most memorable quotes.
Collector’s Galore
Complete your Six Decades of Bond collection today with the final coin in the series for just £13.99 (+£2.99 p&p).
King Charles III celebrates 75th Birthday with UK £5
2023 has been quite the year for King Charles III. As well as being crowned King on 6th May, His Majesty celebrates his 75th birthday on 14th November 2023.
To celebrate his milestone birthday, The Royal Mint have issued a UK £5 coin featuring a reverse design representing The King’s love of nature.
In case you missed it…
You may recognise the King Charles III 75th Birthday £5 from earlier this year, as it was one of 5 commemorative coins issued in the 2023 Annual Coin Set. It’s actually the final coin from the set to be released individually, so now’s the time to secure it if you missed out on the 2023 Annual Set.
A passion for nature
Inspired by King Charles’ passion for nature and conservation, designer Dan Thorne has created a beautiful reverse design on this new UK £5. It includes The King’s royal cypher along with the number 75, all framed within oak leaves and delphiniums. The design was even personally approved by The King himself.
It’s not just nature that His Majesty is passionate about, he also has a keen interest in the arts, architecture and supporting disadvantaged young people. In 1976, when he was His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, The King founded The Princes Trust, an organisation committed to improving the life of young people in the UK.
He’s also been an avid campaigner for environmental issues and sustainability, living by the principle that it’s better to work with nature than against it.
A closer look
As well as the main aspects of the design such as the plants, royal cypher and the years 1948-2023, there are a few features on the coin you may not have noticed at first glance.
On closer inspection, we can see a ladybird, 4 bees and a dragonfly hidden within the design – another nod to The King’s love of nature.
New UK Coinage for King Charles III
The King’s love for nature and his passion for conservation is also reflected in the UK’s New Coinage. The 8 brand new coins feature designs themed around British wildlife and conservation, whilst the obverses feature King Charles III and a special privy mark.
Find out more about the UK’s New Coinage here >>
Secure your 2023 UK King Charles III 75th Birthday £5
Secure your 2023 UK King Charles III 75th Birthday £5 in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £13.99 (+£2.99 postage) >>
Upcoming King Charles III Coins! What we know so far…
The collecting community has been abuzz with excitement for new King Charles III coins, especially since the UK’s new circulating coinage set was released in October 2023.
And so I’m delighted to give you all the updates we know so far about future King Charles III commemorative coins to look forward to.
Read on to find out what’s on the horizon from the UK’s latest Royal Proclamations and get ready to add these upcoming coins to your collecting wish list!
Upcoming 50p Releases
Ice Age Giants
The Royal Mint’s Tales of the Earth collection will continues with coins commemorating Ice Age giants, depicting three of the most notable large mammals to exist during this period of history. Here’s what we know so far…
Coin 1 – Depiction of a steppe mammoth accompanied by the inscription “MAMMUTHUS STEPPE MAMMOTH”.
Coin 2 – Depiction of a woolly rhinoceros accompanied by the inscription “COELODONTA WOOLLY RHINOCEROS”.
Coin 3 – Depiction of a giant deer accompanied by the inscription “MEGALOCEROS GIANT DEER”.
Previously, the Tales of the Earth series has mainly featured pre-historic dinosaurs, including the Dinosauria collection, the Mary Anning collection and most recently, the Iconic Specimens collection.
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins is arguably one of the most loved characters in British literature, and we’ll soon see her celebrated on a UK coin.
Image Credit: Disney trailer screenshot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The 50p will feature a depiction of the character Mary Poppins with an umbrella and carpet bag accompanied by the inscription “MARY POPPINS”.
Second World War
Some of the most popular UK coins have been those linked to a military anniversaries such as D-Day, the Battle of Britain and the first and second World Wars. We can expect to see a new military themed coin, this one commemorating stories of the Second World War.
The coin will feature a depiction of three military medals accompanied by the inscription “STORIES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR”.
Red Arrows
Formally known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows are one of the world’s top aerobatic display teams.
Renowned for their speed, agility and trademark Diamond Nine shape formation, the team have been displaying since 1965 and will soon feature for the first time on a UK 50p coin.
The upcoming 50p is set to feature a depiction of three Red Arrow aircraft with their signature smoke trails, with the inscription “RED ARROWS”.
This is certainly a release collectors and Red Arrow fans alike will be looking forward to!
Upcoming £5 Releases
Paul McCartney
The next coin in The Royal Mint’s Music Legends series will feature none other than The Beatles icon, Paul McCartney.
Image Credit: Oli Gill, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The £5 coin will feature a depiction of a guitar head and piano keys with Paul McCartney’s signature and the inscription “MCCARTNEY”.
Greyhound of Richmond
We can expect to see a new Royal Tudor Beasts £5 coin, the 8th in the series. The series celebrates the ten heraldic beasts that stand guard on the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace, representing the royal lineage of King Henry VIII and Jane Seymour.
The latest addition to the series will feature the White Greyhound of Richmond, which was inherited by Queen Elizabeth I from Henry IV through his father, the Earl of Richmond.
Image Credit: Man vyi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
We know that the coin will feature a depiction of the Greyhound of Richmond accompanied by the inscription “· GREYHOUND OF RICHMOND ·”.
Decades of Bond £5 Series
We’re 1 coin away from completing the Decades of Bond £5 coin series, with the final coin still to be released. Each coin in this series celebrates a decade of James Bond films, with iconic imagery from the movies and the film titles from each era repeated in the background.
So far, we’ve seen coins celebrating Bond films of the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s and 2010s.
When you consider the huge popularity of the ‘B’ A-Z 10p which was dedicated to James Bond and the 2020 Bond £5 series, there’s no doubt that this theme is loved within the collecting community.
The final coin in the Decades of Bond £5 series will feature six iconic vehicles from James Bond films over the last six decades, accompanied by the inscriptions “007” and “SIX DECADES OF 007″.
Upcoming £2 Releases
Winston Churchill £2
Usually, all the coins in the Annual Set are individually released throughout the year, however this year is different, as the Winston Churchill £2 will NOT be individually issued. So currently the only way to get your hands on it is in the 2024 Annual Set.
You can secure your 2024 Annual Set for just £42 (+p&p) here >>
Never miss a future UK coin issue!
With such exciting releases on the horizon, you really won’t want to miss out on these incredible new coins.
So why not take away the worry and guarantee yourself every new UK coin issue, without the hassle of placing orders on launch day?
Join the Change Checker UK CERTIFIED BU Subscription Service and be one of the first to receive new UK coins as soon as they are released!