What’s on the other side of your coin?
During the hurried anticipation when rifling through your change in the hope of finding a new commemorative coin for your collection, you could be forgiven for not paying much attention to the Queen’s head on the obverse side of the coin.
But as a Change Checker, you really should!
Commemorative themes change each year, but while we hunt around for that elusive design, the Queen has quietly undergone her own transformation.
Arnold Machin, Raphael Maklouf, Ian Rank-Broadley and Jody Clark have all portrayed Her Majesty in their own style on the obverse of our decimal coins and a full collection of these portraits offers a numismatic timeline showing her changing profile over the years.
Mary Gillick (1953-1970) The very first coins of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign bore Mary Gillick’s portrait of a youthful looking Queen, which she engraved especially for the new coins. However, you wont find any coins with the uncrowned portrait of Her Majesty in your change as the portrait changed with decimalisation in 1971.
Arnold Machin (1968-1984) It was decided to refresh the Queen’s portrait in preparation for decimalisation, and Machin’s youthful Queen with a tiara is still found on our postage stamps today.
Raphael Maklouf (1985-1997) Maklouf aimed to create a symbol which was ‘regal and ageless’. His version of Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Royal Diadem was the most short-lived of the three portraits – running for 12 years up until 1997.
You’ve probably heard of the ‘Necklace’ £2 – the very first bi-metallic £2 coin which was issued in 1997 and is the only one to feature Maklouf’s portrait. It found fame in the late nineties and many collectors hoarded them from circulation, making them tricky to find in change.
Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS (1998-2015) Ian Rank-Broadley’s FRBS more mature portrayal of the Queen filled a larger space on the coin in a deliberate response to the smaller 5p and 10p coins in circulation.
Jody Clark (2015-present) Jody Clark’s portrait of Her Majesty shows a side profile of the Queen wearing a crown and drop earrings. He was the first Royal Mint engraver for over 100 years to be commissioned for a royal coinage portrait.
Jody Clark’s new effigy marked a brand new chapter in the history of our circulating coinage, and as any collector will tell you, first issues hold a significance and a lasting degree of collectability for years into the future.
In fact, many Change Checkers don’t regard their collection as complete until they have found each portrait!
So remember to take a closer look at the other side of your coin. Each one has its own identity and may be more rare than you think!
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A £2 coin to commemorate the event which changed the world
There are few more sombre commemorative coins in circulation than the 2007 £2 coin. Issued to mark the 200th Anniversary of the act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, it is one of the most surprising and thought provoking coins you are likely to find in your change.
The UNESCO’s International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is marked in August each year as a day to reflect on an unfortunate and shameful passage of history which should never be repeated, and also a be thankful for the better times we live in today.
It’s sometimes difficult to imagine a barbaric world where people were sold into slavery, but in the 17th and 18th centuries it was an accepted and unquestioned part of Britain’s growing imperial and naval supremacy.
However, there were those who objected to the whole slavery enterprise. Groups of Quakers began campaigning tirelessly in the late 18th century and won the support of an MP named William Wilberforce. Through mass petitioning and increasing national support for their cause, he was able to exert substantial pressure on the government.
As a result, Parliament passed the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1807 and significantly altered the progress and development of the transatlantic slave system. Although it did not abolish slavery itself, it prohibited trafficking and was a major step towards the total abolition of slavery across the British Empire in 1833.
Look out for this £2 in your change, and it may well make you stop and think for a moment about William Wilberforce and the powerful change for good he made in the pre-Victorian era.
The 2007 £2 Coin:
An act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade
The Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was one of the most momentous Acts of Parliament in history and to celebrate its bicentenary in 2007, this commemorative ‘Abolition of Slavery’ £2 was issued. The reverse features a striking and imaginative design by David Gentleman with the ‘0’ of the date 1807 depicted as a broken chain link.
You can find this coin and every other commemorative coin in circulation on the Change Checker App.
The latest collecting sensation
Glasgow 2014 has been universally acclaimed as a triumph for Scotland, and although the Games may be over, their legacy lives on with a new commemorative 50p.
History repeating?
The 2014 Commonwealth Games 50p
The feeling amongst collectors is that this 50p will become one of the most highly sought-after designs for years to come. Early indications are certainly backing this up, with the coin already becoming hot property in the collecting world just days after its introduction.
It reminds me of the last 50p craze back in 2012 when the new Olympic sports designs sparked a collecting revolution. People everywhere in the UK began checking their change and hoarding these special coins as soon as they caught sight of them.
Ever since then it has been much the same story with every new commemorative issue.
On your marks, get set…
The consequence of this collecting frenzy is that commemorative coins in our pocket are now regarded as pieces of treasure and are more frequently being taken out of circulation in their thousands rather than being treated merely as a means of payment.
Coin collectors need to be quick off the mark to get their hands on the latest design. The question used to be ‘when’ will I ever find one? Increasingly it is becoming ‘if’ I will ever find one.