Coin News
UK’s FIRST-EVER Peter Rabbit™ £5 enters the cosy burrow of UK coinage!
“What heaven can be more real than to retain the spirit-world of childhood?” – Beatrix Potter
The Tale of Peter Rabbit and other Beatrix Potter stories span across generations, with each and every one of us having fond childhood memories of these wonderful characters.
Get ready to journey back to childhood as Change Checker is foot-thumpingly excited to reveal that the UK’s FIRST-EVER Peter Rabbit™ £5 coin is available to add to your collections!
Inspired by Beatrix Potter’s classic tales that have enchanted readers of all generations for more than 100 years, this brand new release is set to be incredibly popular amongst Beatrix Potter fans and collectors alike.
The reverse design by Ffion Gwillim perfectly captures a heart-warming scene from the original, much-loved Beatrix Potter stories.
To secure this UK FIRST for your collection in Brilliant Uncirculated quality, in official Change Checker packaging for JUST £10.99 (+p&p), simply click here >>
Since 2016, Peter Rabbit has encouraged a whole new generation to start collecting – featuring on not just one, but FIVE 50p coins in the Beatrix Potter series. And now the tale continues as Potter’s most famous character makes his debut appearance on a UK £5 coin.
Join us in this blog, as we journey down the cosy burrow of the Beatrix Potter series and explore the tale of the sought-after 50ps…
A Woman Ahead of Her Time
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.
Potter was always encouraged to draw, and she spent many hours of her childhood making intricate sketches of animals and plants, revealing an early fascination for the natural world that would continue throughout her life.
However, it’s fair to say her enchanting tales of countryside characters, including Peter Rabbit and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle skyrocketed her to stardom. The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published in 1902 and it instantly became a best-seller!
The Series That Inspired a New Generation
It was in 2016 that Peter Rabbit escaped from Mr. McGregor’s garden and made his first debut on United Kingdom coinage.
Issued to celebrate 150 years since the birth of renowned Children’s author, Beatrix Potter, this 50p changed coin collecting forever.
This series of coins continued into 2017, 2018 and 2019. Fifteen Beatrix Potter coins have now been issued since 2016, each featuring one of Potter’s delightful characters, from Flopsy Bunny to Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle.
Peter Rabbit is the only character to feature more than once in the Beatrix Potter 50p series, with no less than 5 coins issued to celebrated the nation’s favourite little rabbit.
In 2020, The Royal Mint confirmed that Peter Rabbit’s 50p tale had sadly come to an end with the issue of a brand new coin.
This means there are fifteen Beatrix Potter 50p coins to collect and now we’re delighted to see a brand new £5 coin has been added to the mix.
With Peter Rabbit proving to be one of the UK’s most popular characters to ever feature on UK coins, this new release is set to prove incredibly sought-after amongst Beatrix Potter fans and collectors alike.
Will you be securing this brand new £5 coin for your collection? Let us know in the comments below!
Secure the 2021 UK Peter Rabbit™ £5
This Peter Rabbit™ £5 coin has been specially struck and encapsulated as a Change Checker CERTIFIED Brilliant Uncirculated issue.
It has then been protectively encapsulated in Official Change Checker packaging with the all-important security hologram to guarantee its quality forever.
Own the 2021 UK Peter Rabbit™ £5 today in superior Collector Quality, for JUST £10.99 (+p&p) by clicking here >>
Royal Mint pays tribute to Alfred the Great with brand new £5!
One of the only kings in British history to have been given the title of ‘Great’, Anglo-Saxon King Alfred, was famous for his laws in education and fair governance.
In the 1,150th anniversary year of his coronation, The Royal Mint has commemorated his reign with a brand new £5 coin, with a design dedicated to the Alfredian educational reforms.
Alfred took over as King of Wessex in 871 in the middle of a year of nine major battles between the West Saxons and Vikings. He was also tested in 878 when he was forced to retreat to the marshes of Athelney (Somerset), the scene of some of the legendary stories about him, including the well-known ‘burning of the cakes’.
However, Alfred came back to win a decisive victory in the same year over his Viking opponent Guthrum at Edington (Wiltshire).
John Bergdahl’s design of this brand new coin is based on the Alfred Jewel, one of the most celebrated historical artefacts surviving from Anglo-Saxon England.
It was thought to have been once attached to a handle and used as a pointer stick for reading. Made of enamel and quartz, and enclosed in gold, the Alfred Jewel is inscribed “aelfred mec heht gewyrcan” meaning “Alfred ordered me made”.
This exceptional and unusual example of Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship now features on this new UK £5 in a fitting tribute to Alfred the Great, who had a reputation as a learned man who encouraged education.
In Alfred’s mind, learning was essential to his kingdom but most of his people were illiterate, even in their native tongue. To combat this, Alfred established a school at court, where freedmen of adequate means could learn to read, he had books translated from Latin to English, and told monks to begin writing the Anglo-Saxon chronicle, which would later act as the primary source for the early history of England
You can secure the brand new 2021 UK Alfred the Great £5 in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality for JUST £10.99 (+p&p) by clicking here >>
There have been some incredible UK coins that have celebrated our Kings of England. Scroll down to discover more…
2020 King George III £5
The 2020 George III £5 was issued as part of the 2020 Annual Coin Set to celebrate Britain’s longest reigning King, 200 years after his death.
King George III was the first king of the United Kingdom (which was officially formed in 1800) and to this day remains the longest reigning king in British History, reigning for an astonishing 59 years.
Throughout his reign, Britain fought in wars against France and America and from these wars the country emerged as a world power.
Designed by renowned Royal Mint designer, Dominique Evans, the famous portrait of George III has Windsor Palace to the left and the King’s Observatory to the right.
2017 King Canute £5
To celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the coronation of King Canute, a £5 coin was issued by The Royal Mint.
Recognised as one of the most prominent kings of the Anglo-Saxon era, Canute is widely remembered for conquering kingdoms across northern Europe including England, Denmark, Norway, and areas of Sweden.
King Canute’s achievements and influence paved the way for the nation we recognise today. He strengthened the currency, initiating a series of coins of equal weight to those being used in Denmark, so it’s only fitting that the design of this £5 coin was inspired by the original currency of King Canute.
2009 Henry VIII £5
Henry VIII had an eventful reign over four decades from 1509 – 1547, overseeing the union of England and Wales in 1535 and founding the Royal Navy.
However he is most well-known for having six wives, two of whom were executed under the charge of treason. In later life, Henry became grossly overweight as a consequence of not being able to exercise after a jousting incident, which hastened his death in 1547.
This £5 coin was issued by the Royal Mint in 2009 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the accession of Henry VIII to the throne. The reverse design by John Bergdahl features a recreation of the famous standing portrait of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein.
2018 Prince Charles £5
In a blog dedicated to our Kings of England, it’s only fitting we pay tribute to our future King, Prince Charles.
On the 14th November 2018, HRH The Prince of Wales celebrated his landmark 70th birthday.
To mark this milestone and to honour his lifetime of dedication to the British people, an official commemorative UK £5 coin was issued by The Royal Mint.
The reverse features a new portrait of the prince by widely respected engraver Robert Elderton, who was once an apprentice engraver at The Royal Mint at its previous home in Tower hill more than 50 years ago.
There have been some incredible UK coins celebrating British Kings, with the brand new 2021 UK Alfred the Great £5 being no exception.
Do you have a favourite? Let us know in the comments below!
Secure the brand new 2021 UK Alfred the Great £5 for your collection!
Secure the brand new 2021 UK Alfred the Great £5 for your collection for JUST £10.99 (+p&p) today >>
Your coin will come in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality presented in official Change Checker packaging.
Alan Turing – The Face of the £50 Note!
In 2019, The Bank of England revealed Alan Turing as the new face of the £50 banknote.
In their search to find an eminent British scientist to feature on the £50 note, a total of 227,299 nominations were sent to The Bank of England. 989 eligible characters were narrowed down to a shortlist of just 12 before Turing was finally selected.
Change Checker is so excited to reveal that today the design of this BRAND NEW £50 note has been officially confirmed by The Bank of England.
In keeping with Turing’s code-breaking legacy, this brand new £50 has been declared as the most secure yet.
What features on the new £50 note?
This brand new banknote is FULL of exciting features. Including:
- A photo of Turing from 1951 which is part of the National Portrait Gallery’s collection
- A table and mathematical formulae from Turing’s 1936 paper “On Computable Numbers, with an application to the Entscheidungsproblem”
- A design of Turing’s trial model of his famous Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) Pilot Machine
- Technical drawings for the British Bombe, one of the primary tools used to break Enigma-enciphered messages
- A quote from Turing, from an interview in The Times newspaper (June 1949): “This is only a foretaste of what is to come, and only the shadow of what is going to be”
- His signature from the visitor’s book at Max Newman’s House in 1947 which is on display at Bletchley Park
- Ticker tape depicting Alan Turing’s birth date (23 June 1912) in binary code.
In addition to these amazing design features, there are of course a series of security features, similar to those we’ve seen on our £5, £10, and £20 polymer notes, including holograms and see-through windows.
GCHQ Collaboration
In recognition of Turing’s code-breaking expertise, the Bank of England have collaborated with GCHQ on the intelligence and cyber agency’s toughest puzzle ever – based on the Turing £50 bank note design.
GCHQ’s Turing Challenge is a set of 12 puzzles that have been put together by intelligence staff at GCHQ, where problem solving and a diverse mix of minds are at the heart of its work to help protect the UK from increasingly complex threats
Who was Alan Turing and why is he being featured on a £50 note?
Alan Turing was most famously known for accelerating Allied efforts to read German Naval messages enciphered with the Enigma machine.
His work is said to have been key to shortening World War Two and saving millions of lives.
In addition to his work during World War Two, Turing played a pivotal role in the development of early computers, first at the National Physical Laboratory and later at the University of Manchester.
In 2013, he was given a posthumous royal pardon for his 1952 conviction for gross indecency.
Speaking of the new note, Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, said: “Turing was a leading mathematician, developmental biologist, and a pioneer in the field of computer science. By placing him on our new polymer £50 banknote, we are celebrating his achievements, and the values he symbolises.”
Polymer Notes
This brand new £50 note is the last in the Bank of England’s collection to switch from paper to polymer, following the popularity of the polymer £20, £10 and £5 notes.
The banknote will enter circulation on 23 June, which would have been the mathematician’s birthday.
Alan Turing £50 note voted as Change Checker’s favourite polymer note!
As the brand new £50 note is the last in the Bank of England’s collection to switch from paper to polymer, we asked you to vote for your favourite polymer note.
The results are in!
The Alan Turing £50 has been revealed as Change Checkers’ favourite polymer banknote, taking over 40% of the votes!
We’re certain collectors will be eager to add this banknote to their collections when it’s released later in the year. Will you? Let us know in the comments below!
Don’t miss out on the very latest UK coin releases!
Join the Change Checker UK CERTIFIED BU Subscription Service and receive new UK coins sent to your door without the hassle of placing orders on the day of release!
Simply choose the perfect subscription for you here >>