Coin News
WINNERS of the 2018 Change Checker Awards announced!
In November we opened the 2018 Change Checker Awards to celebrate the very best people in the world of change collecting, and I must say that it’s been incredible to hear all of your stories from the last year.
In fact, it’s been a really tough job deciding on the winners, but with thanks to our panel of judges from the Change Checker team and Coin Collector magazine, our well deserved winners have now been selected…
Checker Checker of the Year
Winner:
Chris Goodman
Chris was nominated by his girlfriend, Chloe who has learnt so much about coins because of him. His passion for coins has grown since he was a child, spending hours in antique shops looking at all the old coins. When it comes to his own collection, Chris is very particular about keeping everything in order, which is why he uses his Change Checker album to store his proudest belongings – coins.
As he carefully researches every coin he owns, Chris takes great pleasure and satisfaction in passing on this knowledge to other collectors and explaining the meaning behind each of his coins to the people he meets. He also owns all of the Change Checker accessories to help him with his collection.
Congratulations Chris – keep up the great work!
Runners up:
Paula Treleaven
Paula was nominated by Garry Williams for helping members to send and swap their coins throughout the year. She is looking after her husband who has cancer and working, but still manages to find time to keep coin collectors happy and so has been put forward for this award as a thank you for everything that she has done this year.
Susan Walters
Susan was nominated by her husband Robert for her enthusiasm for coin collecting, which started with her collection of Elizabeth II coins and has since grown to encompass £2 and 50p coins as well. She has also led swapping sessions at work and home, sharing her passion for collecting with others, even as her mobility declines. Great work Susan, well done!
Junior Change Checker of the Year
Winner:
Isla MacDonald (10 years)
Isla has found a special interest in coin collecting which started after she discovered an unusual 50p, which her father helped her to research. After keeping on eye out for other coins, by the end of her first day as a Change Checker, she had found three more and from there her interest has continued to such an extent that she has collected 40 50p coins and 30 £2 coins.
The local shopkeepers now keep aside any special coins for Isla as she always asks for them in her change. This interest has become infectious with her family, and even family friends now actively look out for those special remaining coins to complete her collection.
Isla has recently been covering World War 1 in school and was delighted to take in the First World War £2 coin to show her teacher and the class. She will not spend any of ehr special coins, but will help others who are starting out by swapping her doubles for normal coins.
Well done Isla!
Runners up:
Sophie Welch (15 years)
Sophie started showing an interest in coins nearly two years ago after noticing the different £2 and 50p designs. She soon got her first Change Checker collectors album and since then her collection has grown. Her interest in Art led her to design a coin in 2018 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing. After contacting The Royal Mint to share her design, Sophie was invited to spend a day at the Royal Mint and was even featured in an article on their blog. Sophie is certain that she wants to design coins for The Royal Mint when she is older. Great work Sophie!
Esme Hurley (8 years)
Esme has been an avid coin collector since the release of the first Beatrix Potter coins back in 2016. She now collects all coin denominations and checks every bit of change she receives and has drawn many members of her family and close friends into her collection hobby to assist in completing her ever growing collection. Esme loves to use the swap app and has travelled to the Change Checker live events. Most recently, Esme did a small presentation to her fellow cub scouts all about her coin collection and earned the cub collector badge. Well done Esme!
Coin Design of the Year
It comes as no surprise that the 2018 Coin Design of the Year is awarded to The Snowman 50p.
Natasha Ratcliffe’s dynamic design knocks Aaron West off the top spot for the first time two years, and it’s clear to see why she is the deserving winner this year. This Christmas 50p issued to mark the 40th anniversary of the publication of Raymond Briggs’ much-loved festive tale The Snowman™ depicts the boy and the snowman flying through the night sky above Brighton Pier and has been the most sought-after 50p of the year.
Congratulations Natasha!
Coin Story of the Year
The winner of the 2018 Coin Story of the Year Award goes to Lee Boyce from This Money for his breaking news article covering this year’s biggest reveal – the A-Z 10p coins!
Lee Boyce from This is Money. Coin Story of the Year 2018
Lee said, “I’m delighted to receive the award for Coin Story of the Year – and it’s sound as a pound that This is Money has been recognised for our excellent coverage on all things numismatical.
We always like to get our two pennies across in stories, and to make sure that anything we write about coins is accurate – not using overhyped and inaccurate information.
Thanks to Change Checker for the award – we will endeavour to continue with our solid coin stories into 2019.”
A big thank you once again to Coin Collector for supporting us this year and of course a huge congratulations to all of our winners and all the fantastic entries we had this year. We’d like to thank each and every one of you for your continued support in 2018 and hope that 2019 is a fantastic year of Change Checking for you all!
If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use and allows users to:
– Find and identify the coins in their pocket
– Collect and track the coins they have
– Swap their spare coins with other Change Checkers
Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app
Discover the coins issued to mark the Armistice centenary from around the world…
In this incredibly poignant year, 100 years since the end of World War One, a number of stunning coins have been issued across the world to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the fight for freedom.
Over the year, we’ve been researching coins from all over the world, and the theme that brings us all together in 2018, is the Armistice Centenary. A number of truly stunning coins have been released to mark the anniversary and below are some of our favourites, chosen from world renowned Mints around the world marking this important Armistice centenary anniversary.
Change Checkers have been voting for which coin shown below is their favourite, and the results can be found at the bottom of this blog.
United Kingdom £2
2018 UK Armistice £2
This £2 is the final coin issued as part of the First World War £2 series first issued by The Royal Mint in 2014. Issued earlier in 2018, the design by Stephen Raw features the words ‘The truth untold, the pity of war’, from the Wilfred Owen poem Strange Meeting. The words stand out of a mud-like background in the centre of this striking £2 coin, which was actually modelled in the clay taken by the artist from the Sambre-Oise Canal where Wilfred Owen died in 1918.
United Kingdom £5
2018 UK Remembrance Day £5
To honour the sacrifices of all those who have risked and continue to risk their lives to protect our freedom, a UK £5 coin was issued by The Royal Mint. The coin features a design by Laura Clancy on the reverse symbolic of the resilient and determined poppies that grew amidst the chaos in the valley of the Somme and colour printing has been used to highlight the vibrant red in the poppy design. This coin stands as a poignant reminder of the brave men and women who have lost their lives or have been injured in conflicts past and present.
Isle of Man 50p
2018 Isle of Man First World War Centenary 50p
This 50p was chosen by the Isle of Man Government to commemorate the First World War Armistice Centenary. As a special acknowledgement to the sacrifices made by the 1,165 Manx men who lost their lives in the war, a specially minted coin featuring distinctive red poppies was presented to each child in full time education on the Isle of Man. Cupro-Nickel versions of the coin without the red poppies went into general circulation. The new coin features ‘The Manxman’ from the top of the Douglas War Memorial and the words ‘Their name liveth for evermore’.
Canada $2
2018 Canadian Armistice $2 coins – uncoloured and coloured
In October this year, The Royal Canadian Mint unveiled these finely crafted $2 coins issued to remember the sacrifices of Canadians who fought for freedom during WWI. Just 3 million coins have been minted – two million of a stunning coloured version and one million of the non-coloured coin, both of which have been released into circulation in Canada. The reverse image by artist Laurie McGaw features a soldier’s helmet in the centre to represent the many lives lost during WWI and the large poppy beneath it is inspired by the Canadian poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ by John McCrae, who died in combat in January, 1918.
US 1 Dollar
2018 World War I Centennial 2018 Proof Silver Dollar. Credit: usmint.gov
More than 4 million men and women from the United States served in the First World War and so to commemorate the centenary of World War I and honor the American soldiers, this Proof Silver Dollar has been issued. The obverse design is titled “Soldier’s Charge” and depicts a soldier gripping his rifle, with the words, “LIBERTY,” “1918,” and “IN GOD WE TRUST.” The reverse design is titled “Poppies in the Wire,” featuring poppies mixed amongst brutal barbed wiring.
New Zealand 50-cent
2018 New Zealand Armistice 50-cent
The 2018 Armistice 50 cent coin follows the Anzac coin which was minted in 2015 to mark the centenary of New Zealand’s efforts in WW1. Designed by Dave Burke, the reverse of this 50 Cent features a coloured red poppy flower surrounded by a wreath and the three silver ferns on the wreath represent the three services of the New Zealand Defence Force: Army, Navy and Air Force. The 50-cent coins were released into circulation in New Zealand but were actually struck by The Royal Canadian Mint, where all 10, 20 and 50 cent coins are currently minted for New Zealand.
Australia $2
2018 Australia Armistice $2
Released by The Royal Australian Mint, the new $2 Armistice coin serves as a tangible and visible reminder to all Australians of the fight for freedom 100 years ago. Designed by T Dean and developed with the assistance of the Australian War Memorial, the coin features the number 100 to signify the important Armistice Centenary Anniversary, and the centre zero features a red coloured poppy. The coin features a ‘C’ mintmark, meaning the coin has been struck at the Canberra Mint and is a stunning keepsake in this centenary year.
France €2
2018 France 2 Euro
Issued by La Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint), this €2 coin features a cornflower, a symbol of remembrance in France. This dates back to WWI as soldier’s uniforms were blue and these flowers, as well as poppies, continued to grow in land devastated by war. The flower also symbolizes delicacy and innocence.
Hungary HUF 2,000
2018 Hungary HUF 2,000. Credit: www.mnb.hu
The Magyar Nemzeti Bank in Hungary paid homage to the heroic efforts and the sacrifice made by Hungarian soldiers by issuing a 2,000 HUF collector coin. The dominant design featured on the obverse shows a section of a world map with Europe as the centre and starred settlement names in boxes where the most significant battles took place involving Hungarian soldiers. The reverse depicts a scene from the trenches, showing trench warfare and the tragedy of war, as well as the heroism and comradery of the soldiers.
Solomon Islands $1
2018 Solomon Islands $1. Credit: www.bnt.org.uk
The Solomon Islands have issued this limited edition 1 dollar coin featuring a cluster of vivid red Remembrance poppies against the Union Flag background. The reverse design has the important centenary dates and the words ‘LEST WE FORGET’. As a commonwealth country, the reverse of this coin features the Queen’s portrait.
Each coin pays its own historic tribute to this significant anniversary marked by millions of people around the world. Change Checker’s voted for their favourite of the stunning coins above, and the results are now in, with the UK Remembrance Day £5 coming in first place, followed by the Solomon Islands $1 and the Isle of Man First World War Centenary 50p.
Mark the historic Armistice Centenary anniversary!
This year marks the centenary of Armistice, arguably the most important military anniversary to be celebrated in British history.
Does Margaret Thatcher fit the bill? The hunt for the new face of the £50 note.
In their search to find a suitable candidate to feature on Britain’s new polymer £50 note, the Bank of England has received over 175,000 nominations, including the late Baroness and former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.
Some 800 of the names put forward are actually eligible to become the new face of the £50 note, with the Bank of England requiring the notable person to be real, deceased and have contributed in some way to UK science.
So does Margaret Thatcher fit the bill?
Late Baroness and former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. Credit itv.com
Most famed as Britain’s first female Prime Minister and the UK’s longest-serving leader of the 20th century during her time as Conservative Party leader from 1979 until 1990, what many people may not know is that Margaret Thatcher’s early career was actually in the field of science, as she worked as a research chemist.
In fact, for a period of time she worked for J Lyons, creating emulsifiers for ice-cream and developing the much-loved soft scoop!
However, it was during her later political career that people started to think of Maggie as cold and frosty, as her nickname ‘The Iron Lady’ suggests. Her uncompromising political style made her one of the most controversial political figures in British history.
Considering her degree in chemistry and following her famous work with ice-cream, you can certainly agree that she has contributed to the UK field of science, but would you like to see her on the new polymer £50 note?
Guido Petition’s interpretation of the £50 note featuring Margaret Thatcher. Credit: order-order.com
The Bank of England has published a list of names nominated in the first week of the selection process, as a preliminary stage of identifying eligible names for consideration.
Initial speculation seems to favour Professor Stephen Hawking, Alan Turing, Ada Lovelace and Rosalind Franklin as suggestions for the new note, however other more unusual names also made the list, including Will Hay (comedy actor/amateur astronomer) and Roger Bannister (first runner to achieve a four-minute mile).
You have up until the 14th of December to continue nominating characters via The Bank of England’s website. We don’t yet know when the chosen notable person will be announced or when the new note will be released, other than it will be after the new £20 polymer note featuring JMW Turner which will be released in 2020.
So would you like to see Margaret Thatcher on the new polymer £50 note? Change Checkers voted in our poll on Facebook and the results are in:
It’s clear that Maggie isn’t a favourite to feature on the new £50 note, but who from the scientific community would you like to see on the note? Let us know in the comments below.
If you’re interested in coin collecting, our Change Checker web app is completely free to use and allows users to:
– Find and identify the coins in their pocket
– Collect and track the coins they have
– Swap their spare coins with other Change Checkers
Sign up today at: www.changechecker.org/app