Coin News
Who would you like to see on the new polymer £50 note?
This weekend, the Bank of England confirmed that the £50 note will remain part of UK currency and a new batch will be issued after the £20 note in 2020 following a public nomination process to select potential characters to appear on it.
In keeping with the new £5 and £10 polymer notes, the £50 will also be printed on thin, flexible plastic polymer material, making them cleaner, safer and stronger.
In September 2016, the first polymer £5 note featuring Winston Churchill entered circulation in the UK. Its success lead to the Jane Austen £10 polymer note being released the following year and plans for the first polymer £20 note featuring artist JMW Turner to be issued in 2020. It will be down to the public to decide who should appear on the new £50 notes, so who would you nominate?
£20 concept image. Credit: Bank of England.
The £50 note was first introduced in 1981 and there are now 330 million in circulation, totalling a combined value of £16.5 billion!
Recently there have been fears that £50 notes are being used for criminal activity such as tax evasion and are rarely used for standard purchases. However, the Treasury has said that this new batch of polymer notes has been designed to be more secure and harder to forge, meaning that they are here to stay.
2011 £50 note. Credit: Bank of England.
They will also be more durable and environmentally friendly than their predecessors, lasting roughly 2.5 times longer than paper notes.
Sarah John, the Bank’s Chief Cashier, said: “I’m very excited to be starting the process of introducing a new £50 note. At the Bank, we are committed to providing the public with high quality notes they can use with confidence. Moving the £50 note onto polymer is an important next step to ensure that we can continue to do that.”
What are your thoughts on the £50 note and who would you like to see feature on the next polymer batch? 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
Prince Charles in coins…
The Prince of Wales is the world’s longest serving heir apparent, supporting Her Majesty the Queen as her representative while also playing an important role in founding and supporting numerous charitable causes. And on the 14th November this year, HRH The Prince of Wales will celebrate a landmark birthday.
To celebrate the 70th birthday of our future King, The Royal Mint has just announced the release of a brand new UK coin.The release of this coin is sure to be exciting for Change Checkers in the knowledge that the last UK £5 coin that featured Prince Charles turned out to be extremely rare.
The Prince of Wales has had numerous commemorative coins minted to mark special occasions throughout his lifetime, and to celebrate his 70th birthday we’ve taken a look back at the history of Prince Charles in coins. From his first marriage to Princess Diana, to landmark birthday celebrations and now in 2018 as heir apparent to the throne, he will celebrate his 70th birthday…
Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer 25 pence – 1981
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1981 Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer Crown
The first ever UK coin issued in the Prince of Wales’ honour, was for his wedding to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. The coin was struck by The Royal Mint and was a crown tariffed at 25 pence (although no denomination was actually inscribed on the coin).
It was the first time that three people were portrayed on a British coin simultaneously, with the reverse featuring the conjoined profiles of the bridal couple and the effigy of Her Majesty the Queen by Arnold Machin RA.
You can add this coin to your collection here >>
Prince Charles’ 50th birthday – 1998
1998 Prince Charles 50th birthday £5
To mark his 50th birthday, The Royal Mint struck a £5 coin issued in five metal versions, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Prince of Wales’ Trust.
This charitable organisation was established to further the interests of young people and also provides the theme for the reverse, which portrays the Prince alongside a 33 word inscription setting out the aims and ideals of the Trust. This inscription is so long that it actually takes the title as the longest inscription on any British coin!
Secure the coin for yourself here >>
The Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles – 2005
2005 Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla £5
This 1 Dollar coin from the Cook Islands was issued to celebrate the wedding of Charles and Camilla, however it actually features the wrong date following a last minute delay to the wedding of 24 hours, so that HRH Prince Charles could attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II as the representative of the Queen. The date was unable to be changed as the coins had already been struck!
The design features a portrait of the couple and the incorrect date ‘08.04.2005’ and has a very low mintage of just 5,000, making it a significantly scarce and collectible coin.
Own this coin for your collection here >>
Prince Charles and Prince Charles’ 60th birthday – 2008
2008 Prince Charles 60th birthday £5
This £5 coin was released for Prince Charles’ 60th birthday and in fact has the lowest mintage figure in the history of UK ‘circulated’ £5 coins. Just 14,088 of these coins were struck by The Royal Mint in 2008 and was one of the last £5 coins to be issued at face value.
This coin features the portrait of Charles by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS, whose effigy of the Queen has been used on British coins since 1998. The inscription ICH DIEN means ‘I serve’ and is taken from the Badge of the Prince of Wales.
This coin is extremely sought after by collectors but unfortunately we do not have any stock currently available. Are you lucky enough to have this coin in your collection?
Four Generations of Royalty
2018 Four Generations of Royalty £5
At the start of this year, The Royal Mint released this £5 coin which was highly anticipated from the moment HRH Prince George of Cambridge was born on 22nd July 2013 – The Four Generations of Royalty £5 coin.
This is the first time ever that The Royal Mint has issued a coin that celebrates all four generations in line to the throne on a single coin.
The reverse features an original design by much-loved calligrapher Timothy Noad, and ornately shows the initials of the current four generations, E, C, W, G, and represents the heritage of the House of Windsor.
Add this coin to your collection here >>
Prince Charles’ 70th birthday – 2018
2018 Prince Charles 70th Birthday £5
2018 has been a truly unforgettable year for the Royals, celebrating the Queen’s 65th Jubilee, the birth of Prince Louis, the marriage of Harry and Meghan and on the 14th of November, the 70th birthday of HRH The Prince of Wales.
This brand new £5 coin celebrates Prince Charles’ 70th birthday this year, featuring a brand new portrait of the Prince, created by widely respected designer, Robert Elderston who was once an apprentice engraver at The Royal Mint at its previous home in Tower hill more than 50 years ago.
What makes this coin particularly interesting is that it could be very similar to the portrait of Prince Charles that will feature on all United Kingdom coinage once he becomes King.
The 2018 Prince Charles £5 has now been officially released and is available to order here >>
It’s clear that each coin commemorating a momentus period of Prince Charles’ life has proven to be a rarity in some way, whether it be due to having such a low mintage figure, an unusual design or fascinating story.
As we know, £5 coins are reserved for the most important Royal and Historical anniversaries, and this £5 is the perfect way to celebrate the birthday of our future King.
Find out more about why you should be collecting £5 coins here >>
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Add the 2018 Prince Charles 70th birthday £5 coin to your collection today
Secure this £5 coin in Brilliant Uncirculated quality today >>
CONFIRMED: an additional 2.6 Million A-Z 10ps will enter circulation this month…
The Royal Mint and HM Treasury have just confirmed that a further 2.6 million A-Z 10p coins will enter circulation in the coming weeks.
This time the coins will be distributed through more normal networks including banks and cash distribution centres.
An additional 2.6 million A-Z 10p coins will enter circulation in the coming weeks
This will be welcome news to collectors who have been struggling to lay their hands on the new 10ps since the initial release in March. We’re hopeful that additional volumes will continue to be struck in line with UK requirements and of course the massive collector demand.
In the meantime, if you’re still asking the question “when will I find an A to Z 10p in my change?” you might be interested in this blog.
If you’re eager to get your hands on one of the new 10ps, remember our next live swap event is coming to Bristol on the 20th October. We’ll be swapping any 10p coin for one of the new A-Z 10ps. All the details can be found here.
Secure your Complete A-Z 10p Set today!
Can’t wait to complete your collection?
Own all 26 A-Z 10p coins in ‘Early Strike’ quality and receive a FREE collector’s medal!