UK coins
25 Years of the Bi-Metallic £2! Vote for your favourite design…
After a review of the United Kingdom coinage in 1994, it emerged that there was a requirement for a £2 coin to enter general circulation.
After extensive consultation, it was decided this would be a bi-colour coin, making it easily distinguishable from the other coins in circulation.
Originally, the intention was to issue the £2 coin in November 1997. However, concerns emerged from the vending industry over their size. The £2 coin was eventually launched on 15 June 1998, with millions of the coin released into circulation.
Since then we’ve seen over 35 different designs enter circulation!
And in 2022, the bi-metallic £2 coin celebrates its 25th birthday!
£2 coin vote – winning design revealed!
We asked you to vote for your favourite bi-metallic £2 coin design and the results are in!
Our winning coin design is the Great Fire of London £2, taking an impressive 17% of all votes! This coin was issued in 2016 to mark the 350th anniversary of one of the most well-known disasters to hit London.
However, three years after this coin was issued into circulation, it was revealed that its mintage figure was mistakenly listed and the coin is in fact rarer than once thought…
The previous figure of 5,135,000 meant this coin was fairly common but the updated figure of 1,625,000, makes this coin one of the rarest £2 coins in circulation!
Did your favourite coin design make the top 5? Let us know in the comments below!
Never miss a UK coin issue!
The UK’s First Pride 50p!
The 50th Anniversary of London Pride was celebrated in July and to mark the event, a brand new UK 50p coin was issued!
Entering circulation
The best news is that The Royal Mint have confirmed 5 million Pride 50ps will be entering circulation. They have also confirmed that the Pride 50p will be the last UK coin to enter circulation featuring Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait on the obverse.
The Pride 50ps will enter circulation via 2,000 Post Offices across the UK on 25th October 2022.
Let us know when you find a Pride 50p in your change.
But don’t miss the chance to get ahead of the crowd and own yours now in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality.
The 2022 UK Pride 50p Coin
The UK’s first Pride 50p was issued in collaboration with Pride in London and features an original design by artist, writer and LGBTQ+ activist, Dominique Holmes.
The reverse of the coin features 5 rainbows, each accompanied with part of the inscription, “PRIDE PROTEST VISIBILITY UNITY EQUALITY”.
This will be the last UK coin to enter circulation featuring Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait on the obverse.
You can secure this brand new coin for your collection for just £4.99 (+p&p) by clicking here >>
Your Pride 50p coin has been struck to a superior Brilliant Uncirculated finish and will be protectively encapsulated in official Change Checker packaging, ready to preserve for generations to come.
This will be the first UK 50p coin issued representing Pride. Previous ‘UK first’ 50p coins have been incredibly popular, so we are anticipating the Pride 50p to be in high demand with collectors.
The UK’s First Beatrix Potter 50p Collection
This 50p coin collection was issued in 2016 to celebrate the much loved author, Beatrix Potter. The collection features four coins each representing a character from Potter’s iconic tales and one honouring Beatrix Potter herself.
The Colour Silver Proof Peter Rabbit 50p coin was so popular that it sold out in a matter of hours and caused The Royal Mint’s website to crash!
The UK’s First Snowman 50p
In 2018, The Royal Mint released the first ever commemorative UK Christmas 50p coin, issued to mark the 40th anniversary of the publication of Raymond Briggs’ much-loved festive tale, The Snowman™.
Designed by Natasha Ratcliffe, the coin depicts the boy and the snowman flying through the night sky above Brighton Pier. This coin didn’t enter circulation, but the Silver Proof version sold out within 24 hours of release.
50 Years of Pride
The first London Pride event took place in 1972 and was attended by approximately 2,000 people, the event has grown tremendously since, with over 1.5 million people attending the 2019 London Pride parade.
Credit: Camerawalker, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pride events take place annually across the globe, however most have been cancelled for the past 2 years due to the coronavirus pandemic. Returning in 2022, Pride events took place across the UK this summer.
Are you looking forward to adding this coin to your collection? Let us know in the comments below!
Secure the 2022 UK Pride 50p for your collection!
The Royal Mint will make a contribution of £40,000 to London LGBT Community Pride C.I.C in connection with this campaign.
Your Pride 50p coin has been struck to a superior Brilliant Uncirculated finish and will be protectively encapsulated in official Change Checker packaging, ready to preserve for generations to come.
The UK’s Future King celebrates 40th Birthday – £5 coin issued to commemorate event
The Duke of Cambridge, HRH Prince William, is the second in line to the throne and the elder son of The Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales.
In 2022, the year that marks Prince William’s 40th birthday, The Royal Mint has issued a brand new £5 coin.
Significantly, this is the first ever UK coin to be solely dedicated to The Duke, with a design by engraver, Thomas T. Docherty capturing the prince’s likeness in exquisite detail.
The perfect addition to any royal collection, issued in honour of a much-loved prince and future King, you can now secure your 2022 UK Prince William 40th Birthday £5 and preserve this significant moment in British royal history for generations to come.
Secure yours today for JUST £10.99 (+p&p) by clicking here >>
Whilst this is the only coin to be solely dedicated to HRH Prince William, he has been commemorated on two previous £5 coins…
2011 Royal Wedding £5
This £5 coin was issued to celebrate the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on 29th April 2011.
The reverse bears the officially approved portraits of the couple and is only the sixth time in history that a double portrait has appeared on British coinage.
The designer, Mark Richards FRBS, was chosen in an invitation only process and describes his depiction of the couple as ‘a feeling that pervades all the photographs I have seen of the couple together’.
The image is taken from one of their first official engagements together.
2018 Four Generations of Royalty £5
This Four Generations of Royalty £5 coin was highly anticipated since the moment HRH Prince George of Cambridge was born on 22nd July 2013.
This was the first time ever that The Royal Mint had issued a coin that celebrated all four generations of royalty 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.
Born to be King
Source: Royal Navy, OGL 3, via Wikimedia Commons
The Duke of Cambridge has been second in line to the throne, since his birth in 1982. From a young age, he possessed a desire to undertake charitable activities and projects.
Alongside his efforts in promoting the welfare of those who are serving or who have served their country in the Armed Forces, Prince William’s charitable efforts expand into global affairs.
Protecting the natural environment for future generations is one of Prince William’s key priorities. His Highness supports wildlife conservation initiatives and even led key programmes to end illegal wildlife trafficking on a global scale.
In October 2020, His Royal Highness launched ‘The Earthshot Prize’ designed to incentivise change and help to repair our planet over the next 10 years.
The Duke of Cambridge is also committed to helping children and young people. From convening a new industry-led taskforce to combat online bullying, to publically highlighting youth-engaging programmes, Prince William is dedicated to making a difference in young people’s lives.
In the year that marks HRH Prince William’s 40th birthday, we can celebrate his achievements in raising awareness of these important issues.
Secure the 2022 UK Prince William 40th Birthday £5 coin for your collection!
Secure the 2022 UK Prince William 40th Birthday £5 coin for your collection today for JUST £10.99 (+p&p) by clicking here >>
Your coin has been struck to a Brilliant Uncirculated quality and comes protectively encapsulated in official Change Checker packaging, to preserve the quality of your coin for generations to come.