UK coins
A History of Queen Elizabeth II on Coins
From the post boxes on the street to the change in our pockets, each day we are reminded of our late monarch – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (1926 – 2022).
And, with 29 billion individual coins in circulation in the UK – the majority of which carry an image of Her Majesty – her likeness will forever be etched in our memories and passed down for generations on our coinage.
These very coins offer a window into the past and retell the history of Her Majesty’s 70 year reign through the changing portraits seen on our coinage.
Portraits of the Queen
The Young Queen | 1953 – 67: Mary Gillick
The first coins of Queen Elizabeth’s reign featured Mary Gillick’s portrait of the young Queen, created especially for the new coins in 1953.
The “Decimal Queen” | 1968 – 84: Arnold Machin RA
With the decimalisation of the UK’s coinage on the horizon, it was decided to refresh the Queen’s portrait with Arnold Machin’s new effigy of the Queen. Commissioned in 1964, it first appeared in 1968 on the new 5p and 10p coins.
The Grandmother | 1985 – 97: Raphael Maklouf
Raphael Maklouf aimed “to create a symbol, regal and ageless” when he created the new effigy of Her Majesty. This coincided with the Queen’s early years as a grandmother and depicts Queen Elizabeth II wearing the royal diadem worn on the way to and from the State Opening of Parliament.
Millennium Queen | 1998 – 2014: Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS
As the Millennium approached, a fourth effigy was released onto our coinage, designed by Ian Rank-Broadley. Its larger size filled the full circle of the coin and was a deliberate response to the smaller 5p and 10p coins in circulation. This more mature portrayal of Her Majesty aimed to show the Queen with “poise and bearing”.
The Longest Reigning Monarch | 2015 – 2022: Jody Clark
The final portrait of Her Majesty was introduced in 2015 – the year that the Queen passed Victoria as our longest reigning monarch. It is, of course, that design that will continue to remind us of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for years to come, as her old currency continues to circulate long after her death.
Special Obverse Designs
Not only will the Queen be remembered for her portraits on coins, but for two very special obverse designs.
The first dates back to the very first coin released for Queen Elizabeth II – her Coronation Crown in 1953. The second was from the 2022 Platinum Jubilee coins.
Both picture the Queen on horseback, celebrating Her Majesty with her greatest love – horses. Surely there can be no better way to remember Her Majesty than through these two great designs. If you’re lucky enough to have either in your collection, let us know in the comments below!
Do you have a favourite coin portrait or obverse design on Her Majesty? Leave a comment to share yours.
Commemorate Her Majesty on Coins
As you can imagine, demand for QE II coinage is at an all-time high.
Don’t miss the chance to fill the gaps in your royalty coin collection here >>
To collect, or not to collect…the Shakespeare £2 coins!
The answer, of course, is to collect!
Seasoned collectors will know that the 2016 Shakespeare £2 coins are some of the most popular coins in circulation. This isn’t only because they celebrate the most influential literary figure in British history, but because of their intriguing designs and interesting mintage figures.
The Shakespeare £2 coins were issued in 2016 to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of playwright, poet and actor, William Shakespeare. Each of the 3 coins honours a different genre of Shakespeare’s works – tragedies, comedies and histories.
Tragedies
The Shakespeare Tragedies £2 is inspired by Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies such as Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. The design, by John Bergdahl, features a skull from the iconic scene in Hamlet where the Prince speaks to the skull of dead court jester, Yorick, lamenting over the fragility of life and the inevitability of death. Next to the skull is a rose, representing Romeo and Juliet.
The edge inscription even reads ‘WHAT A PIECE OF WORK IS A MAN’ – the start of a well know quote from Hamlet.
Histories
This coin pays tribute to Shakespeare’s historical plays. It carries the edge inscription ‘THE HOLLOW CROWN’ and features a crown and dagger design. The crown represents the seven different kings who were titular characters in Shakespeare’s historical plays, and the sword is a symbols of the battles and wars that took place in many of these stories.
Comedies
The Comedies £2 features a design of a cap and bells with a Jester’s stick, taking inspiration from Shakespeare’s most famous comedy play – A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
It features the edge inscription ‘ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE’, a quote from As You Like It.
Did you know?
When these coins first entered circulation back in 2016, they were stocked in the tills at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, where Hamlet was being performed at the time.
Mintage Figures
On entering circulation in 2016, mintage figures were released, revealing the Shakespeare Comedies £2 as the rarest of the 3 coins with only 4,355,000 entering circulation. Original figures released were as follows:
- Shakespeare Histories: 4,615,000
- Shakespeare Tragedies: 5,995,000
- Shakespeare Comedies: 4,355,000
However this would change 3 years later in 2019 when the mintages of the Histories £2 and the Tragedies £2 were corrected. Although the Comedies £2 remained the rarest of the 3, it turns out the mintage of the Tragedies £2 was lower than originally stated.
The corrected mintage figures for the 2016 Shakespeare £2 coins are as follows:
- Shakespeare Histories: 5,655,000
- Shakespeare Tragedies: 4,615,000
- Shakespeare Comedies: 4,355,000
As you can see from the £2 mintage figure chart below, both the Comedies and Tragedies are in the top 30 rarest coins in circulation (based solely on mintage figures).
Do you have any Shakespeare £2 coins in your collection? Let us know in the comments!
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
Change Checker LIVE 50p Swap is coming to Essex…
We’re extremely excited to announce that we’re bringing our Change Checker Live 50p Swap to Essex!
Join us on Saturday 13th April from 9am – 9pm in Lakeside Shopping Centre where we’ll be giving collectors the chance to swap ANY UK 50p coin for a brand new Brilliant Uncirculated UK 50p.
Usually, collectors only get the chance to swap their coins for one new coin design at our live swap events, however this time is a bit different…
We’re pitting two extremely popular 50p series against each other and giving you the choice of either a Star Wars™ OR Harry Potter 50p!
Our Brilliant Uncirculated UK 50ps usually retail for £5.99, so this is a chance to get your hands on one in superior collector quality for just face value!
We’ll be taking 1,000 50ps with us to swap on the day – half made from a mix of Star Wars™ 50ps and the other half a mix of Harry Potter 50ps – but which series will prove most popular?
Which 50p would you chose?
We’ve had quite a debate at Change Checker HQ about which coin series is the best, and we’d love to know what you think! Would you choose a Harry Potter 50p or a Star Wars™ 50p?
Make sure to cast your vote below to settle the argument once and for all!
Lakeside Shopping Centre, Essex
Lakeside Shopping Centre is a large shopping centre located in West Thurrock, Essex, just beyond the eastern boundary of Greater London. The shopping centre, in addition to the surrounding retail parks, forms one of the largest shopping areas in a single location within Europe!
The centre has over 250 shops, 50 cafes and restaurants, and a 26-acre lake. Approximately 500,000 people visit Lakeside every week.
Credit: Sunil060902, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
FAQs
Where can I find you in Lakeside Shopping Centre?
We’ll be located on the ground floor (level 1) outside The Fragrance Shop, see map below.
How many coins can I swap?
Such is the popularity of our Live Coin Swaps, and to ensure it’s fair for everybody, we’re limiting the number of swaps to strictly 1 swap per person.
Can I reserve a coin before I arrive?
To ensure a fair swap event for everyone, we do not offer reservations of coins. It is a strictly first come first served basis.
How do I get there?
You can find information on how to get to Lakeside Shopping Centre here >>
Can’t make it?
Whilst we hope to see you at our Live Swap, if you’re unable to come along, you can still secure these coins for your collection in Brilliant Uncirculated quality.
Shop the UK Star Wars™ 50p Range >>
