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Queen’s Beasts Series Commemorated with FINAL Celebratory £5!
In 2017, The Royal Mint revealed a series of brand new base metal UK £5 coins featuring an intriguing range of creatures called the ‘Queen’s Beasts’.
The series has been inspired by the ten ancestral and heraldic beasts that have watched over Her Majesty The Queen throughout her unprecedented reign – from her coronation to her Sapphire Jubilee and beyond.
Today, the series as a whole has been commemorated with a BRAND NEW celebratory coin as a fitting finale.
Designed by acclaimed Royal Mint engraver, Jody Clark, the reverse of this coin features not just one, but ALL TEN beasts together on a single coin to celebrate the series as a whole.
The design features each heraldic creature from the series in a striking illustration of Her Majesty’s royal line of descent.
Recognisable as national symbols and representations of the great houses that vied for the throne, the beasts include lions, a bull, a falcon, a horse and a greyhound, as well as creatures of myth and legend.
The Queen’s Beast coins have been some of the most popular releases of recent years and this FINAL celebratory coin is the perfect way to complete the series.
To secure yours in Brilliant Uncirculated quality and in Official Change Checker packaging for JUST £10.99 (+p&p), simply click here >>
The History of the Queen’s Beasts
Over 400 years ago Henry VIII commissioned the sculpting of 10 heraldic animal statues. They were produced to represent the ancestry of King Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour. These became known as “The King’s Beasts” and can still be seen to this day, guarding the main entrance to Hampton Court Palace.
In 1952, in preparation for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, sculptor Sir James Woodford was tasked to create ten new statues, similar to “The King’s Beasts” but more suited to the Queen.
He created 10 six-foot tall beasts each representing a different part of her genealogy and thus “The Queen’s Beasts” were born.
The 10 beasts were made up of ‘The Lion of England’, ‘The White Greyhound of Richmond’, ‘The Yale of Beaufort’, ‘The Red Dragon of Wales’, ‘The White Horse of Hanover’, ‘The White Lion of Mortimer’, ‘The Unicorn of Scotland’, ‘The Griffin of Edward III’, ‘The Black Bull of Clarence’ and ‘The Falcon of the Plantagenets’.
The Royal Mint Celebrate the Queen’s Beasts with Their Biggest Coin Ever Made
To mark the conclusion of the Queen’s Beasts commemorative coin collection, The Royal Mint issued a 10kg, 20cm wide coin with the denomination of £10,000.
Taking over 400 hours to produce (including four days of polishing!) this one of a kind original is the latest issue in The Royal Mint’s MasterWorks series.
The production of this coin combined traditional engraving machines to cut the intricate design, followed by a master toolmaker hand-working the coin to remove any marks from the cutting.
One lucky collector is already claimed to be the owner of this masterpiece, having allegedly paying a six-figure amount!
We certainly think it’s an impressive addition to any collection and it’s issue acts as a testament to the popularity and mastery of the Queen’s Beast coins.
Change Checkers have voted for their favourite Queen’s Beasts £5 Coin!
These impressive creatures have each been commemorated on highly sought-after UK £5 coins as a striking illustration of the royal line of descent.
We asked you to vote for your favourite Queen’s Beasts coin and the results are in…
It seems this brand new 2021 UK Queen’s Beasts £5 coin is the favourite amongst Change Checkers, as it takes an impressive 55% of the votes! The 2017 Unicorn of Scotland comes in second, closely followed by the recent 2021 Griffin of Edward III £5.
Will you be securing the brand new 2021 UK Queen’s Beasts £5 for your collection? Let us know in the comments below!
Secure the 2021 UK Queen’s Beasts £5 in Brilliant Uncirculated Quality!
Own the brand new 2021 UK Queen’s Beasts £5 in CERTIFIED Brilliant Uncirculated quality for JUST £10.99 (+p&p).
Your superior collector quality coin has been protectively encapsulated in Official Change Checker packaging to preserve for generations to come.
Secure your 2021 UK Queen’s Beasts £5 today by clicking here >>
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.