The Royal Mint - Earlier this week
The Royal Mint announced that it would be striking a range of coins to mark the moment Her Majesty The Queen becomes Britain's
longest reigning monarch. The announcement proved very popular with coin collectors and fans of the royal family alike, as the website experienced overwhelming levels of traffic - the like not seen since the launch of the
first ever face value £100 coin. So, could this be the most popular coin of 2015?
On 9 September 2015 The Queen's reign will surpass that of Queen Victoria's, taking the length of her reign to 63 years, 216 days. and counting. A range of commemorative coins will mark the occasion, and, with prices ranging from £13 to £42,500, there's something for everyone interested in this historic event. So, lets take a look at the coins:
'The Longest Reign' by Stephen TaylorThis reverse design by
Royal Mint designer Stephen Taylor features the five portraits of The Queen that have appeared on circulating coins, the Coronation Crown, The Queen's Royal Cypher, the initials 'ST' for Stephen Taylor and the words 'The Longest Reign'. The design will feature on the
face value £20 coin, as well as the silver and
gold five-ounce and Kilo coins.
'One Crown' by James ButlerThe £5 coin is the traditional way to mark special royal event, so, in keeping with this tradition, a commemorative £5 design has also been issued to mark The Queen becoming Britain's longest reigning monarch. The reverse design by James Butler features the Coronation Crown, the dates '1952 - 2015', the initials 'JB' for James Butler and the words 'One Crown', which pay tribute to the significance of the fact that one person, Queen Elizabeth II, has worn that crown between the years 1952 and 2015. The official UK £5 coin is available in
Brilliant Uncirculated,
Silver Proof,
Silver Proof Piedfort,
Gold Proof and
Platinum Proof finishes.
The Longest Reigning Monarch effigy by James ButlerExcluding the £20, all the coins in the Longest Reigning Monarch coin range feature a new commemorative portrait by James Butler. This makes the UK £5 coin a modern rarity, as it is unusual in modern times for one artist to design both the obverse and reverse of a coin. In the portrait, The Queen is wearing the George IV State Diadem that features in the definitive portraits by Jody Clark and Raphael Maklouf.
The Longest Reigning Monarch UK coin range is available to order now on
royalmint.com.
Posted 09/05/2015 2:03 pm
