The total number struck is nevertheless no more than a few hundred. The coin features William Wyon’s famous Young Head portrait of Queen Victoria, whilst the reverse depicts the queen as Una guiding the British lion. The gold five-pound piece of 1839, though not as spectacularly rare as the Edward VIII pattern coins, is arguably one of the most beautiful coins in the world. The Vigo Five-Guinea coin was one of only a handful made from gold bullion captured by the British fleet at the Battle of Vigo Bay in northern Spain on 23 October 1702.Īt an auction in New York, one of these coins sold for £703,000. The Royal Mint set a new UK coin record by sourcing and selling an Edward VIII Sovereign for £1 million. As a result, no coins bearing his effigy were ever struck for circulation but a handful of trial and pattern pieces of the new monarch’s coins were produced. There are, however, good references in the Mint’s records to possibly suggest at least one more had been made.Īs this was an ordinary circulating coin, it might have sneaked out into circulation and people would actively look through their change prior to decimalisation in the hope of finding one.Įdward VIII abdicated after only a few short months on the throne. The Royal Mint’s records refer to six being struck, three to go under the foundation stones of buildings and three to national collections. The 1933 penny is one of the most famous coins from the UK. Many of the Sovereigns struck in that year were sent to the United States of America to pay off war debt. As a result, Sovereigns ceased to be issued for use in circulation and production at The Royal Mint in London ended in 1917. Before the war, it was seen as a huge luxury to have gold in your change but during the war it was seen as impractical due to funds being needed for the war effort. Rarest 50p coin designs released into circulation in 2022Ĭirculating gold coinage was a casualty of the First World War.We spoke to Matt Curtis, The Royal Mint’s Historics and Collector Services Expert, about some of the rare coins that have been minted over the years. In fact, the circulating bimetallic £2 coin is only just over 20 years old.

The decimal system we use today has only been around since 1971 and many of the shapes and sizes of coins in daily use have changed in that time. Many people have collected coins throughout their lives or have been handed coins which have moved from generation to generation.

Collectable 50p list