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BRITISH COINS, TOKENS & CURRENCY

COINS OF KING ARTHUR? 

These small, ancient copper coins, called Barbarous Radiates, are found in hoards in England.  They are crude privately made, ancient copies of third century Roman coins.  They are not generally regarded as forgeries as they are smaller than the standard issues.  The designs are based on the Roman Antoninianus which features the emperor wearing a radiate crown.  Some sources attribute them to the Dark Ages or the Saxon period, a time when the legendary King Arthur is said to have ruled.  Other sources attribute them to the late third century, when Britain and Gaul were under the control of their own self-declared emperors. Either way they are fascinating ancient coins from ancient Britain.

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RICHARD THE LIONHEART9

Richard the Lionheart was the King of England, Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony and Lord of Cyprus. Though he was born in England he disliked the country and spent less than six months there throughout his entire reign.  He regarded it as little more than a source of tax revenue. Most of his reign was spent in France, on Crusade or as a prisoner of Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI who held him for ransom while he was attempting to return home from the Third Crusade.  Richard's knightly prowess made him a popular king and the subject of legends. During the Third Crusade he occupied Sicily and captured Cyprus with the aid of Levon of Armenia before arriving in the Holy Land in 1191. He sold Cyprus to the Knights Templar   In 1199 Richard died after being wounded while laying siege to a castle in an effort to get a hoard of gold that had been found by a peasant.  Richard’s coins from England are very scarce and pricy.  This Anglo-Gallic silver Denier of Richard the Lionheart is much more reasonable.  The coin has a simple design. One side has his name on it “RICA / DIUS” while the other has a cross and the name of the mint (Aquitaine or Poitou).  As is typical of coins of that era, it is crudely engraved and weakly struck.

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THE FAMOUS CHURCHILL CROWN  

The 1965 British 5 Shilling coin (also known as a Crown) honored the death of Sir Winston Churchill. It was the first British coin to portray a commoner since the Cromwells in the 1650’s and it was the last 5 Shilling coin ever struck by Great Britain. Churchill is remembered for his leadership and courage during World War II. as well as being a talented author, historian, painter and horseman. He received the Nobel Prize in literature and was the first person to be made an honorary citizen of the United States. One side of the coin depicts Mary Gillick’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth. The other portrays a rough portrait of Churchill.

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QUEEN ELIZABETH CELEBRATES SILVER JUBILEE OF REIGN   

Great Britain struck this 25 Pence in 1977 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee (25th Anniversary) of Queen Elizabeth’s reign.  The obverse depicts the Queen on horseback, a design derived from the Queen's 1953 Coronation Crown. The reverse features the eagle-shaped ampulla and the anointing spoon which have been used in British coronations for hundreds of years.   Above them is the Royal Crown.  The 25 Pence is the decimal equivalent to the old 1 Crown.  The 38.6mm coin is struck in copper-nickel.

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CHARLES & DI ROYAL WEDDING CROWN FROM GREAT BRITAIN  

The marriage of Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, to Lady Diana Spencer was called a fairytale wedding. Great Britain issued this 38.5mm copper-nickel 25 Pence coin in 1981 to commemorate royal wedding of Prince Charles to Lady Diana. Pictured on one side are the busts of Charles & Diana. The other side pictures Queen Elizabeth. The marriage, which started with such promise, ended in divorce and Diana’s subsequent death in a tragic automobile accident. The coin has always been popular with admirers of Lady Di as well as coin collectors.

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GREAT BRITAIN 1964 COIN SET

This eight-coin set includes all the coins issued by Great Britain for circulation in 1964. Included is the half-penny depicting Sir Francis Drake's sailing ship the Golden Hind.  The Penny depicts the seated figure of Britannia, a design that dates back to Roman coins of the second century AD.  The 12-sided 3 Pence depicts a crowned Tudor portcullis.  The emblem was first used by Henry VII, and later adopted as the emblem of Parliament. The 6 Pence features the intertwined rose, shamrock, thistle and leek, representing England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Two versions of the Shilling were issued, one with the English shield (3 lions) and the other with the Scottish shield (standing lion).  The 2 Shillings features the Tudor rose surrounded by thistles, shamrocks and leeks.  The 1/2 Crown depicts the shield from the Royal coat of arms flanked by E and R.  The Mary Gillick portrait of young Queen Elizabeth is on the obverse of all the coins.  It is an attractive and historic coin set.

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BU BRITISH COIN SETS

These unpackaged Great Britain year sets are Brilliant Uncirculated coins taken from official British Mint Sets.  The 7-coin  sets contain the 1, 2,. 5, 10, 20, 50 Pence and 1 Pound coins. The design of the 1 Pound coin varies by year.

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MAJOR BRITISH WRONG PLANCHET ERRORS

These British 2 Pence coins were struck on 1 Pence blanks! The coins are copper-plated steel and weigh 3.56 grams, which corresponds to the 1 Pence. The coins are slightly out of round and the edges are a bit irregular as is expected on a wrong planchet error. Most likely the 1 Pence blanks got stuck in some minting equipment or bins and did not shake loose until after production had been changed to 2 Pence.  The coins appear to have been struck between 1992 and about 2001.  As might be expected, each piece is different depending exactly how the dies hit the undersized planchet.   Most pieces have the date struck off the planchet.

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PADDINGTON BEAR COINS FROM GREAT BRITAIN

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the publication of the first Paddington Bear book the British Royal Mint started a series of circulating 50 Pence coins depicting that beloved bear at sites around London.  The two 2018 coins feature Paddington Bear at the train station and at Buckingham Palace. On the two 2019 coins he appears at the Tower of London and at St. Paul's Cathedral.  All three of the seven-sided copper-nickel coins depict Queen Elizabeth on the obverse. The coins are Uncirculated, though may have some minor nicks or bag marks.

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NEW BRITISH 2022 CHARLES III 50 PENCE  

The first circulating coin of Great Britain to bear the portrait of King Charles III is this 2022 dated 50 Pence.  Queen Elizabeth II died September 8, 2022 and the coin bearing the new king's portrait was released into circulation in December.  King Charles III is depicted on the obverse.  The reverse is dedicated to "the life and legacy" of Queen Elizabeth. The design is derived from the first two British 1 Crown coins of Queen Elizabeth:  the 1953 issue commemorating her coronation and the 1960 New York British Exhibition.  It depicts the badges of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and national flower emblems of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland surrounding the royal crown.  Because Wales was formally incorporated into England, the arms of England is depicted twice rather than the arms of Wales.

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LAST BANKNOTE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH FEATURES WINSTON CHURCHILL

This attractive polymer note from Great Britain is the last 5 Pound note to depict Queen Elizabeth. The front pictures Queen Elizabeth and the Bank of England building.  In addition, it has a clear window depicting the Queen and Big Ben as well as a holographic image that changes from "Five" to "Pounds" as the note is shifted.  Winston Churchill is featured on the back of the note of Great Britain.  Churchill, who led Britain through much of World War II, is considered one of the greatest statesmen of all time and is the only British Prime Minister to win a Nobel Prize in literature.  Next to Churchill on the note is an image of Westminster, Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) and an image of his Nobel Prize. Beneath him is his famous quote that he gave at the House of Commons upon assuming leadership of the government in 1940 "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."   It is an impressive and historic banknote.

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2023 SILVER BRITANNIA DEPICTING QUEEN ELIZABETH 

Even though Queen Elizabeth died September 8, 2023, the British Royal mint has released 2023 dated 1 troy ounce silver Britannias depicting the Queen on the obverse.  Quite likely they started preparing to make the coins before the Queen's death.  Silver Britannias depicting Charles III are expected to be released later. The coin incorporates many security features including a latent image that changes from a padlock to Britannia’s famous trident, a micro-text inscription that reads in Latin "Decus Et Tutamen" (an ornament and a safeguard), tincture lines within the stripes of the Union Jack and a surface animation that imitates the movement of ocean waves. The 38.61mm coin is struck in .999 and has the nominal value of 2 Pounds. 

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2023 KING CHARLES III 1 OUNCE SILVER BRITANNIA

2023 is the first British 1 troy ounce silver Britannia of King Charles III.  The 38.61mm coin features his portrait on the obverse. The reverse depicts Britannia standing holding a trident and a shield. It also incorporates many security features including a latent image that changes from a padlock to Britannia’s famous trident, a micro-text inscription that reads in Latin "Decus Et Tutamen" (an ornament and a safeguard), tincture lines within the stripes of the Union Jack and a surface animation that imitates the movement of ocean waves. The 38.61mm coin is struck in .999 and has the nominal value of 2 Pounds.  

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BRITISH ARMED FORCES CURRENCY

To try to control black market activities and currency speculation where British troops were stationed overseas Great Britain paid troops with a special currency called British Armed Forces Special Vouchers. The notes were only to be used in military canteens.  They were first issued for use in occupied Germany following World War II.   The set of three 1 Pound notes, consisting of the Second Series 1 Pound note which was introduced in Germany in 1948, the Third Series 1 Pound note which was briefly used during the Suez Crisis in 1956 and the Fourth Series1 Pound note, which printed in 1962 at the height of the Cold War. 

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1838 SCOTTISH COMMUNION TOKEN

Many churches in Scotland and England would hold Holy Communion only once a year or less. Only those deemed worthy were allowed to partake. Those worthy were given a special token, which had to be presented in order to take communion.   Being worthy was often associated with financial contributions.  This communion token dated 1838 was issued by the Established Church of Scotland in the small village of Monzie in Perthshire in central Scotland.  Today little remains of Monzie other than a castle, some Bed and Breakfasts and the church which no longer holds regular services.  The 29mm x 19mm pewter token has “MONZIE” on one side and the date on the other.  In 1843 the minister and a majority of the members of the Monzie Church resigned in order to form the Monzie Free Church, taking part in The Great Disruption.  The Free Church of Scotland broke away from the Church of Scotland because of their opposition to the power of local landowners having the right to appoint the ministers to a parish

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ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND 1 POUND NOTE

The Royal Bank of Scotland is the second oldest bank in Scotland and one of the three note issuing banks in Scotland. It was founded in 1727.  In 1728 it was the first bank to offer overdrafts.  In the early 21st century it overextended itself in an attempt to expand internationally and in 2008 had to be bailed out by the British government, who still owns a majority of the bank. This 1 Pound note of the Royal Bank of Scotland is dated January 10, 1981.  To the right is a watermark of Adam Smith.  On the left is the bank's coat of arms.  The back pictures Edinburgh Castle. 

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KITTY CATS ON PARADE

From 1988 to 2016, the Isle of Man (home of the Manx cat) issued a 1 Crown coin featuring a different breed of cat. Queen Elizabeth is on the obverse of the coins.  The series apparently came to an end in 2016 when the Pobjoy Mint lost the contract to strike coins for the Isle of Man.  The 38.6mm copper-nickel coins are popular with both cat lovers and coin collectors.    The coins are pictured in order starting with the latest issue in the top left going down to the the first 1988 issue at the bottom. Hold your pointer over the coin to see which the cat and the year.

SPECIAL - GET THE COMPLETE SET OF ALL 29 OF THE ABOVE ISLE OF MAN CAT COINS AND SAVE!
(The set is not packaged, each coin comes in its own envelope)

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KING CHARLES III ON COIN FOR  SCOTLAND 

The outline of the head of King Charles III is featured on this undated, multi-colored unofficial pattern 2 Pound coin was issued for Scotland.  One side of the coins depicts the outline of the bust of Charles wearing the royal crown. His royal cipher and the arms of Scotland are in color.  The other side depicts a Scottish thistle and a Golden Eagle in color.  The 40mm coins are struck on silver plated brass with Proof finish.  Only 250 pieces were minted.

Item SCOT2 SCOTLAND 2 POUNDS COIN (2016) PROOF $24.00

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BRITISH HEROES COINS INCLUDE MULTI-COLORED BRITISH FLAG 

Heroes of Great Britain are featured this five coin set from the tiny British possession of Tristan da Cunha.  Each of the five gold-plated 38.6mm 1 Crown coins includes an embedded red, white and blue Union Jack of the United Kingdom. The 5 coin set contains an individually serial numbered coin featuring “The Lone Soldier”, a memorial to the fallen.  Battle of Britain pilots Douglas Badar and Keith Parks, along with their airplanes, are each featured on their own coin.  British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, along with World War II aircraft is on the fourth coin.  Horatio Nelson, hero of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and his ship, is on the fifth coin.  Queen Elizabeth is on the obverse of each of the 2010 dated coins. The coins are Brilliant Uncirculated.

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