New Coin Info - October 2021

The first coin in the new Royal Tudor Beasts series may have only just been released, but thanks to the Privy Council, we may know what the second coin in the series will be - the Lion of England!  

You may be thinking this sounds familiar, and you're correct; the Lion of England was actually the first release in the Queen's Beasts proof coin series, back in 2016.  

The reverse of the Tudor Beast coins are designed by David Lawrence. Known for his work as a surrealist painter, we are eager to see what his interpretation of the beast will look like. 

2022 sees Queen Elizabeth II reach 70 years of service. Her Platinum Jubilee won't just be commemorated on the 2022 Royal Coat of Arms sovereigns, but also on a series of 50p coins. The first thing of note from the Privy Council notice is that we can expect to see two obverse designs! 

According to the notice, the reverse will feature the number '70' with the Royal Cypher and the dates 1952 - 2022. As for the obverse, the first design is listed as an "impression Our effigy with the inscription “· ELIZABETH II · D · G · REG · F · D · 50 PENCE ·” and the date of the year". We regularly see this description on the Privy Council so we can safely assume it will be the Jody Clark fifth coinage portrait of Elizabeth. 

The second design has certainly piqued our interest. It is described as:

"Our effigy on horseback with the inscription “· ELIZABETH II · D · G · REG · F · D · 50 PENCE ·” accompanied by the Garter Belt with the inscription “· HONI · SOIT · QUI · MAL · Y · PENSE ·” and the date of the year". 

The description of  "our effigy on horseback" immediately made us think of the 1953 Coronation crown which featured a design by Edgar Fuller, of a uniformed Queen Elizabeth II on horseback. This design appeared again on the 2002 Golden Jubilee £5 coins. We'd be interested to see an updated version of this on the 2022 coins. 

The phrase HONI · SOIT · QUI · MAL · Y · PENSE (French for "evil be to him who evil thinks thereof") has appeared on many coins, including Benedetto Pistrucci's original St George and the Dragon design. 

The Commonwealth Games take place every 4 years and the 2022 games will be held in Birmingham. This is only the third time the games have been hosted by England, having taken place in London in 1934 and Manchester in 2002. The 2022 games start on 28th July, when 72 Commonwealth nations will compete in 22 different sports. 

The design of the coin is described as "the symbol of Commonwealth Sport and the inscription “BIRMINGHAM 2022 COMMONWEALTH GAMES”

The coin is set to be issued in gold, silver and base metal. Just like the Jubilee 50p coin, there is also mention of a platinum version of the Commonwealth Games 50p.

We think we may have spotted the next instalment in the Great Engravers Series. Introduced in 2019, the design on the first Great Engravers coin was based on William Wyon's Una and the Lion design. It was hugely successful and the 2020 follow up coin, based on Wyon's The Three Graces did not disappoint! Ever since then there has been a lot of speculation about what the next coin in the series will be, with talk on the coin forums that it will be based on Queen Victoria's gothic crown.

We weren't sure whether the coin would feature the gothic portrait or the crowned shield reverse - and now we have our answer... it will have both. That's right, the notice states two different designs!

"(a) a portrait of Queen Victoria accompanied by the inscription “VICTORIA DEI GRATIA BRITANNIAR : REG : F : D ·”;
or
(b) a depiction of the crowned shields of England, Scotland and Ireland accompanied by the inscription “TUEATUR UNITA DEUS ANNO DOM” accompanied by the date of the year in Roman numerals."

Whether there will actually be two designs issued is yet to be seen. It is possible the mint were undecided about which to use so submitted both designs. Or it could be that they realise how collectable the coins are so have decided to entice us with two new coins in the series. You'll have to stay tuned to find out!

The Royal Mint will issue a £2 coin honouring the life of the Forces' Sweetheart, Dame Vera Lynn. The singer is best known for her work entertaining the troops during the second world war. Her song 'We'll Meet Again' is one of the most famous songs of the wartime era. 2022 would have been Vera's 105th birthday. Sadly, she passed away in 2020 at the age of 103.

The design will feature "a portrait of Dame Vera Lynn with the inscription “DAME VERA LYNN 1917 - 2020”". The edge text will read "WE’LL MEET AGAIN".

Football fans will be happy to see an upcoming coin celebrating the FA cup! This £2 coin will mark 150 years of the FA Cup, the first tournament having run from November 1871 until March 1872. This isn't the first football £2 coin the Royal Mint have produced; the 1996 football £2 celebrated the European Football Championship. 

The 2022 coin is set to show the FA Cup with the inscription “CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF THE FA CUP”. The edge text will read “FOOTBALL’S GREATEST CUP COMPETITION”.

We wonder if this coin will be popular amongst Arsenal fans. The team holds the record for the most FA Cup wins, having claimed the trophy 14 times!

2022 will mark 100 years since the death of the inventor, Alexander Graham Bell. The Scottish-born scientist is best known for patenting the first telephone, revolutionising how we communicate.

The £2 coin will feature a numbered telephone keypad with the dates “1847” and “1922” and the inscription “ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL”. The edge text will read “INNOVATION IN SCIENCE · BELL”.