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Lima British Early Milled Coins

Lima British Early Milled Coins

The coins provenance marked LIMA are all made with precious metals from treasure captured from Spanish ships off the coast of the Peruvian city of Lima by the English Privateers John Morecock and James Talbot, Captains of the Prince Frederick and the Duke in 1745.

By Coinsanduk | Thursday, February 15, 2024

2 Pence 1983 - Mule - New Pence

2 Pence 1983 - Mule - New Pence

All 2 pence coins struck between 1971 and 1981 included the words New Pence as part of their reverse. In 1982 and in subsequent years, the words New Pence were replaced with the words Two Pence. However, in 1983, a small number of 2 pence coins were mistakenly struck with the wording New Pence on the reverse and were included in special sets intended for collectors.

By Coinsanduk | Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Elephant and Castle on British Coins - The Royal African Company

Elephant and Castle on British Coins - The Royal African Company

The Elephant and Castle symbol comes from the emblem of the Royal African Company in Africa. It was founded, as The Company of Royal Adventurers Trading to Africa after Charles II ascended to the throne in 1660.

By Coinsanduk | Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Battle of Vigo - 1702-1703 Anne British Coins

Battle of Vigo - 1702-1703 Anne British Coins

Coins struck from the treasures found after the battle bore the word VIGO below Anne's bust and are rare and valuable. It was mostly use as a tool of propaganda and was included in a campaign to add reputation to the Queen. Denominations with VIGO under the bust include: Half Guineas, Guineas, Two Guineas, Five Guineas, Crowns, Halfcrowns, Shillings and Sixpences. Silver VIGO coinage is not rare but is sought-after.

By Coinsanduk | Saturday, January 13, 2024

Designs on British coins from 1971 to 2008

Designs on British coins from 1971 to 2008

Before decimalisation, a pound equalled 20 shillings and each shilling was worth 12 pence. Working with a base unit of 12 made calculations quite difficult. Decimalisation began on February 15, 1971 (decimal day). At the time, most countries around the world had decimal-based currencies. Since, the pound has been divided into 100 (new) pence. For the new denominations, the Royal Mint also commissions the coins' designs.

By thecanadiannumismatist | Monday, January 8, 2024

50 pence 1973 - European Economic Community

50 pence 1973 - European Economic Community

A one-year design was produced in 1973 for the 50 pence coins. It was issued to commemorate Britain's entry into the European Economic Community (EEC).

By Coinsanduk | Friday, January 5, 2024

Edward VIII 13-coin proof sets

Edward VIII 13-coin proof sets

On March 25, 2021 a 5 pounds pattern 1937 featuring Edward VIII sold for £1,900,000 after 42 bids at Heritage Auctions. This coin is certified PR-67 Ultra Cameo by NGC. According to Joseph Giordano, in his Portraits of a Prince, recorded approximately 6 sets known to him in 2009, most of which have been broken-up since their initial issuance.

By Coinsanduk | Thursday, May 13, 2021

Una and the Lion - Most beautiful coins ever produced

Una and the Lion - Most beautiful coins ever produced

One of the rarest coins in Great Britain, and a coin much sought after by collectors, is the Una and the Lion five pounds. This was a gold coin from the reign of Queen Victoria that depicted the young queen symbolically leading the British Lion.

By Coinsanduk | Thursday, February 18, 2021

Rarest and most valuable pre-decimal British circulating coins

Rarest and most valuable pre-decimal British circulating coins

Gold coins, proofs and patterns were intentionally excluded from this list since they will have their own lists. Here's are the most rare and valuable pre-decimal (1816 to 1967) British circulating coins sorted by denomination and date.

By Coinsanduk | Saturday, December 5, 2020

Penny 1933 - Most sought-after bronze coin for several decades

Penny 1933 - Most sought-after bronze coin for several decades

This is the most famous penny of the last 150 years and was one of the most sought-after bronze coin in the world for several decades. Because most of the 1932 pennies were still not released into circulation, the 1933 penny was not produced in large quantities. Less than 15 are known to exist, including the one that was stolen and disappeared in August, 1970.

By Coinsanduk | Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Grading British Coins

Grading British Coins

Used by most major third party grading companies, the Sheldon scale is a numerical grading system (1 to 70) instead of a adjectival grading system, like it is sometimes used for nonencapsulated and certified coins, to qualify the quality of a coin. It was first presented in 1949 as a way to grade United States cents, but it was only chose by the American Numismatic Association in the 1970s for all US coins.

By Coinsanduk | Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Old Denominations - Tudor Sovereign

Old Denominations - Tudor Sovereign

For the sake of clarity, issues of the Tudor sovereign can be usefully divided into three groups: sovereigns struck in fine (995) gold; sovereign issues of the Great Debasement; and sovereigns struck in crown (916) gold after the Debasement.

By RMM | Thursday, October 15, 2020

Old Denominations - Tudor Half-Sovereign

Old Denominations - Tudor Half-Sovereign

Timeline of the Tudor Sovereign including specifications and issues during the Great Debasement and post-Debasement (1544 to 1604).

By RMM | Friday, October 2, 2020

Old Denominations - British Coins

Old Denominations - British Coins

The coins that have made up the British currency have had many different names. From angels and nobles to tanners and bobs, there have been affectionate nicknames and functional descriptions. Revisit the fractional farthings, farthing, halfpenny, penny, threepence, sixpence, shilling, florin, half-crown and crown.

By RMM | Friday, September 25, 2020

Edward III 1343 Florin - One of the most expensive coin in the world

Edward III 1343 Florin - One of the most expensive coin in the world

Listed in most top 10 most expensive coins in the world, only 3 examples of this medieval England gold coin exist. Also called Double Leopard, 2 of them are owned by the British Museum in London and both of them were found together by schoolchildren on the River Tyne in 1857.

By Coinsanduk | Tuesday, June 9, 2020

The unique 1952 Proof Penny

The unique 1952 Proof Penny

The only kown 1952 british penny, submitted by Sovereign Rarities, a London-based coin dealer, was certified recently by NGC. This unique coin was graded Proof-64 Red and Brown. In 2016, Spink estimated the value of this coin at £75,000.

By Coinsanduk | Monday, April 20, 2020

Edward VIII Sovereign - The 1 Million Pounds Gold Coin

Edward VIII Sovereign - The 1 Million Pounds Gold Coin

This gold (22-carat) £1,000,000 coin was created as part of a trial set following Edward VIII's ascension to the throne in January 1936, but was never released to the public after he gave up the throne. First British coin in history to sell for that price, this Edward VIII Sovereign example was described by the Royal Mint, which oversaw the transaction, as one of the most coveted in the world.

By Coinsanduk | Sunday, March 15, 2020

Maundy money

Maundy money

The Royal Maundy is an ancient ceremony which has its origin in the commandment Christ gave after washing the feet of his disciples on the day before Good Friday. The commandment, or mandatum, that ye love one another (John XIII 34) is still recalled regularly by Christian churches throughout the world and the ceremony of washing the feet of the poor which was accompanied by gifts of food and clothing, can be traced back to the fourth century.

By The Royal Mint | Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Trial of the Pyx History

Trial of the Pyx History

The name Pyx refers to the chests in which the coins are transported, and derives from the Pyx chamber in Westminster Abbey where historically the chests were kept. Little has changed in the procedure since the reign of Henry III; throughout the year, coins are randomly selected from every batch of each denomination struck, sealed in bags containing 50 coins each, and locked away in the Pyx boxes for testing at the Trial.

By The Royal Mint | Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The History of the Gold Sovereign

The History of the Gold Sovereign

The name Pyx refers to the chests in which the coins are transported, and derives from the Pyx chamber in Westminster Abbey where historically the chests were kept. Little has changed in the procedure since the reign of Henry III; throughout the year, coins are randomly selected from every batch of each denomination struck, sealed in bags containing 50 coins each, and locked away in the Pyx boxes for testing at the Trial.

By The Royal Mint | Wednesday, February 15, 2012

The Story of Decimal Coinage

The Story of Decimal Coinage

For those of us under the age of 50, it is hard to imagine accounting in pounds, shillings and pence, a system whereby 12 pennies made a shilling and 20 shillings a pound. But that was the complex arithmetic our grandparents wrestled with and, moreover, was a system which they were reluctant to see disappear.

By The Royal Mint | Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Britannia - The Spirit of a Nation

Britannia - The Spirit of a Nation

When the Romans subdued these shores, they named the territory Britannia, personifying the province in the form of a female warrior. Conceived as a symbol of strength, this inspiring figure helped establish political unity. And for 2,000 years she's been a reassuring presence through times of upheaval and change. Dynasties fall but Britannia endures, underpinning our national identity.

By The Royal Mint | Wednesday, February 15, 2012

History of the Florin

History of the Florin

In 1344, during the reign of England's King Edward III, an impressive gold coinage comprising the Florin or Double Leopard, valued at six shillings, and its half and quarter, the Leopard and Helm respectively, were introduced. The design of the Florin was based on the contemporary gold issues of France's Philip de Valois.

By AG | Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Farthing History

Farthing History

Little is known of the medieval silver farthing, for few remain. As the smallest denomination, it was rarely hoarded — in fact silver farthings have never been found in large hoards — and since it contained a quarter-penny's worth of silver it was also extremely small, therefore easily lost. Besides, farthings were not produced in anything like the quantities of the penny and halfpenny because, although they were useful to ordinary people, they were not so much used by the wealthy and powerful; and because, for the moneyers, they yielded the least profit of any denomination.

By AG | Tuesday, December 22, 2009

British coins decimalisation

British coins decimalisation

The need for a decimal currency system had been discussed in Parliament in the early nineteenth century and as far back as 1849 a florin was introduced - inscribed one tenth of a pound with the intention that it should be the first step towards the adoption of a decimal system.

By The Royal Mint | Friday, August 1, 2008

Origins of the Royal Mint Museum

Origins of the Royal Mint Museum

The Royal Mint Museum was established in 1816 by the Master of the Mint William Wellesley Pole. In a memorandum of 12 February 1816 he wrote that he had observed with pain that not only was there no Collection of British Coins in His Majesty's Mint, but there is not a single Proof Coin or a single serviceable Matrix or Puncheon preserved in the Office.

By The Royal Mint | Friday, August 1, 2008

Weights and balances

Weights and balances

Coins have to be produced accurately today as a defence against counterfeiting and so that they can efficiently operate vending machines. When the British coinage was made of gold and silver and the face value of the coins was related to the actual amount of gold or silver they contained, making coins accurately was just as much of a concern.

By The Royal Mint | Friday, August 1, 2008

Sir Isaac Newton, Warden of the Mint

Sir Isaac Newton, Warden of the Mint

Isaac Newton was appointed to a position in the Mint in the spring of 1696 on the recommendation of the Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Montague. At first sight this may seem a somewhat curious, even backward, step for a man in his early fifties whose life had been spent in the academic surroundings of Trinity College, Cambridge.

By The Royal Mint | Friday, August 1, 2008

Sketch of Edward VIII by Humphrey Paget

Sketch of Edward VIII by Humphrey Paget

When, early in 1936, a new portrait of Edward VIII was required for coins and official medals, Robert Johnson, the then Deputy Master of the Mint, helpfully arranged a sitting with the King at Buckingham Palace for two artists. Humphrey Paget was one, the letter of invitation from Johnson suggesting that he wore a black tie and any other raiment, coloured or otherwise.

By The Royal Mint | Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Names Suggested by the Public for use on Bank of England Banknotes

Names Suggested by the Public for use on Bank of England Banknotes

The list comprises names of individuals suggested by members of the public for use on Bank of England banknotes. The Bank reserves the right not to include suggested names, entirely at its discretion. In particular, it would not include fictional names, names which are not reasonably well known, and names which the Bank considers might cause public offence. Inclusion on the list does not imply any endorsement by the Bank.

By Bank of England | Tuesday, December 18, 2007

A brief history of banknotes

A brief history of banknotes

The first recorded use of paper money was in the 7th century in China. However, the practice did not become widespread in Europe for nearly a thousand years. In the 16th century the goldsmith-bankers began to accept deposits, make loans and transfer funds. They also gave receipts for cash, that is to say gold coins, deposited with them. These receipts, known as running cash notes, were made out in the name of the depositor and promised to pay him on demand.

By Bank of England | Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Global date cross reference chart

Global date cross reference chart

Most countries in the world live according to the Gregorian calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 in most Catholic countries in place of the Julian calendar. The difference between these 2 calendars today is 13 days, and it increases by 3 days every 400 years. But Many more calendars exist today...

By Acadia Coins | Saturday, May 3, 2003

British East India Co. a power unto itself

British East India Co. a power unto itself

You've probably heard about the Boston Tea Party, the Opium Wars with China and Napoleon's exile to the remote island of St. Helena. But did you know that ll these major world events, and many more, occurred because of the East India Company? It all started Dec. 31, 1600.

By George Manz | Monday, July 1, 2002

Britain's Cartwheel Coinage of 1797

Britain's Cartwheel Coinage of 1797

You've probably heard these words and names before: Cartwheel, Soho, Matthew Boulton, and James Watt. But did you know how instrumental they were in accelerating the Industrial Revolution? Like the strands of a rope, the history of Britain's 1797 Cartwheel coinage is intertwined with the Industrial Revolution.

By George Manz | Saturday, September 1, 2001

Coins Inscriptions

Coins Inscriptions

This alphabetical listing is confined to inscriptions, mainly in the form of mottoes or of a commemorative nature. Names of rulers are, for the most part, excluded. Where the inscription is in a language other than English a translation is given, followed by the name of the issuing country or authority.

By Royal Mint | Tuesday, July 3, 2001

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