Queen Mother 1900-2002 5 Pounds
By Coinsanduk | Friday, 13 March 2026
To celebrate the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, who died on March 30, 2002, the Royal Mint has struck an official £5 coin.
The reverse design features a portrait of the Queen Mother The reverse design features a portrait of The Queen Mother (Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon; 1900–2002, wife of King George VI and mother of Queen Elizabeth II) encircled by a wreath and with the circumscription QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER and the dates 1900-2002.
The words STRENGTH, DIGNITY and LAUGHTER, inspired by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s address at her funeral, are inscribed on the edge of the coin. Each word is separated by the Queen Mother's crown, which could be seen on her coffin during the funeral ceremony.
The design is by the medallist and sculptor Avril Vaughan, who won previously, the accolade of designing the reverse of the crown £5 piece issued to commemorate the Queen's seventieth birthday in 1996.
The obverse of the coin features the portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank Broadley. This is the fourth £5 to be struck in honour of the Queen Mother. The three previous crowns celebrated the Queen Mother's 80th, 90th and 100th birthdays.
At the time of the release, Gerald Sheehan, Chief Executive of the Royal Mint said:
The Royal Mint is proud to honour the Queen Mother with a coin that is a beautiful and fitting tribute to this remarkable lady who, in addition to her extraordinary public service, brought happiness to so many people’s lives.
The coin was available in gold, silver and brilliant uncirculated versions. For standard composition, it was available at face value over the counter at 17,500 Post Offices in the United Kingdom as well as directly from the Royal Mint.
The title Queen Mother was essentially a clever solution to a very confusing naming situation that occurred in 1952. When King George VI died, his wife, also named Elizabeth, became a widow. Usually, the widow of a King is called the Queen Dowager. However, because her daughter (the new reigning Queen) was also named Elizabeth, having two Queen Elizabeths would have been a logistical problem.
Her first title was Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, birth name as the daughter of an Earl. In 1923, she became the Duchess of York when she married Prince Albert (the future George VI). In 1936, when her husband unexpectedly became King, she was called the Queen Consort. Finally, from 1952 until her death in 2002 at the age of 101, her title changed to Queen Mother.
5 Pounds 2002 Price Guide and Values
