Monarchs

Five portraits of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

During Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, the nation’s circulating coins have featured five different portraits of the monarch.

Historic Portraiture

The Changing Faces of History. Centuries ago most people would only have seen the face of their leader on a coin. The ‘heads’, or obverse, side of a coin has depicted the image of a monarch or ruler for thousands of years.

James I (1603–25) The First King of Great Britain

The death of Elizabeth I without an heir in 1603 brought the Tudor dynasty to an end. James VI of Scotland acceded to the throne, becoming James I and the first Stuart king of England. The political ramifications of dynastic change and the union of the crowns would manifest on his coinage.

Two Anniversaries, One Big Coin

A Special Celebration for The Five-Sovereign Piece 2020 Two hundred years ago, the first modern Five-Sovereign Piece was struck, just as a remarkable reign came to a close. The Five-Sovereign Piece 2020 celebrates 200 years of the impressive gold coin...

Prince Albert: The Pioneering Prince

In 2019 we are celebrating the life and legacy of Queen Victoria, but these celebrations would not be complete if we did not honour the pioneering prince who stood at her side. The 200th anniversary of Prince Albert’s birth falls in the same year as his wife’s and it is only fitting that The Royal Mint marks the occasion.

The Queen’s Beasts – A Story of Royal Heraldry and Heritage

When Queen Anne, the last of the Stuarts, died in 1714, the British throne passed to George of Hanover, who became known as George I. He brought with him the heraldry of the region, including a White Horse on a red background, known in German as the ‘Sachsenross’ and in English as ‘the White Horse of Hanover’.