Superseding the record previously set by Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II reigned for an impressive 70 years and became the longest-reigning monarch in British history in 2015. Throughout Elizabeth II’s reign, the United Kingdom went through a series of significant social, historical and technological changes, one of which was decimalisation in 1971.

This 5p coin was first produced before 1971 to prepare the country for decimalisation. It had the same monetary value as its predecessor the shilling and, along with the new 10p coin, circulated alongside pre-decimal coins. Larger 5p coins were removed from circulation in 1990 and were replaced with a smaller variant that remains in circulation to this day.

This coin is also available as part of The Making of Modern Britain Queen Elizabeth II Decimal Coin Bundle, which offers collectors the opportunity to own an example of each of the decimal denominations of Elizabeth II’s reign.

*Packaging Image is for example only