Royal Mint unveils commemorative offerings for 2024
- Published: Jan 8, 2024, 1 PM
The Royal Mint will celebrate five different anniversaries on commemorative coins in 2024, it announced Dec. 28.
It will issue two 50-penny coins, two £2 coins and one £5 coin with commemorative themes, according to the Royal Mint, which also released further design details.
The coins will soon be available for purchase in annual sets and products, the first opportunity for collectors and members of the public to own the new designs.
The 50-penny coins honor Team Great Britain and ParalympicGB, and the 200th anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
The £2 coins celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Sir Winston Churchill, and the 200th anniversary of the National Gallery.
The £5 coin celebrates Buckingham Palace.
All of the coins feature the Martin Jennings effigy of King Charles III on the obverse.
Team GB Olympics
An official 50-penny coin will be issued to celebrate and wish Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes the best of luck at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Designed by Charis Tsevis, the coin depicts two athletes representing both the Olympic and Paralympic Games in parity, with the Union flag unifying all athletes of the nation.
Lifeboat Institution
The other 50-penny coin marks the 200th Anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
The RNLI is fueled by an ethos of courage and dedication, and has been saving lives at sea since 1824.
Designed by John Bergdahl, the coin displays the RNLI flag surrounded by a life ring highlighting the 200-year anniversary the charity is marking.
Churchill anniversary
One of the £2 coins marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Winston Churchill.
The £2 coin features a portrait of Churchill as a young man in 1895, garbed in the uniform of the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars.
In tribute to the anniversary, the coin’s legend notes the anniversary details, while the dates of his birth and death appear on opposite sides of the portrait.
The edge inscription, PAVE THE WAY FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM, is taken from a remark Churchill made in late 1953, during his second term as prime minister.
The design appearing on the coin was created by Natasha Seaward, a graphic designer at the Royal Mint.
National Gallery £2
Created by Edwina Ellis, the design on the £2 coin marking the National Gallery’s 200th anniversary features the building at the center, with a reference to the anniversary framing it in a semicircle.
The edge inscription translates to “The glory of our ancestors is a light to our descendants” and is inscribed on the ceiling above the main staircase in the Wilkins Building of the Gallery.
The phrase conveys the notion that the great artists of the past inspire those of the future — a founding principle of the National Gallery.
Buckingham Palace
Arguably one of the most iconic palaces, if not of all buildings in the United Kingdom, Buckingham Palace takes center stage on an official £5 coin.
Designed by artist Henry Gray, the coin features the renowned architecture of Buckingham Palace.
A pattern inspired by a feature of the Palace’s interior encircles the portrait of the building itself, which proudly flies the Royal Standard indicating the presence of the British monarch.
Availability, specifications
The 2024 commemorative sets will be available in a range of base metal and precious metal annual set offerings, starting Jan. 2 at the Royal Mint website.
Four of the coins (all except the Churchill coin) will be available for purchase individually in 2024. The Churchill coin may feature in other sets and product formats, yet to be announced.
The Royal Mint has not announced when or if any of the coins will be released into circulation at face value.
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