Friday, December 6, 2013

Royal Mint 2014 UK coins

The Royal Mint has announces their coin designs for 2014, featuring themes as diverse as sport, maritime heritage, royal history, and the start of a major military story, it is likely to be another landmark year for this 1,000 year-old organisation in its celebration of British heritage. The coins will be featured in The Royal Mint’s annual sets, forming a snapshot of Britain today and a lasting reminder of 2014. The obverse of each coin carries the current portrait of Her Majesty The Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS.

Queen Anne

The 300th Anniversary of the Death of Queen Anne 2014 UK £5 coin
Queen Anne died the last Stuart Queen in 1714, and was known as the monarch in whose reign the political union of England and Wales with Scotland took place. Her life is commemorated with a £5 coin designed by sculptor Mark Richards FRBS marking the 300th anniversary of her death, her portrait styled as an eighteenth-century miniature surrounded by an elaborate frame that incorporates her 1707 Royal Arms.


First World War

100th Anniversary of the First World War - Outbreak 2014 UK £2 coin
In 2014 Britain will remember the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. The Royal Mint, maker of medals for military campaigns since 1815 including those for the ‘Great War’, embarks on a five-year commemoration of the emotive wartime journey from outbreak to armistice, starting with a £2 coin bearing sculptor John Bergdahl’s powerful likeness of the instantly recognisable call to arms by Lord Kitchener.


Trinity House

The 500th Anniversary of Trinity House 2014 UK £2 coin
The lighthouses and pilot ships of Trinity House have safeguarded the coastal waters of Britain for over 500 years since being granted a Royal Charter by Henry VIII in 1514. Iconic to the public, and essential to the mariner, they are an integral part of the United Kingdom’s identity and economy. The safe passage of seafarers is as important as ever today, with around 95% of the UK’s imported goods arriving by sea, and nearly 1 million amateur sailors taking to the water each year. The Royal Mint’s Trinity House £2 coin, designed by Joe Whitlock-Blundell and David Eccles, captures the spirit of Trinity House with an image of a lighthouse lens, the enduring symbol of safety on the seas.


Floral 2014

The Floral 2014 UK £1 coin Scotland and Northern Ireland
2013 saw the start of a £1 coin series celebrating the floral emblems of the British Isles. Designed by Timothy Noad, the collection started with coins featuring the national flowers of England and Wales, and continues in 2014 with the flora of Northern Ireland and Scotland. The shamrock and flax plant adorn the £1 of Northern Ireland, the latter representing the region’s linen-rich history, whilst the familiar thistle and the classic bluebell are portrayed on the Scottish £1 coin.


Commonwealth Games

The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games UK 50p coin
The 20th Commonwealth Games will see thousands of athletes competing in 17 sports from hockey to lawn bowls across 11 days in one city: Glasgow. Designers Alex Loudon and Dan Flashman took two of the most iconic sports – athletics and cycling – and added the Saltire of Scotland and lettering inspired by Charles Rennie Mackintosh to create a dynamic design for the 2014 50p piece.