Posts by Ian Glen
Do you own a piece of 1953 Coronation memorabilia?
Well if you do if might feature on ‘A Celebration of Coronation Commemoratives,’ a new set of stamp sheetlets issued today to mark this year’s 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation.
From china plates to postcards, biscuit tins to badges, ‘A Celebration of Coronation
Commemoratives’ is a stunning new tribute inspired by the work of Robert Opie
From Victoria to Elizabeth II
This definitive royal collection features 5 of history’s most recent monarchs – up to our present Queen and as far back as her great great grandmother, Queen Victoria.
Spanning 175 years of royal memorabilia from Victoria’s Coronation in 1838 to Elizabeth II’s 60th anniversary in 2013, the new collection of commemorative stamp sheetlets take their inspiration from consumer historian and royal devotee, Robert Opie who has spent a lifetime creating scrapbooks from royal memorabilia:
“The historic occasion of a royal coronation, of course, attracts a deluge of souvenirs, from the traditional ceramic mug to a set of commemorative stamps. Instinctively, we all want to keep a souvenir of such an event – a decorated tin, a jigsaw puzzle or just a royal picture postcard.”
A link to the past
But these sheetlets aren’t just colourful montages of Coronation keepsakes – they chart other royal celebrations such as births, weddings and jubilees. More than that, they provide a fascinating insight into what life was like in the past.
Queen Victoria whose incredible record of 63 years on the throne resulted in a vast amount of memorabilia from gin flasks and songs sheets to the more traditional china mugs and plates. Collectively, they paint of picture of Industrial Britain at the height of the Empire.
The new sheetlets feature Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II, the only two monarchs ever to have celebrated a Diamond Jubilee
A boom industry
For the Coronations of Edward VII in 1902 and George V in 1911, royal souvenirs had become big business. An abundance of items like chocolate, biscuit, tea and tobacco tins were widely available as were postcards.
1937 saw the crowning of George VI and a wider range of branded souvenirs such as Cusson’s talcum powder, Cadbury’s and Fry’s. As you might expect, his older brother doesn’t feature as he abdicated before he was crowned (unfortunately, souvenirs for Edward’s coronation had already been produced by the time he made his shock announcement).
The ultimate tribute
A ‘Celebration of Coronation Commemoratives’ is issued by seven British overseas territories – Bermuda, Tristan da Cunha, Isle of Man, Cook Islands, St Helena and Bahamas – with each country issuing 1 Souvenir Sheet and 5 Commemorative Sheetlets. The first sets are released today to coincide with the anniversary of the Queen’s accession in 1952, the others follow later in the month.
News from the World Money Fair – sell outs, baby coins, nano technology and much, much more…
9.00am. Friday 1 February 2013. Over 500 people are queuing in the lobby area of Berlin’s Hotel Estrel. All keen to be among the very first collectors to gain entry to the World Money Fair in search of a collector’s bargain, long sought-after coin or a glimpse at the latest issues from the world’s leading national mints.
There is no coin show quite like the World Fair of Money. That is why each year our team of buyers attend, meeting the Mint Masters and Sales Directors of the leading mints, like the Royal Mint, Royal Canadian Mint and the Royal Australian Mint as well as some of the most well-connected secondary market coin dealers.
Here are a few of the highlights from this year’s show that I can share with you.
Royal Mint at the World Money Fair
The Royal Canadian Mint will be issuing more $20 silver coins during 2013, continuing its trend as the world’s most popular silver coin. However, I also heard mention of something that I am pretty sure this could create even more of a storm than the $20 coins. I’m afraid I can’t say more until later this year!
I would also suggest that you look out for some very exciting and collectable issues to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Silver Maple.
I was excited to hear the Coronation Anniversary coins are also in the pipeline for Australia and New Zealand, which will prove historic issues with some serious collector demand.
New Zealand were also able to share with us the immense popularity of their Hobbit coins – guaranteeing that they will remain a collector favourite over the next 2 years of films.
Exciting Innovation
Elsewhere, continued innovation excited. Perhaps my favourite was the ability to in-bed a nano chip into a coin, containing detailed information, visible only under a microscope. There is already talk of how to use such technology to include the works of Shakespeare in a nano chip on a coin to commemorate the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth in 2014.
Looking further ahead…
With almost 80% of you wanting a coin for a royal baby, there is some encouraging news. A number of the major national mints are having discussions with the Palace about issuing a coin with the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge’s baby this summer.
Looking further forward, I spent a considerable amount of time discussing plans to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of World War I. I think it is safe to say that this will be the major collecting theme of 2014 and beyond with coins expected from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and even many of the occupied countries.
We look forward to being able to tell you more about these and many more important issues over the coming months.
Britannia DateStamp™ Silver Sets: sold out in 15 days
Just 15 days since it went on sale, the complete 495 edition of DateStamp™ “958” and “999” Silver Britannia Set has been fully reserved by collectors looking to capture an unprecedented, never-to-be-repeated moment in the history of this most iconic of British coins.
So why so special?
The ‘old’ 958 Britannia last struck at the end of 2012
Here’s the background. For the last quarter of a century, the 1oz Britannia Silver has been struck in, not surprisingly, ‘Britannia Silver’ with a purity of 95.8% silver – or more commonly 958/1000. Out of its total 32.45 gram weight, 31 grams was pure silver (1 troy ounce), the rest an alloy.
New year, new Britannia
Until recently that is. Other silver 1oz classics have always been struck in 999/1000 silver, the trademark standard of silver bullion coins the world over. Britannia at 958/1000 was the odd one out.
In with the new – from 1st January 2013, the 1oz Britannia is struck for the first time ever in 999/1000 silver
And so, from 1st January 2013, we waved goodbye to the old ‘958’ Britannia and for the first time ever, welcomed in the new ‘999’ silver 1oz coin – bringing her in line with the US Eagle and Canadian Maple Leaf but also securing Britannia’s status as Britain’s purest silver coin.
The end of one era – the beginning of another
Specification changes like this one don’t come along very often. And when they do, collectors look for something very special to remember it by.
The limited edition Silver Britannia ‘DateStamp™’ Set pairs up one of the last 2012 strikes of the ‘old’ 958 Britannia with one of the very first brand new 2013 versions minted in the purest 999 silver.
A moment captured in time
To mark this unprecedented change in Britannia’s history, each of the two ‘DateStamp™’ Set coins is presented in a tamper-proof capsule alongside a gold 1st class stamp, postmarked on the first or last day of issue – 31st December 2012 for the ‘958’ coin and 1st January 2013 for the new ‘999’ coin. The perfect way to capture and preserve a real piece of coinage history.
Also adding extra value, each set also has its own unique serial number guaranteeing its authenticity and limited edition status.
Missed out on owning one of the 495 sets? Other DateStamp™ coins are available, click here to see the full range.