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The story of the 1-a-minute Coronation sell-out
With a bank holiday weekend, star-studded concert, street parties across the nation and sell-out collectibles, the Coronation of King Charles III will be THE royal celebration of a lifetime.
Coin collectors don’t need telling twice how important this event is. The first Coronation for 70 years is going to be massive.
And the evidence of this came just under a week ago.
100 “Mint Masters” Coronation Sets launched at 9am on Wednesday 22 February. Just before 10:40am we saw a complete sell out.
1 set sold EVERY MINUTE until they were all allocated.
Why did it sell out so quickly?
Approved by King Charles III, the sell-out Mint Masters Set features three Silver £5 coins, issued specially for the Coronation.
Each coin depicts a key element of the Coronation. You have the King’s cypher, the Coronation Carriage and the Imperial State Crown.
A Golden Celebration
Unusually, the Mint Masters Set is reverse-plated in 24 Carat Gold, meaning the coins are struck from Fine Silver but feature additional gold plating.
The obverse designs have been left unplated, making the Coronation elements really stand out.
Design Royalty
Each coin in the Mint Masters Set features designs from one of the best in the business, a man synonymous with royalty on coinage.
Timothy Noad has worked as a professional calligrapher, illuminator and heraldic artist for over thirty years, acquiring an international reputation for his elegant and meticulous work.
A prolific designer of British coins and medals, Tim is the artist behind five One Pound coins and three Crowns commemorating royal occasions.
In 2022, he achieved the unique distinction of having his designs chosen for three Gold Sovereigns, The Queen’s Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medals.
For the Mint Masters Set, he’s designed the Coronation Carriage and Imperial State Crown.
The end result is one of the best-looking sets you’ll see for the Coronation. Sure to be treasured pieces for the lucky 100 collectors that secured them before the quick sell-out.
If you’re interested…
But there’s good news! If you’re quick, you can get your hands on the Fine Silver Coronation £5 Coin Set. Limited to 995, the coins in this set feature 24 Carat Gold plating on the reverse designs.
Judging by the speed of the Mint Masters Set sell-out, these won’t be available for long so you’ll have to act fast.
Secure a set for your collection now >>
Celebrate 100 years of the world’s most famous steam locomotive!
When I think of the world’s most famous steam locomotive, only one name springs to mind – Flying Scotsman.
And as we approach the 100th anniversary since it was introduced to the railway, we can reflect on its remarkable history with The Royal Mint’s BRAND-NEW UK 2023 Flying Scotsman £2 coin.
But first, let’s travel back an entire century to see where it all began…
Doncaster, 1923
Built in Doncaster 100 years ago, Flying Scotsman was the first locomotive of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway. It went into service on 24 February 1923 and was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley as part of the A1 class – the most powerful locomotives used by the LNER at the time.
In 1928, Flying Scotsman was redesigned with a revised corridor. This meant the crew could take over service without the locomotive having to stop, reducing the journey time from London to Edinburgh by eight hours!
As a result, Flying Scotsman hauled the first-ever non-stop service from London to Edinburgh on 1 May 1928.
By 1934, Flying Scotsman was the first locomotive in the UK to reach 100mph on rails. It was also the first locomotive to circumnavigate the globe in 1989 – both remarkable feats at the time!
Flying Scotsman retired in 1963 but returned to the tracks in 2022, hauling a limited number of steam excursions just prior to its 100th anniversary.
The UK 2023 Flying Scotsman £2 Coin
In celebration of 100 years since the world’s most famous steam locomotive took to the tracks, The Royal Mint have released a very special £2 commemorative coin.
Depicting a nostalgic side-on view of the locomotive during one of its many rail journeys, the coin features a thoughtfully crafted design by John Bergdahl.
What’s more, your £2 comes available in Brilliant Uncirculated, Silver Proof, Silver Piedfort or Gold Proof quality!
And interestingly, it has been more than two decades since The Royal Mint last released a colour-printed UK £2 commemorative coin. So, this range marks a special moment for the £2 coin, as it includes a colour-printed Silver Proof AND Silver Proof Piedfort edition!
But with just limited numbers available, you must act now to secure yours!
Approved by Buckingham Palace – The Official King Charles III Coronation Coins
A series of coronation coins have been approved by Buckingham Palace – featuring the official British Isles portrait of King Charles III.
Whilst we await for confirmation on a UK coronation coin, Buckingham Palace has approved a series of 50p coins celebrating His Majesty’s upcoming coronation in May.
However, one particular coin has been catching the attention of collectors…
The Dual-Plated King Charles III Coronation 50p
This 50p features the inscription ‘God Save the King‘ and is uniquely plated with a dual-plated finish of silver and 24 carat gold – not something we see very often.
This is the first coin in a brand new British Isles 50p series being issued over the coming months in the lead up to the coronation, all approved by the King himself.
You can add this coin to your collection today for our introductory offer of £4.99 (+p&p) – a saving of £20 – by clicking here.
Meet the obverse designer – Glyn Davies
In anticipation of these coins being issued, we spoke with Glyn Davies – the artist behind the British Isles King Charles III coinage portrait.
He explained that the process of creating our monarch’s portrait took him nearly 6 months. It involved initial sketches, concept sketches, clay models, digital drawings, and even having Raphael Maklouf check over them.
Raphael Maklouf famously designed the United Kingdom’s effigy of Queen Elizabeth II that appeared on our coinage between 1985 to 1997.
Watch or read our full interview with Glyn Davies here >>
King Charles III’s Coronation – what we know so far
With King Charles III’s Coronation (code name Operation Golden Orb) is set for Saturday 6th May, 2023, plans are already in place.
- During the ceremony, the King will be crowned alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort.
- The King will be crowned with the solid gold 17th Century St Edward’s Crown.
- There will be an extra bank holiday across the UK, on Monday 8th May.
- It’s expected to be shorter and smaller in scale than Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation.
- The King and Queen Consort will travel to Westminster Abbey in the King’s procession, and return to Buckingham Palace in a larger coronation procession, where they will be joined by other members of the Royal Family.
- The ceremony is likely to be broadcast live.
