Four generations of the British Royal Family are marked on a single coin for the first time in over a century

WIth the British Royal Family seemingly growing at a fair old rate of knots, we’re in the position of having four generations regularly making headlines. The Royal Mint have noticed and have released a coin marking a member from each generation. Carrying the initial of Queen Elizabeth, Charles (her son the Prince of Wales), William (her grandson) and George (her great grandson), it’s an opportunity that comes along very rarely.

The design is a simple affair typical of Royal Mint royalty-themed coins. Very heraldic in style, the mix of crowns and oak leaves by Timothy Noad gets the point across clearly, if unambitiously. The obverse is the usual Jody Clark effigy of the Queen as you would expect. One for royal watchers we think, of which there are many.

Six versions are available – three in gold and three in silver (a base metal coin is also on offer). The silver variants are all struck in sterling 0.925 fineness and are a standard ounce, a piedfort two-ounce and a five troy ounce, the latter with a large 65.00 mm diameter. Gold coins are available in two different finenesses. The 39.94 coin is struck in 22kt (0.9167) gold, which explains the reddish tinge to the metal that’s imparted due to the use of copper in the mix just like a Krugerrand. The quarter-ounce and five-ounce coins are in 0.999 fineness gold.

Available now, mintages are not particularly high, although prices certainly aren’t bottom end with the range running from £82.50 to £8’450.00. We guess you’ll have little problem working out which coins occupy the high and low end of that range. Available now from the Royal Mint webstore, please use our banner link if you want to buy to help us out a little.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

To mark a significant royal year, The Royal Mint has struck a coin to celebrate an exciting time in Britain’s royal family history. Her Majesty The Queen, her son His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, her grandson His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge and her great-grandson Prince George have been honoured together on an official United Kingdom coin for the first time.

For the first time in more than 100 years four successive generations of the Royal Family come together and appear on an official United Kingdom coin. The design, created by calligrapher and heraldic artist Timothy Noad, features oak branches inspired by the Royal Badge of the House of Windsor and the initials of each generation. Timothy said, “I started with several ideas, including a set of each of the royals in profile, but decided to go for the approach of overlapping initials to convey a sense of family.”

This year is set to be a busy one, as the ever-growing Royal Family look forward to a number of royal celebrations, including the 65th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s coronation, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales’ 70th birthday, His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge’s fifth birthday, and a royal wedding.