The Royal Mints latest £20 f0r £20 face value coin has now been launched, and predictably it celebrates the upcoming 90th birthday of Britains Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II. If Helen of Troy had ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’, Queen Elizabeth must have ‘the face that adorned a billion coins’. A popular monarch, seen as hard-working and a great ambassador for the UK, a large number of mints are issuing coins for the celebration, which we’ll condense into an article nearer the date, 21 April.

In terms of specification there are no changes from other coins in this series, a simple half-ounce of fine silver struck to a brilliant uncirculated finish, and like before, the coin is mounted to a card. The reverse face design is similar to several other royal coins released over the last couple of years, incorporating heraldry and symbolism, leaving no doubt to the subject matter of the coin. The nine roses representing the nine decades the Queen has lived is a nice touch.

It’s available now with a mintage of 150,000. The Royal Mint seem to be doing a good job of selling coins at the moment, perhaps signs of a renaissance in UK coin collecting. The design on this is relatively unambitious, but quite appealing, and will likely do well. A range of proof versions of this design have also been revealed ranging from £13.00, to almost £46,000 in price. Again, we’ll cover at a later date but they are available to buy now from the Royal Mint website.

One troubling change with these coins has been the discovery of a statement from the mint saying that these coins, even though they are legal tender, are not acceptable for use in Post Offices, banks and businesses. To confirm this the mint has now placed the following on the product page in the estore “All coins made by The Royal Mint are legal tender, whether commemorative or circulating. However, only circulating legal tender coins are designed to be spent and traded at businesses and banks. This coin is a commemorative coin so banks, post offices and shops will not accept them. If individual customers wish to discuss the return of this coin now or in the future please contact our customer services team on 0345 6088 300.”  They do not, however, say at what price they will take them back for.  Collectors believed that buying one of these meant at the very least that the coin would be worth what was paid for it – i.e. its face value. A less than satisfactory development.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

Wishing Her Majesty a happy birthday

From a young woman inheriting the throne, to a queen whose commitment to her duties has won her the respect and admiration of people all over the world, Her Majesty The Queen has been a constant for the nation through decades of social change. Now, as she turns 90 – becoming the first British monarch to celebrate such a landmark birthday – the nation will celebrate with the Royal Family as we have done on so many happy occasions. When the street parties are over many will want a lasting reminder of this special moment in history.

At The Royal Mint – the home of every official United Kingdom coin struck during The Queen’s reign – we have issued a £20 fine silver coin to mark this historic event. The latest £20 coin in our Commemorative Fine Silver Coin series features a celebratory wreath of roses created by Christopher Hobbs, inspired by Her Majesty’s love of flowers and approved by The Queen herself. The coin is struck in fine silver, finished to Brilliant Uncirculated standard, and is available in strictly limited numbers.

This coin, celebrating Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th birthday, is a commemorative coin. Commemorative coins are generally treasured for their aesthetic and collectable value, or for their rarity. Collectors appreciate the detailed hand-finished processes and expert skills used to make them.

Approved by The Queen herself, the coin features a design by acclaimed artist and sculptor Christopher Hobbs, and portrays a classical celebratory garland of individually designed roses in recognition of her fondness for flowers and nature.

The Royal Mint will also be offering the nation the chance to enter friends and relatives, who will be turning 90 on the same day as The Queen, in a competition where they can win their own Queen’s 90th Birthday commemorative coin. For more details, visit The Royal Mint’s Facebook page.

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SPECIFICATION

DENOMINATION COMPOSITION WEIGHT DIAMETER FINISH MINTAGE BOX / COA
£20 UKP 0.999 SILVER 15.71 g 27.0 mm B/UNC 150,000 CARD
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