THE 2020 ANNUAL COIN SET

AND THE MOST POPULAR 50P OF THE YEAR

It has been a challenging year for us all, and current affairs may have eclipsed some of the anniversaries we’ve marked in 2020. Thankfully we have this year’s commemorative coins to provide a reminder of these special dates, as Change Checker’s Alexandra Siddons reveals

Each year, The Royal Mint issues a Commemorative Coin Set with a selection of coins celebrating some of the biggest upcoming anniversaries. It’s a time every collector looks forward to – giving them the chance to secure the year’s most prestigious issues as a complete set before their individual release later in the year.

On the 1 January this year, the 2020 Coin Set was issued featuring five brand new coins, marking a range of historic and military anniversaries and even celebrating the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, despite the Team GB 50p being scheduled for individual release in the approach to the Olympic Games this summer, when news broke that this year’s

Games would be postponed until

2021, collectors were soon asking the question, ‘What will happen to the 2020 Team GB 50p?’

Team GB 50p Design

Designed by David Knapton, the 2020 Team GB 50p features symbols depicting individual Olympic sports accompanied by the Olympic Rings, the Team GB logo, the inscription ‘TEAM GB’ and the date ‘2020’.

The Olympics are an undeniably popular subject and for many the 2012 Olympic 50p series marked the start of their passion for change collecting. It’s estimated that over 75% of the 2012 Olympic 50p coins have now been removed from circulation by collectors.

What’s more, in 2016 a further Team GB 50p was issued to support Great Britain’s efforts in Rio and this was thought of by many as the thirtieth Olympic 50p.

Two versions of the Team GB 50p!

Although available within the 2020 Annual Coin Set, the new Team GB

50p coin will not be individually issued this year as planned. The release of this coin has been postponed in line with the Olympic Games, meaning collectors will have to wait until 2021 for the individual release of the Team GB 50p.

Excitingly, this now means that there will be two versions of the coin – one with the obverse dated 2020 from this year’s Annual Coin Set and one with the obverse dated 2021 for next year’s individual release.

The reverse design by David Knapton currently depicts the individual Olympic sports accompanied by the Olympic Rings, the Team GB logo, the inscription ‘TEAM GB’ and the date ‘2020’. But will this also be updated to reflect the new date of the Games – 2021?

Furthermore, as the coin was not available to purchase individually and wasn’t released into circulation, collectors are now speculating if the 2020 Team GB 50p minted for the Annual Coin

Sets could become the rarest 50p ever…

Already in high demand

Already, the 2020 version of the Team GB 50p is being listed on secondary market sites for well over face value, as collectors rush to secure this version of the coin.

In fact, it appears that some collectors have removed the coin from Annual Sets and it has been seen selling on eBay for

over £35 (as of August 2020).

Demand for the 2020 version of the Team GB 50p is sure to be high, especially as it is only available as part of the Annual Set, meaning far fewer will be minted than if it were individually released!

The most-popular Annual Coin Set to date

With all the excitement of the

Team GB 50p leading collectors to rush to secure their Annual Coin Set, it’s undeniable that this has been the most-popular set to date. However, the popularity of these coins doesn’t stop at the Team GB 50p…

Victory in Europe Day £2

This 2020 VE Day £2 features a woman holding a newspaper aloft in a crowd of celebrating people, set against a backdrop of the word VICTORY. 2020 marks a particularly poignant anniversary as we celebrated 75 years since Victory in Europe Day. Many celebrations had been scheduled to mark this joyous occasion, including rescheduling the Early May Bank Holiday to the 8th, but were not able to take place due to the pandemic. In place of the big parties that were planned, people took to their doorsteps to sing and raise a glass over their fence with their neighbours!

The edge inscription of this coin reads ‘JUST TRIUMPH AND PROUD SORROW’ which is incredibly fitting for a coin which marks such a historic anniversary.

Mayflower £2

This year marks 400 years since the Mayflower set sail on its famous voyage from Plymouth, England to the ‘New World’ in 1620 – a key event in British history. To celebrate, this £2 coin was issued as part of the Annual Coin Set.

Chris Costello’s reverse design of this coin depicts the Mayflower’s sails majestically billowing in the wind and the anniversary dates as an inscription – ‘1620-2020’.

This £2 coin is the second coin to have featured the Mayflower ship on its design. In 1994, a trial, bi-metallic £2 piece was struck with the Mayflower on it, in order for banks and vendors to prepare for the changeover and test the new coin design.

Just over 4,500 special presentations packs were issued including the

1994 Mayflower Trial £2, making it incredibly rare - especially if you compare this to the rarest £2 coin in circulation, the 2002 Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland £2, which has a mintage of 485,500!

Agatha Christie £2

Agatha Christie’s first novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published in 1920 and it kick-started the nation’s love of her detective novels and murder mysteries.

Writing well into her later years, Christie wrote more than 70 detective novels as well as short fiction. Her books have been made into films, television, and radio programmes. In 1971, she was made a Dame of the

British Empire for her outstanding contribution to Literature.

In 2020, to mark 100 years since her first publication, The Royal Mint celebrates the world’s best-selling novelist with this Agatha Christie

£2. David Lawrence’s design of this coin pays homage to Christie’s crime novels, with a piece of a jigsaw slotting into place and her signature at the bottom. The coin also features the edge inscription ‘100 years of mystery 1920’-2020’ to mark this very special anniversary.

King George III £5

King George III was the first king of the United Kingdom (which was officially formed in 1800) and to this day remains the longest reigning king in British History, reigning for an astonishing 59 years.

And so, in this anniversary year marking 200 years since his death, it seems only fitting that a United Kingdom George III £5 coin should be issued.

This is the first time George III has been celebrated on modern UK coinage and the stunning design explores the multifaceted nature of Britain’s longest reigning king.

Designed by renowned Royal Mint designer, Dominique Evans, the famous Bull’s Head portrait of George III is shown in a crowned cartouche, with the royal residence and his place of death, Windsor Palace, to the left and the King’s Observatory, which was founded by King George, to the right.

It’s incredible to see some of the most significant anniversaries and occasions commemorated on our UK coinage but it’s even more exciting when a new coin story appears as a result.

We can’t wait to see how the

Team GB 50p story continues and whether we’ll see a 2021 dated issue individually released next year…

The Annual Sets and individual releases (excluding the Team GB 50p) are available to purchase at: www. changechecker.org/Shop