PREVIEWING THE COINS OF 2021

Change Checker’s Alex Siddons looks forward to the coins to be issued by the Royal Mint over the next twelve months

The 2021 Annual Set sees this year’s most important anniversaries commemorated on coins. Change Checker’s Rachel Hooper takes a look at the set and the designs marking these important national milestones

There are a number of exciting anniversaries and royal events to commemorate on coins this year, but the celebrations really kicked off on 4 January 2021 with the release of the Annual Coin Set. Featuring five brand new commemorative coins celebrating the biggest anniversaries of the year, the annual coin set proves incredibly popular with collectors time and again and this year’s set looks to be no exception!

Decimal Day 50p

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary since Decimal Day on 15 February 1971 and to celebrate the biggest change our UK coinage has ever seen, a brand new 50p has been issued.

In commemoration of the anniversary, this brand new 50p, designed by Dominique Evans, features the original

Machin portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse, which featured on the very first 50p back in 1969. This was the first time we have seen The Royal Mint revert to a previous portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II on a base metal UK coin and it quickly caught the eyes of collectors.

This unique obverse can only be seen on the Decimal Day 50p from the Annual Coin Set as the individually released coin features Jody Clark’s portrait of Her Majesty. So with two versions of the 2021 UK Decimal Day 50p out there, this coin has already become a real talking point among collectors!

John Logie Baird 50p

It’s hard to imagine life without television but back in the 1920s, it was a complete unknown.

That was until John Logie Baird successfully produced televised objects in outline in 1924, transmitted recognizable human faces in 1925, and demonstrated the televising of moving objects in 1926. This was the very first-time that television had become a reality and it shaped the world that we live in today.

This brand new 50p for 2021, designed by Osborne Ross, celebrates the life and works of this remarkable British inventor, electrical engineer, and innovator.

H.G. Wells £2

Herbert George Wells was an English novelist, journalist, sociologist, and historian best known for his science fiction novels The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds.

In the year marking the 75th anniversary of his death, this brand new £2 coin has been issued, featuring a design which pays a fitting tribute to his famous novels, with a depiction of the Invisible Man and a Martian encircled by clock numerals. The inscription also reads one of his famous

quotes, ‘GOOD BOOKS ARE THE WAREHOUSES OF IDEAS’.

Chris Costello’s intriguing design has already sparked conversation among collectors, as the traditional ‘tripod’ Martians have been depicted with four legs. Artistic license or design error? Either way, this coin is already proving to be a real talking point, which is sure to add to its collectability.

Sir Walter Scott £2

2021 commemorates the 250th anniversary of the birth of novelist, historian, and poet, Sir Walter Scott. He is considered both the inventor and the greatest practitioner of the historical novel.

The coin, designed by Stephen

Raw, features the text: ‘SIR WALTER SCOTT NOVELIST HISTORIAN POET’ encircled by the inscription ‘250TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS BIRTH’ and the year date.

Excitingly, this coin also features the edge inscription, ‘THE WILL TO DO, THE SOUL TO DARE’, a quote from his epic poem, ‘Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field’.

Queens Elizabeth II 95th Birthday £5

This year, our Queen will celebrate her 95th birthday, making her the first British monarch to reach this incredible milestone. To celebrate, The Royal Mint has issued this £5 coin, designed by Timothy Noad. Featured on this coin is the Royal Cypher and the inscription ‘MY HEART AND MY DEVOTION’ alongside the date of the Queen’s birth and the year 2021.

In 2016, a £5 coin was issued to celebrate Her Majesty’s ninetieth Birthday and it proved incredibly popular with collectors, as she became the first British monarch to reach their ninetieth birthday. As she reaches another significant birthday, I’m sure this celebratory coin will prove just as, if not more popular!

The 2020 Annual Coin Set

Last year’s set quickly became one of the most sought after Annual Coin

Sets ever released, with the story of the 2020 dated Team GB 50p causing collectors to rush to get their hands on this coin.

You see, this is the only coin from the set which was not individually released during 2020. This was due to the Tokyo Olympic Games being postponed until 2021 because of the Coronavirus pandemic and therefore the individual release of the coin was also changed to 2021.

This meant that the only way to own the 2020 dated Team GB 50p would be by securing the Annual Set, which is typically issued in much lower quantities than the individually released coins.

With the coin being individually released later in 2021, collectors will have the chance to secure both the

2020 dated version from last year’s Annual Set, as well as the 2021 dated version from the individual release.

But could we see a similar pattern with the 2021 set and will this be just as popular with collectors? As we already know, the set includes the exclusive Decimal Day 50p with the original Arnold Machin portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. As this unique obverse only appears on the coin in the Annual Set and not on the individual release, many collectors will be keen to ensure they own both.

The 2021 set is already proving to be a hit with collectors and with such incredible anniversaries to celebrate you can see why!

The announcement of the new annual coins is always an exciting moment for collectors, particularly when the anniversaries are as significant as these. Both the 2020 and the 2021 Annual Coin Sets are still available to purchase from Change Checker for just £40 (+p&p). Head to www.changechecker.org/shop to secure yours.