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New Royal Mint coins commemorate 200th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s birth
The bicentennial anniversary of Queen Victoria’s birth falls on Friday 24 May
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Your support makes all the difference.The Royal Mint has created two new coins in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Queen Victoria's birth.
On Monday 24 May 1819, Queen Victoria was born in Kensington Palace.
After inheriting the throne at 18 years old, the monarch went on to reign for more than six decades, during which time she oversaw the industrial revolution of the Victorian era.
One of the new coins released by The Royal Mint commemorates the advancements of the epoch, displaying inventions including a telephone, a steamship and a locomotive.
The design also features several different-sized cogs, to represent the industrial period.
The second coin displays the royal alongside her husband, Prince Albert.
The coin features a design originally featured on a Council Medal presented at The Great Exhibition of 1851, which was organised by Prince Albert and inventor Sir Henry Cole.
The first commemorative coin, designed by John Bergdahl, is worth £5.
The second is a 5oz and Kilo coin, a large, precious coin created by The Royal Mint especially for significant occasions.
“Queen Victoria is one of Britain’s most iconic monarchs, so it’s fantastic to be celebrating 200 years since her birth," says Nicola Howell, director of the Consumer Division at The Royal Mint.
"Our £5 commemorative coin is a beautiful tribute to her incredible reign and really honours the remarkable developments that were achieved during her era.
"Whilst the 5oz and Kilo design featuring William Wyon’s reproduced double portrait design pictures a loving couple at the peak of their powers.”
The coins featuring Queen Victoria during her 63-year reign were used by a quarter of the world's population.
Queen Elizabeth II surpassed her great-great-grandmother as the longest-reigning British monarch in September 2015, 63 years after ascending to the throne in 1952.
The Royal Mint coins created in celebration of the bicentennial anniversary of Queen Victoria's birth are available to purchas from royalmint.com and will not enter general circulation.
Prices for the coins start from £13.
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