Decimalisation – Mixing Old and New

Decimalisation One-Eighth Sovereign

This year marks the 50th anniversary of decimalisation in Britain, heralding in a new era of coins, and saying goodbye to over a thousand years of iconic designs. In our latest sovereign range, the talented artist Matt Dent has captured the old and the new beautifully. In tribute a tribute to Britain’s decimal fifty pence, these are the world’s first seven-sided sovereigns!

Each sovereign is split down the middle with a pre-decimal design on the left, and the design of a decimal coin complementing it on the right. Here, we take a look at the designs for each coin from the new 2021 50th Anniversary of Decimalisation Gold Sovereign Range.

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Diana…The “People’s Princess”

Princess Diana once famously stated in an interview, that she wished to be “a Queen of people’s hearts”. After her tragic death at the age of just 36, the then Prime Minister Tony Blair in a statement said “They liked her, they loved her, they regarded her as one of the people. She was the ‘People’s Princess.’ And that’s how she will stay, how she will remain, in our hearts and in our memories, forever.”

Here, we take a look back at the life and tireless charity work, that has made her loved by millions all over the world.

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Queen Elizabeth II’s 95th Birthday Sovereign Range

QEII 95th Birthday banner

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 95th birthday this year on April 21st, making her Britain’s oldest reigning monarch. This, together with what has been an incredible 69-year reign so far, makes her quite a remarkable presence and one that Britain will rejoice and celebrate in April this year.

In 1947, Queen Elizabeth II married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the couple has four children: Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. In 1953, Elizabeth was crowned and officially recognized as sovereign. Since then, the Queen has served in her role as the Queen of England, and in 2018, she became the first British monarch to reach a Sapphire Jubilee—a celebration to mark 65 years of her reign.

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The Mayflower and Seven Facts You May Not Know

mayflower
On 16th September 1620, a merchant ship called the Mayflower sailed from England to Plymouth, USA to the ‘New World’. On board the ship were 102 men, women and children; half of which were Pilgrims’ looking for a new life away from religious persecution. After a treacherous journey through storms and high waves, the mayflower finally reached its journeys end after 66 grueling days.

We’re looking at the history of the vessel, as well as five facts you may not know…

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The 2020 Pre-Decimal 50th Anniversary Gold Sovereign Range

The 2020 Pre-decimal 50th Anniversary Gold One-Eighth Sovereign Banner
In 1970, the last ever pre-decimal coins were struck. Pre-Decimal coinage is however very much still heard and seen today, despite there being many younger generations who have only ever known ‘Decimal’ currency of pounds and pence, missing out on centuries of history and tradition.

Decimalisation, or Decimal Day as it is most known, occurred in 1971 after the pre-decimal system was deemed too complicated with pounds, shillings and pence. Initially, the plan was to make the new decimal currency into cents and dollars (known more in the USA), but this was reconsidered, and pounds and pence were the chosen coinage.

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Everything you need to know about the MV Royal Daffodil

Our 2020 Dunkirk 80th Anniversary Gold Sovereign Range commemorates the remarkable rescue of Allied troops from the beaches of Northern France, sometimes known as ‘Operation Dynamo’.

The Gold Quarter Sovereign in particular, features a design that pays tribute to the MV Royal Daffodil, a passenger vessel that undertook no fewer than seven trips to the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940 and rescued up to 9,500 troops. On the final trip, a bomb went right through her hull and exploded beneath her; the hole was plugged with a mattress and she made it home. After the War she was refitted and proudly bore a plaque that commemorated her as a ‘Dunkirk Little Ship’.

We are taking a closer look at the Troopship Royal Daffodil and everything you need to know.

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