Description
This year was a cause for great royal celebration – not only was it Her Late Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, the first of its kind in British history – but it was also the 40th birthday of our first in line to the throne, HRH Prince William.
It’s seems like ‘just yesterday’ that we were watching a radiant Princess Diana leaving the hospital cradling her first born son. Then, as he grew into a shy and retiring young man, he had the looks of the House of Windsor but retained Diana’s wry smile.
Now, at the age of forty, he is a father himself to three children, all of whom follow him in the line of succession.
This set comprises of the new 2022 British commemorative five pound coin for Prince William’s 40th Birthday (in Sterling silver and Proof quality) along with the full set of 1982 heritage coins from his birth year (in Proof quality also).
THE 2022 FIVE POUND COIN
As part of the celebrations this year for his birthday, Britain has produced a five pound crown-sized commemorative coin which features a portrait of William with the number ‘40’ behind his head and his royal cypher.
It’s interesting historically that this coin includes the portrait of Prince William on one side and that of his Late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II on the other – the first British five pound coin ever to feature them on either side of the same coin in this way.
This special collector’s set includes the sterling silver version of this coin, minted to Proof quality. Only 3,500 have been minted.
Along with this is a full set of the coins from his birth year, 1982, which are also in Proof quality.
THE 1982 HERITAGE SET
The full set of British circulation coins from 1982 is also included in this set, but the coins in this set are specially produced Proof quality coins that were struck and released 40 years ago. They are superb for coins of their age!
The coins are all of a kind no longer on issue. The reverse designs on these coins haven’t been produced for 14 years and the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse was last used 37 years ago!
There are some other interesting features worth mentioning:
Halfpenny – no longer produced! The 1982 was the 3rd-last issue
Penny – minted in bronze but in the 1990’s the price of copper increased and as bronze has a lot of copper in it the 1p had 1.5p worth of copper in it! Today the 1p is steel plated with copper
Two Pence – this coin was never released into circulation but is included in this set!
Five Pence – this coin was never released into circulation but is included in this set!
Ten Pence – this coin was never released into circulation but is included in this set!
Twenty Pence – the 1982 is the very first issue of the 20p coin! An important first in the British coin series!
Fifty Pence – an ‘old size’ issue that is larger and heavier than the current £2 coin!