Coin collecting is one of the world’s oldest and most favourite hobbies, allowing numismatists to get closer to history. Starting a coin collection is easily accessible and there are many different denominations to choose from.
Here we look at the range of denominations, from circulating coins to rare historic coins, which are popular in the world of numismatics.
The Sovereign
The very first gold sovereign was struck on 28th October 1489, during Henry VII’s reign. As king, he ordered his Royal Mint to produce ‘a new money of gold’, and with this, they created a coin of great size and beauty. The sovereign was used by each monarch to show their strength, until 1604 when King James I saw a reduction in the weight of the sovereign which led to it being renamed the ‘Unite’.
The sovereign then disappeared from our coinage and the ‘new sovereign’ made its debut in 1817 with a newly imagined design featuring St George slaying the dragon. The new design was created by Italian gem engraver Benedetto Pistrucci and was destined to become one of the world’s most loved coin designs. Since its debut, the sovereign has been struck for every monarch and typically features Pistrucci’s design, with only occasional changes to represent significant events.
Since being struck in 1489, the gold sovereign has been through retirement and reinvention, only to become one of the most famous and well-respected coins in the world. Now highly prized and instantly recognisable by collectors, the sovereign is a much sought-after denomination every single year.
The Crown
The first silver crowns were introduced during the reign of Kind Edward VI in 1551 and they were minted throughout the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I, and Charles I. The silver crown was made of “sterling silver” which, like its gold companion, was a hard-wearing and durable alloy. The year 1707 saw the Acts of Union bring together the nations of England and Scotland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain. With it came a new coin named the “British Crown”.
The crown was worth five shillings before decimalisation and was replaced by the “twenty-five pence” coin as a commemorative coin. It did not have its value stated on it, as crown coins rarely did either. Although released as a commemorative coin it was actually legal tender but was discontinued after 1981 due to the cost of minting. In 1990 the crown was revived as a five pound coin, the same size as a crown but with a value twenty times greater.
The crown continues, nearly five hundred years after its inception, to be an enduring piece of British coinage. This denomination is extremely popular with numismatists, especially those who have a particular interest in royalty.
The Halfpenny
Production of the halfpenny as a small silver coin began in the thirteenth century BC. Before this, the only way of creating change for transactions would be to cut one of the cross-penny designs. By 1649, the production of the halfpenny had ceased due to the increase in the value of silver. Copper halfpennies were introduced in 1672 to cover the demand for lower denomination coinage. This amendment was successful and the halfpenny was used up until 1984 when they were removed from circulation due to decimalisation.
The halfpenny is fairly easy to get hold of, which makes it an accessible denomination for all coin collectors. For a lot of people, this denomination provides a nostalgic feeling and takes them back to the pre-decimal era, whereas for others, it is an incredible coin that holds a lot of history. For these reasons, the halfpenny remains amongst one of the most popular denominations for coin collecting.
The 50p Coin
The world’s first seven-sided coin, the 50p was a denomination introduced in 1969 because of decimalisation and replaced the ten-shilling note. The 50p coin showed the public the magnitude of the coinage revolution and it was re-sized in 1997 to maintain the weight-to-value ratio. Since its introduction, this coin has seen a variety of designs and collections, offering artists more area to create interesting and unique designs.
The 50p coin is a familiar denomination due to it being a circulating coin, and as such, is a very popular option for numismatists. The vast selection of designs coupled with the fact that it is a low-denomination coin is another reason why this denomination is also popular with those who aren’t necessarily avid collectors but enjoy coin collecting.
