Known for accelerating Allied efforts to read German naval messages, Alan Turing led a team at Bletchley park that eventually cracked the code to the Enigma machine. The Engima machine was a device that encrypted German messages, and without breaking it, it is thought that Britain and its allies might not have countered the German […]
“My coin has an error. One of the sides is upside down!” If you’ve had that thought when looking at certain coins, don’t worry you’re not alone. The “upside down coin” question is one of the most common we’re asked. In almost all cases, it’s never a mistake, but the alignment style decided by the […]
Every year, thousands of coin collectors and hundreds of dealers and Mints descend upon the Estrel Exhibition Centre in Berlin for the World Money Fair. It’s a pretty intense few days of one meeting after an other, being shown countless coins – some from countries I’ve never even heard of. So what caught my eye […]
One coin has dominated discussion over the last few months, probably more than any other coin I can remember. And those discussions are not just limited to coin collecting circles and online forums. This has been headline news. Now it’s here. Let me explain why I think this is such an important coin now and […]
A brand new BREXIT 50p coin is to be issued to mark Britain’s exit from the European Union. The Royal Proclamation has just been passed confirming the new coin. Although announced by the former chancellor Philip Hammond in last year’s Budget, this is the first official confirmation from The Royal Mint that the coin is […]
The Sovereign is without rival as the United Kingdom’s premier Gold Coin, with rich history dating back well over 500 years. It epitomises all that is British. Traded across the world during the 19th Century and early 20th Century, it became known as “The Chief Coin of the World”, whilst today’s modern Proof Sovereigns show […]
On the morning of 19 February this year, something remarkable happened. I tried to access The Royal Mint website and was informed that I was in a queue with over 100,000 people in front of me and that I wouldn’t be able to access the website for well over an hour. It was all because […]
STOP PRESS, 27 JUNE 2017: The Royal Mint confirm the Piedfort Sovereign is 100% reserved within 24 hours of release. 2017 is the Bicentenary of the “modern” Sovereign. To celebrate, The Royal Mint has just issued the FIRST EVER double-thickness Piedfort Sovereign. It is set to become one of the most collectable Gold Sovereigns ever […]
Collectors around the world are already rushing to own what many consider to be the most important Gold Sovereign for 200 years. The reason is simple. The Royal Mint has taken the unprecedented decision to add a one-year-only Mint Mark to the UK’s Classic Sovereign. Why? To celebrate the fact that 2017 marks the 200th […]
The Royal Mint chose the release of the 2015 Gold Sovereign to announce another piece of news that means the Gold Sovereign will never be the same again after 2015. In a move that is presumably designed to mark Her Majesty the Queen becoming the nation’s longest reigning monarch in September 2015, the Royal Mint […]