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The Royal Mint Museum As guardians of the history of the official maker of UK coins, we bring to life over a thousand years of making money. The Royal Mint Museum

Our collections tell stories of global history, art, politics, technology, industry and, above all, people.

As we celebrate the anniversary of the first issue of the 50 pence piece, it is fitting to highlight one of the denomina...
17/10/2026

As we celebrate the anniversary of the first issue of the 50 pence piece, it is fitting to highlight one of the denomination's most popular commemorative series.

In the lead up to the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Royal Mint launched a public competition to design a collection of 50 pence coins celebrating Olympic sports. Open to everyone, the competition resulted in 29 different designs and introduced the youngest ever designer of a United Kingdom coin at just nine years old.

You can find out more about the designs on our website:

https://bit.ly/3H4cfKp

When sculptor David Wynne was developing his design for the 50 pence coin commemorating Britain’s entry into the Europea...
16/10/2026

When sculptor David Wynne was developing his design for the 50 pence coin commemorating Britain’s entry into the European Economic Community in 1973, one early version featured a ring of ten linked hands. Wynne used real people as models, including himself, his wife and son, a craftsman who worked in his studio and a girl who helped look after his children.

Our collection contains original artwork from this stage of the design process, including the drawing shown here with an alternative inscription and a larger number of hands.

Between the proposal of the coin and its eventual issue, the expected number of members was reduced from ten to nine by the withdrawal of Norway. Wynne therefore revised the design, removing one of the hands.

The development of the 50p involved extensive testing before the final design was approved. Engineers working for Bristo...
15/10/2026

The development of the 50p involved extensive testing before the final design was approved. Engineers working for Bristol Siddeley, the aero engine manufacturer led by Hugh Conway, explored a range of shapes and tested them in a mock vending machine to ensure they could be easily recognised and handled by machines.

Their work led to the adoption of the distinctive seven-sided shape that made the 50p the world's first equilateral curve heptagon coin.
These unusual stainless steel trials from our collection provide a record of their innovation and experimentation.

On this day, 14 October 1969, the new 50 pence piece entered circulation, replacing the ten shilling note and becoming B...
14/10/2026

On this day, 14 October 1969, the new 50 pence piece entered circulation, replacing the ten shilling note and becoming Britain's first seven-sided coin.

Trial pieces were produced during its development as designers explored how Britannia might appear on the new coin. One particularly unusual pattern combined the familiar Britannia reverse from the pre-decimal halfpenny with the denomination 50, creating an early impression of what a Britannia 50 pence piece might look like.

These experimental pieces formed part of the wider decimalisation programme and illustrate the extensive design work that took place before the final coin entered circulation.

On this day, 13 October 1399, Henry IV was crowned King of England, becoming the first Lancastrian monarch. Henry IV's c...
13/10/2026

On this day, 13 October 1399, Henry IV was crowned King of England, becoming the first Lancastrian monarch.

Henry IV's coinage is characterised by a difficult transition between heavy and light standards, low mint output and distinctive privy marks and lettering. When the Tower Mint began striking coins in October 1399, old dies of Edward III and Richard II were initially reused while new tools were prepared, illustrating the urgency of establishing the new king's authority.

For most of the reign, the older heavy-weight standard was maintained. This discouraged the supply of silver bullion to the Mint and resulted in very low levels of production. As a consequence, surviving coins of Henry IV are exceptionally rare, particularly the heavy issues. Many are known only from museum collections and a small number of private collections, often in clipped or poor condition.

The rarity of the coinage is reflected in our collection, which contains just one coin of Henry IV: a silver halfpenny.

Edward Bawden was one of the most original British artists of the twentieth century. Known for his work as a watercolour...
12/10/2026

Edward Bawden was one of the most original British artists of the twentieth century. Known for his work as a watercolourist, illustrator and designer, his career spanned more than 60 years and included commissions for Shell, the Orient Line and his service as an Official War Artist during the Second World War.

Less well known is his brief involvement with coin design. Preparations for decimalisation began in the early 1960s, and Bawden was among the artists invited to submit designs for Britain's future coinage. A series of his beautifully executed drawings in our collection, includes a portrait of the Queen and designs for what was originally intended to be a round fifty pence piece.

Although Bawden never became a coin designer, these artworks offer a fascinating glimpse of an alternative direction for Britain's decimal coinage and reveal a lesser-known aspect of one of the country's most influential artists.

On this day, 11 October 1727, George II was crowned at Westminster Abbey. His reign saw the coinage become increasingly ...
11/10/2026

On this day, 11 October 1727, George II was crowned at Westminster Abbey. His reign saw the coinage become increasingly global, reflecting the international origins of the precious metals used to produce it.

Guineas had for some time been struck with an elephant mark, indicating the gold had been sourced by the Royal African Company. In the reign of George II though, they took on a new mark.

In 1745 guineas were struck with the LIMA mark under the king’s head. The name relates to the location, in Peru, where the gold was originally mined. While several theories exist as to how this gold made its way to the Royal Mint, it seems most likely that it was the result of two English privateers, The Duke and Prince Frederick, who had captured it from French ships transporting it back from the Port of Callao.

You can find out more about the coins of George II on our website:

https://bit.ly/3RAL4ft

The physicist Thomas Graham served as Master of the Royal Mint from 1855 to 1869, one of only a handful of scientists to...
10/10/2026

The physicist Thomas Graham served as Master of the Royal Mint from 1855 to 1869, one of only a handful of scientists to hold the post. Following in the footsteps of Isaac Newton, Graham brought a scientific curiosity to the role, carrying out experiments into the properties and composition of metals.

The piece shown here, struck in 1869 and approximately the size of a half sovereign, was produced during Graham's investigations into palladium and hydrogenium, as recorded in its inscription. While his research into copper alloys influenced the composition of the bronze coinage introduced in 1860, these more experimental studies had no direct impact on British coinage.

Although struck at the Royal Mint, Graham did not place an example in the Royal Mint Museum collection. The specimen now held by the Museum arrived by a different route, having been acquired in June 1940 through a bequest from the chemist Sir William Pope.

For this Font Friday, we are sharing a set of letter punches labelled for use on the Distinguished Flying Medal and the ...
09/10/2026

For this Font Friday, we are sharing a set of letter punches labelled for use on the Distinguished Flying Medal and the King’s Naval Medal.

The Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) was established on 3 June 1918 by King George V following the formation of the Royal Air Force. It was awarded to enlisted personnel and non-commissioned officers for acts of bravery, courage, and devotion to duty during active operations against the enemy. The silver medal features the reigning monarch on the obverse, while on the reverse, Athena Nike is seated on an aeroplane releasing a hawk above the words “For Courage”.

The King’s Naval Medal is harder to identify in the collection records. The title may refer to the Naval General Service Medal (1915). Awarded to Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel for service in a wide range of smaller naval operations and campaigns, the medal was always issued with a clasp identifying the specific conflict or theatre of service.

When the Royal Mint began exploring a larger threepence at the start of Edward VIII's reign, a surprising variety of sha...
08/10/2026

When the Royal Mint began exploring a larger threepence at the start of Edward VIII's reign, a surprising variety of shapes was considered. Among the options were square coins with rounded corners and scalloped designs such as the one shown here.

Although the trials took place during Edward VIII's reign, a portrait of George V was used on these experimental pieces because no approved portrait of the new king was yet available.

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