Диаметр: 38.61, мм
Вес: 28.28, грамм
Металл: copper-nickel
Качество: BUNC

Монетный двор: Royal Mint
Тираж: 50000

Дата добавления:2010-03-07 10:55:19

Obverse designer: Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS
Reverse designer: John Bergdahl

The new commemorative £5 coin for 2010 marks a crucial episode in British history: in 1660 the system of government under the Commonwealth was abandoned in favour of a restored monarchy under Charles II.

The Design
The specially designed reverse depicts a crown, the symbol of monarchy, with a spray of oak leaves and, in a pleasing link with the coinage of Charles II, interlinked Cs. The coin is held in a colourful presentation folder focussing on the king and his reign as one of cultural vitality.

Charles II hid in an oak tree to escape capture following his defeat at the Battle of Worcester, and this became a defining moment in Restoration lore. The coin therefore includes a number of references to it, with oak leaves featuring prominently, as well as oak apple flowers. The latter refer to Oak Apple Day, a national holiday celebrating the king’s return to London. The heraldic crown is a very simplified version of Charles II’s crown, and the floral design beneath it includes an English rose of the period and thistles representing Scotland. The entwined C and lettering style are taken from the coinage of Charles II. The design was created by David Cornell.

The obverse depicts the portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS

Please note, the coin has a maximum mintage of 250,000
Modern coins develop

Just as the arts and sciences flourished under the reign of Charles II, so did the craft of coin making. Mechanised processes were introduced to give coins a more modern look, with hand-hammering being replaced by screw presses. There were also some major changes to British coin design. Modelled on Frances Teresa Stuart, later Duchess of Richmond, Britannia appeared for the first time on British coins in 1672 on the new copper halfpennies and farthings.

Another innovation was the addition of edge lettering reading DECUS ET TUTAMEN, an inscription still used on the modern £1 coin. Suggested by Samuel Pepys, it means ‘an ornament and a safeguard', and can be traced back to a line in Virgil’s Aeneid. Charles also introduced the guinea coin, named after the provenance of its gold on the Guinea Coast.