Five pounds (British coin) facts for kids
This page is about the commemorative five pound coins issued in the United Kingdom since 1990. For the commemorative crowns issued between 1972 and 1981, see British twenty-five pence coin. For pre-decimal British crowns, see Crown (British coin).
| United Kingdom | |
| Value | £5 |
|---|---|
| Mass | 28.28 g |
| Diameter | 38.61 mm |
| Thickness | 2.89 mm |
| Edge | Milled, with an inscription |
| Composition | Cupro-nickel (75% Cu, 25% Ni) Silver (.925 Sterling Silver) Gold |
| Years of minting | 1990–present |
| Obverse | |
| Design | King Charles III |
| Designer | Martin Jennings |
| Design date | 2022 |
| Reverse | |
| Design | No standard reverse design; the design varies each year with the event being commemorated |
The British five pound (£5) coin is a commemorative denomination of sterling coinage. As of October 2022, the obverse of new coins feature the profile of King Charles III. The obverse previously depicted Queen Elizabeth II between the coin's introduction in 1990 and the Queen's death in 2022. Two different portraits of the Queen graced the coin, with the last design by Ian Rank-Broadley being introduced in 1998. The coin has no standard reverse; instead it is altered each year to commemorate important events. Variant obverses have also been used on occasion.
The coin is a continuation of the crown, which after decimalisation became the commemorative twenty-five pence coin. The twenty-five pence was discontinued in 1981 after creating a large coin with such small value became prohibitively expensive. The five pound coin shares the same dimensions as the twenty-five pence coin, and the five shilling coin before it, but has a nominal value twenty times greater.
Five pound coins are legal tender but are intended as souvenirs and are rarely seen in circulation. The coins are sold by the Royal Mint at face value and also, with presentation folders, at a premium to that face value. The 2010 coins, with such folders, were sold for £9.95 each. As of 2020 the coin and folder cost £13.
A £5 memorial crown featuring the image of Charles III was released on 3 October 2022.
Separate five pound coin designs have also been released in various British crown dependencies and British Overseas Territories. These are outside of the scope of this article and are not listed below.
Contents
Design
Queen Elizabeth II
The designs which have appeared on the five pound coin's reverse are summarised in the table below.
| Number | Year | Image | Event | Design | Edge Inscription | Designer | Mintage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1990 | The Queen Mother's 90th birthday | A cypher in the letter 'E' in duplicate, above a royal crown flanked by a rose and a thistle all within the inscription QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER and the dates 1900–1990 | Leslie Durbin | 2,761,431 | ||
| 2 | 1993 | The 40th anniversary of the Queen's Coronation | St Edward's Crown encircled by forty trumpets all within the inscription FAITH AND TRUTH I WILL BEAR UNTO YOU and the anniversary dates 1953–1993 | Robert Elderton | 1,834,655 | ||
| 3 | 1996 | The Queen's 70th birthday | A representation of Windsor Castle with five flag poles, two holding forked pennants with anniversary dates of 1926 and 1996, the other flags are Royal Arms, Union flag and the Queen's personal flag | Avril Vaughan | 2,396,100 | ||
| 4 | 1997 | Golden wedding anniversary of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh | A pair of shields, chevronwise, on the left, shield of the Royal arms, on the right, shield of Prince Philip, above a royal crown and the date 20 NOVEMBER, below an anchor cabled and FIVE POUNDS | Leslie Durbin | 1,733,000 | ||
| 5 | 1998 | Prince Charles' 50th birthday | A portrait of Prince Charles and in the background words relating to the work of The Prince's Trust. A circumscription of FIFTIETH BIRTHDAY OF HRH PRINCE OF WALES and below FIVE POUNDS flanked by anniversary dates of 1948 and 1998 | Michael Noakes and Robert Elderton | 1,407,300 | ||
| 6 | 1999 | Diana, Princess of Wales memorial crown | A portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales with the dates 1961 and 1997, circumscription IN MEMORY OF DIANA PRINCESS OF WALES and the value FIVE POUNDS | David Cornell | 5,396,300 | ||
| 7 | 1999 | Millennium Crown | A representation of a dial of a clock, hands set at 12 o'clock with a map of the British Isles and the dates 1999 and 2000 and the words ANNO DOMINI and the value FIVE POUNDS | WHAT'S PAST IS PROLOGUE | Jeffrey Matthews | 5,396,300 | |
| 8 | 2000 | Millennium Crown | A representation of a dial of a clock, hands set at 12 o'clock with a map of the British Isles and the dates 1999 and 2000 and the words ANNO DOMINI and the value FIVE POUNDS | WHAT'S PAST IS PROLOGUE | Jeffrey Matthews | 3,147,092 | |
| 9 | 2000 | The Queen Mother's 100th birthday | A portrait of the Queen Mother, flanked by groups of people with the circumscription QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER, the anniversary dates 1900–2000. Below the portrait a representation of her signature. | Ian Rank-Broadley | 3,147,092 | ||
| 10 | 2001 | 100th anniversary of the Death of Queen Victoria | A representation of The Crystal Palace within the value FIVE POUNDS, stylised railway lines in the shape of a V incorporating a portrait of Queen Victoria, remnant of the words ONE PENNY and anniversary dates of 1901 and 2001 | Mary Milner-Dickens | 851,491 | ||
| 11 | 2002 | Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II | A portrait of the Queen with the value FIVE POUNDS below | Ian Rank-Broadley | 3,469,243 | ||
| 12 | 2002 | Queen Mother memorial crown | A portrait of the Queen Mother encircled by a wreath and with the circumscription QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER and the dates 1900–2002 | STRENGTH DIGNITY LAUGHTER | Avril Vaughan | 3,469,243 | |
| 13 | 2003 | 50th anniversary of the Queen's Coronation | GOD SAVE THE QUEEN in the centre surrounded by the words CORONATION JUBILEE FIVE POUNDS and the anniversary date 2003 | Tom Phillips | 1,307,147 | ||
| 14 | 2004 | 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale between Great Britain and France | Combined figures of Britannia and Marianne, with the words ENTENTE CORDIALE and the anniversary dates 1904 and 2004 | David Gentleman | 1,205,594 | ||
| 15 | 2005 | 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar | Design features HMS Victory and HMS Termeraire in battle surrounded by inscription TRAFALGAR and the dates 1805 and 2005 | Clive Duncan | 1,075,516 | ||
| 16 | 2005 | 200th anniversary of the death of Horatio Nelson | A portrait of Horatio Nelson and the dates 1805 and 2005 | ENGLAND EXPECTS EVERYMAN TO DO HIS DUTY | James Butler | 1,075,516 | |
| 17 | 2006 | The Queen's 80th birthday | Three trumpets with trumpet banners accompanied by the inscription 1926 VIVAT REGINA 2006 | DUTY SERVICE FAITH | Danuta Solowiej-Wedderburn | 52,267 | |
| 18 | 2007 | Diamond wedding anniversary of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh | The rose window of Westminster Abbey accompanied by the inscription TVEATVR VNITA DEVS, the dates 1947 and 2007, and the denomination FIVE POUNDS | MY STRENGTH AND STAY | Emma Noble | 30,561 | |
| 19 | 2008 | 450th anniversary of the Accession of Queen Elizabeth I | A portrait of Queen Elizabeth I crowned and set within a mandorla. A rose has been placed at each connecting point while the two side arches each contain a leaf pattern reminiscent of the carvings made by Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester. The year of her accession and the year of the anniversary are both shown in Roman numerals. | I HAVE REIGNED WITH YOUR LOVES | Rod Kelly | 20,047 | |
| 20 | 2008 | Prince Charles' 60th birthday | A portrait of Prince Charles | SIXTIETH BIRTHDAY | Ian Rank-Broadley | 14,088 | |
| 21 | 2009 | 500th anniversary of the Accession of Henry VIII | John Bergdahl | 67,119 | |||
| 22 | 2009 | Countdown to 2012: 3 | Two swimmers, and countdown number '3'. The words COUNTDOWN above and XXX OLYMPIAD below; the London 2012 logo on the left, the date 2009 on the right. | Claire Aldridge | 184,921 | ||
| 23 | 2010 | 350th anniversary of the Restoration of the Monarchy | David Cornell | 30,247 | |||
| 24 | 2010 | Countdown to 2012: 2 | Two runners, and countdown number '2'. The words COUNTDOWN above and XXX OLYMPIAD below; the London 2012 logo on the left, the date 2010 below the image. | Claire Aldridge | 153,080 | ||
| 25 | 2011 | Royal Wedding: Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton | Mark Richards | 250,000 | |||
| 26 | 2011 | 90th birthday of the Duke of Edinburgh | Mark Richards | 18,730 | |||
| 27 | 2011 | Countdown to 2012: 1 | Cyclist, and countdown number '1'. The words COUNTDOWN above and XXX OLYMPIAD below; the London 2012 logo on the right, the date 2011 on the left. | Claire Aldridge | 52,261 | ||
| 28 | 2012 | Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II | Ian Rank-Broadley | 484,775 | |||
| 29 | 2012 | Countdown to 2012 | Three medallists on a podium. The words COUNTDOWN above and XXX OLYMPIAD below; the London 2012 logo on the right, the date 2012 above the image. | Claire Aldridge | 52,261 | ||
| 30 | 2012 | Olympic Games | London skyline with the inscription LONDON 2012 above, surrounded by a selection of sporting images, and the London 2012 logo at the top. | Saiman Miah | 315,983 | ||
| 31 | 2012 | Paralympic Games | Segments of a target, a spoked wheel, a stopwatch and the clock-face of the Palace of Westminster. The inscription LONDON 2012 is upper left, and London 2012 Paralympic logo is lower left. | Pippa Sanderson | 55,524 | ||
| 32 | 2013 | 60th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II | Emma Noble | 57,262 | |||
| 33 | 2013 | Birth of Prince George | 7,460 | ||||
| 34 | 2013 | Christening of Prince George | 56,014 | ||||
| 35 | 2014 | 300th anniversary of the death of Queen Anne | Mark Richards | 12,181 | |||
| 36 | 2014 | Prince George's first birthday | 7,500 | ||||
| 37 | 2015 | 50th anniversary of the death of Winston Churchill | Mark Richards | 18,161 | |||
| 38 | 2015 | 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo | David Lawrence | 24,554 | |||
| 39 | 2015 | Birth of Princess Charlotte | John Bergdahl | 3,000 (C) | |||
| 40 | 2015 | Christening of Princess Charlotte | |||||
| 41 | 2015 | Second birthday of Prince George | |||||
| 42 | 2015 | Longest reigning monarch | James Butler | ||||
| 43 | 2016 | 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II | Christopher Hobbs | 9,360 (C) | |||
| 44 | 2017 | House of Windsor (100th Anniversary) | Timothy Noad | ||||
| 45 | 2017 | 1000th anniversary of the coronation of King Canute | Lee R. Jones | 7,100 (C) | |||
| 46 | 2017 | Sapphire Jubilee of Elizabeth II | Glyn Davies | 5,980 (C) | |||
| 47 | 2017 | Prince Philip: Celebrating a Life of Service | Humphrey Paget | 3,750 (C) | |||
| 48 | 2017 | Remembrance Day | Stephen Taylor | 12,720 (C) | |||
| 49 | 2017 | Platinum Wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip | John Bergdahl | 2,760 (C) | |||
| 50 | 2017 | Christmas Tree | Edwina Ellis | 12,030 (C) | |||
| 51 | 2017 | The Queen's Beasts I: The Lion of England | Jody Clark | 15,000 (C) | |||
| 52 | 2017 | The Queen's Beasts II: The Unicorn of Scotland | Jody Clark | 3,570 (C) | |||
| 53 | 2018 | The Queen's Beasts III: The Red Dragon of Wales | Jody Clark | 2,870 (C) | |||
| 54 | 2018 | Fifth birthday of Prince George | Jody Clark | 2,970 (C) | |||
| 55 | 2018 | Four generations of royalty | Timothy Noad | 9,300 (C) | |||
| 56 | 2018 | The Queen's Beasts IV: The Black Bull of Clarence | Jody Clark | 3,010 (C) | |||
| 57 | 2018 | Royal Wedding: Prince Henry and Ms Meghan Markle | Jody Clark | 20,250 (C) | |||
| 58 | 2018 | 65th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II | Stephen Taylor | 3,300 (C) | |||
| 59 | 2018 | The Pride of England | As 2017 version; reissued dated 2018 for the World Cup. | Jody Clark | 5,100 (C) | ||
| 60 | 2018 | Remembrance Day (2018) | 4,000 (C) | ||||
| 61 | 2018 | The Nutcracker | Harry Brockway | 12,000 (C) | |||
| 62 | 2018 | Prince Charles' 70th birthday | Robert Elderton | 5,000 (C) | |||
| 63 | 2018 | Royal Academy of Arts | 2,190 (C) | ||||
| 64 | 2019 | The Queen's Beasts V: The Falcon of the Plantagenets | Jody Clark | 3,690 (C) | |||
| 65 | 2019 | Legend of the Ravens (Tower of London) | Jody Clark | 5,400 (C) | |||
| 66 | 2019 | The Queen's Beasts VI: The Yale of Beaufort | Jody Clark | 2,940 (C) | |||
| 67 | 2019 | The Crown Jewels (Tower of London) | Glyn Davies | 4,200 (C) | |||
| 68 | 2019 | 200th anniversary of the birth of Queen Victoria | John Bergdahl | 15,030 (C) | |||
| 69 | 2019 | The Yeoman Wardens (Tower of London) | Glyn Davies | 6,600 (C) | |||
| 70 | 2019 | The Lion of England – Cricket World Cup | Jody Clark | 6,720 (C) | |||
| 71 | 2019 | Ceremony of the Keys (Tower of London) | Glyn Davies | 8,700 (C) | |||
| 72 | 2020 | Lunar Year of the Rat | P. J. Lynch | ||||
| 73 | 2019 | 100 years of Remembrance Day | Harry Brockway | 6,300 (C) | |||
| 74 | 2020 | The Queen's Beasts VII: The White Lion of Mortimer | Jody Clark | 3,610 (C) | |||
| 75 | 2020 | 200th anniversary of the death of George III | Incorporates an effigy of the king in the centre alongside the King’s Observatory and Windsor Castle around the outside | Dominique Evans | 9,240 (C) | ||
| 76 | 2020 | Music legends: Queen | Features the band's logo QUEEN and instruments played by the members: Bechstein grand piano played by Freddie Mercury for "Bohemian Rhapsody", May's "Red Special" guitar, Roger Taylor's Ludwig bass drum with an early-day Queen crest and John Deacon's Fender Precision Bass. | Chris Facey | 8,160 (C) | ||
| 77 | 2020 | The Queen's Beasts VIII: The White Horse of Hanover | Jody Clark | 2,630 (C) | |||
| 78 | 2020 | 250th anniversary of the birth of William Wordsworth | David Lawrence | 5,600 (C) | |||
| 79 | 2020 | Bond, James Bond | Christian Davies and Matt Dent | 2,010 (C) | |||
| 80 | 2020 | Pay Attention 007 (James Bond) | Christian Davies and Matt Dent | 1,830 (C) | |||
| 81 | 2020 | Shaken Not Stirred (James Bond) | Christian Davies and Matt Dent | 1,380 (C) | |||
| 82 | 2020 | The White Tower (Tower of London) | Timothy Noad | 2,370 (C) | |||
| 83 | 2020 | The Royal Menagerie (Tower of London) | Timothy Noad | 1,620 (C) | |||
| 84 | 2020 | The Royal Mint (Tower of London) | Timothy Noad | 1,500 (C) | |||
| 85 | 2020 | The Infamous Prison (Tower of London) | Timothy Noad | 2,580 (C) | |||
| 86 | 2020 | Music legends: Elton John | Bradley Morgan Johnson | 2,160 (C) | |||
| 87 | 2020 | 150th anniversary of the British Red Cross | Henry Gray | 16,580 (C) | |||
| 88 | 2020 | 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War | Matthew Dent and Christian Davies | 7,300 (C) | |||
| 89 | 2020 | Remembrance Day (2020) | Natasha Preece | 1,170 (C) | |||
| 90 | 2021 | The White Greyhound of Richmond | Harry Brockway | 2,910 (C) | |||
| 91 | 2021 | Lunar Year of the Ox | Jody Clark | ||||
| 92 | 2020 | Music legends: David Bowie | Jody Clark | 3,450 (C) | |||
| 93 | 2021 | The 95th birthday of Her Majesty The Queen | Timothy Noad | 3,180 (C) | |||
| 94 | 2021 | The Griffin of Edward III | Jody Clark | 2,700 (C) | |||
| 95 | 2021 | Mr. Happy – The 50th anniversary of Mr. Men Little Miss | Jody Clark | 8,200 (C) | |||
| 96 | 2021 | Mr Strong and Little Miss Giggles – The 50th anniversary of Mr. Men Little Miss | Jody Clark | 6,200 (C) | |||
| 97 | 2021 | Little Miss Sunshine – The 50th anniversary of Mr. Men Little Miss | Jody Clark | 6,900 (C) | |||
| 98 | 2021 | The 150th anniversary of the Royal Albert Hall | Jody Clark | 3,160 (C) | |||
| 99 | 2021 | Alfred the Great | Jody Clark | 2,610 (C) | |||
| 100 | 2021 | The Tale of Peter Rabbit | Has inscribed: “Now run along, and don't get into mischief. I am going out.” | Jody Clark | 69,000 (C) | ||
| 101 | 2021 | The Queen's Beasts | Jody Clark | 1,160 (C) | |||
| 102 | 2021 | Music legends: The Who | Design includes a Union Jack flag, mod logo, and a Rickenbacker guitar | Jody Clark and Henry Gray | 17,070 (C) | ||
| 103 | 2022 | The Tale of Peter Rabbit | |||||
| 104 | 2022 | The Lion of England (Tudor Beasts Series) | |||||
| 105 | 2022 | The 40th Birthday of HRH The Duke of Cambridge |
Charles III
| Number | Year | Image | Event | Design | Edge Inscription | Designer | Mintage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2022 | Death of Queen Elizabeth II | Design features portraits of Elizabeth II in her early reign and late reign, along with St. Edward's Crown and her royal cypher | Martin Jennings and John Bergdahl |
C = Circulating
Coin Sets
Additionally, the Royal Mint have released a number of five pound coin sets in silver proof quality.
2012 Olympics Set
A series of 18 commemorative £5 coins were issued to celebrate the London 2012 Olympics.
- Mind Stonehenge
- Mind Big Ben
- Mind Angel of the North
- Mind Flying Scotsman
- Mind The Globe Theatre
- Mind Sir Isaac Newton
- Body Giant's Causeway
- Body The Great British Oak
- Body River Thames
- Body Weather
- Body British Fauna
- Body The Coastline of Britain
- Spirit Courage
- Spirit Pageantry
- Spirit Unity
- Spirit Music
- Spirit Humour
- Spirit Tolerance
Queen's Portrait Set
Four proof coins were released as part of the 2013 Queen's Portrait set. These coins feature the four portraits of Elizabeth II that appear on British coins.
The Portrait of Britain Set
Sixteen silver proof coins have been released as part of the 'Portrait of Britain' set.
- 2015 Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower)
- 2015 Tower Bridge
- 2015 Trafalgar Square
- 2015 Buckingham Palace
- 2016 White Cliffs of Dover
- 2016 Giant's Causeway
- 2016 Lake District
- 2016 Snowdonia
- 2017 Westminster Abbey
- 2017 Hampton Court Palace
- 2017 Downing Street
- 2017 Edinburgh Castle
- 2018 Blackpool
- 2018 Brighton
- 2018 Tenby
- 2018 Southwold
The First World War Set
A series of silver proof coins have been released as part of the 'First World War' set. 36 coins were released as part of this series.
- 2014 - British Expeditionary Force
- 2014 - Royal Navy Coin
- 2014 - Home Front Coin
- 2014 - Walter Tull
- 2014 - Propaganda
- 2014 - Howitzer Gun
- 2015 - Albert Ball VC
- 2015 - Animals at War
- 2015 - Submarines
- 2015 - Edith Cavell
- 2015 - Merchant Navy
- 2015 - Gallipoli
- 2016 - Poetry and Language
- 2016 - The Somme
- 2016 - Jutland
- 2016 - Jack Cornell VC
- 2016 - The Army
- 2016 - Dreadnought
- 2017 - Noel Godfrey Chavasse VC
- 2017 - The dedication of the medical services
- 2017 - The cultural importance of the war artist
- 2017 - The Sopwith Camel
- 2017 - Gas warfare
- 2017 - The Battle of Arras
- 2018 - TE Lawrence
- 2018 - Ypres
- 2018 - Tanks
- 2018 - Royal Air force
- 2018 - Women in factories
- 2018 - Widows left behind
- 2018 - Remembrance Day
- 2018 - War Memorials
- 2018 - Poppies
- 2018 - Imperial War Museums
- 2018 - Commonwealth War Graves
- 2018 - Peace
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Five pounds (British coin) Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.