Royal Mint reveals new commemorative coins for 2021

fee286aa-9b3a-43f7-881d-4732e042a8e6

04 January 2021
|
The Royal Mint has revealed five new coin designs for the 2021 ‘Annual Set’, celebrating subjects including the life and work of John Logie Baird and HG Wells, the 250th Anniversary of the birth of Sir Walter Scott, and the anniversary of Decimal Day.

The new commemorative coins are available in The Royal Mint’s ‘Annual Set’, with each of the coins featuring a design by a commissioned artist. The full list of coins in the annual set is:

  • The 95th Birthday of Her Majesty the Queen on a £5 
  • 250th Anniversary of the birth of Sir Walter Scott on a £2 
  • The life and work of John Logie Baird on a 50p 
  • The 50th Anniversary of Decimal Day 2021 on a 50p
  • The life and work of H.G. Wells 2021 on a £2

FREE 50p e-book!

Sign up to the FREE allaboutcoins newsletter for regular coin updates, collecting advice, offers and more, and we'll also send you.a FREE 50p e-book featuring values and info on GB 50p coins. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP NOW!


About the 2021 coin designs

Content continues after advertisements


Her Majesty The Queen’s 95th birthday

This special £5 coin celebrates a remarkable milestone, making Queen Elizabeth II the first British monarch to reach such a grand age.

During her reign The Royal Mint has created five different effigies of Her Majesty The Queen documenting her reign, and she resides on every British coin in circulation. 

50th anniversary of Decimalisation

This landmark moment introduced the coins we use today, and was Britain’s biggest peacetime operation. It marks a special anniversary in The Royal Mint’s own 1,100-year history and has been commemorated on a 50p coin.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, the Decimal Day 50p coin features the second effigy of Her Majesty The Queen on its obverse - this portrait was created by Arnold Machin RA for decimalisation to mark the transition and help people identify the new coinage.

The reverse design was created by Royal Mint employee Dominique Evans. This coin featuring the Queen’s second effigy is only available as part of the annual set. 

250th anniversary of the birth of Sir Walter Scott

Recognised as one of the most influential Scots in history, Sir Walter Scott is renowned for his contribution to literature with a number of novels and poems, many of which remain literary classics to this day.

250 years on from his birth, Scott’s incredible literary legacy will be commemorated £2 coin.

75th anniversary of the death of John Logie Baird

A prolific inventor and famous for his early prototypes of television, John Logie Baird’s work changed society and entertainment around the world.

The Royal Mint is commemorating the 75th anniversary of the death of John Logie Baird on a commemorative 50p coin which celebrates the inventor and his creations.

75th anniversary of the death of H.G Wells

Best known for science fiction novels such as The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, H.G Wells is renowned for his ability to bring science fiction to life through his work, earning him nicknames such as the ‘father of science fiction’.

Seventy-five years on from his death, The Royal Mint celebrates the life and work of H.G Wells on a commemorative coin with a design that captures iconic images from Well’s work, including The War of the Worlds and The Invisible Man.

The commemorative set will be available to purchase from www.royalmint.com in a range of precious metal and base proof finishes, prices start from £30.