Five Pounds 2021 Alfred the Great, Coin from United Kingdom - detailed information

At the time of decimalisation in 1971, the United Kingdom Crown coin (equal to 5 shillings) was redenominated as a 25p coin and pieces struck prior to 1990 - all the way back to 1818 - continue to be legal tender for that amount. The old denomination had been a regular circulating coin in the 19th century, but in the 20th century it became more of a commemorative denomination.

The Royal Mint continued issuing commemorative coins in the same format - using the traditional coin dimensions, but in copper-nickel. These were initially also denominated as 25 pence but the "Crown" was changed in 1990 to a commemorative £5 (five pound) coin, having the same dimensions and weight but with a face value twenty times as great.

The denomination is used to mark special occasions, usually royal in theme, rather than for use in general circulation. Although not circulating, these coins are legal tender.

This commemorative £5 Crown-sized coin is dedicated to Alfred the Great, king of the West Saxons from 871 to c. 886 and king of the Anglo-Saxons from c. 886 to 899. The coin marks 1,150 years since his coronation in 871.

The reverse design is an unusual - some may even say crude - portrait of the king. It is a very deliberate style and a depiction that takes us right back to Alfred’s reign and the art and the culture of his time. John Bergdahl, a very experienced coinage artist who has created many designs for The Royal Mint, took his inspiration from a precious artefact that embodies the monarch’s enlightenment and passion for education - the Alfred Jewel, a masterpiece of rock crystal set over gold enamelling, which is now housed in the Ashmolean Museum, the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology. Found more than 300 years ago, ploughed up in a Somerset field in 1693, it is one of the most significant royal artefacts to be discovered.

The jewel is tear-shaped and on its face is a figure wrought in delicate cloisonné enamel, which is believed to represent the sense of sight. It is thought that the jewel may have originally held a pointer or "aestel" to help a reader follow the text in one of the Old English translations of Latin religious texts that Alfred himself commissioned. The jewel is inscribed with the words "AELFRED MEC HEHT GEWYRCAN" (inscribed on the edge of the silver and gold versions of the coin), which translates to "ALFRED ORDERED ME TO BE MADE" and indicates a strong connection with the king whose passion for learning is well-documented.