Five Pounds 2022 Tutankhamun's Tomb, 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 £5 Crown-sized commemorative coin marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s Tomb.

The mint says about it:
For more than 3,000 years, Tutankhamun’s tomb lay hidden under layers of rock and desert sand. When the tomb and the thousands of artefacts inside were finally uncovered, it was one of history’s greatest discoveries. The coin's design focuses on the most famous artefact found within the tomb, Tutankhamun’s gold mask.

British archaeologist Howard Carter had already spent years exploring the Valley of the Kings, an area on the outskirts of the ancient city of Thebes (modern Luxor), by the time he was hired by the wealthy aristocrat Lord Carnarvon to lead a new expedition. Lord Carnarvon, a keen Egyptologist, had heard about Carter’s belief that the ancient tomb of a pharaoh called Tutankhamun might still lie undiscovered. Whilst many others believed that anything of any worth had already been discovered in the Valley of the Kings, Lord Carnarvon placed his faith and a considerable sum of money in Carter’s theory and offered to fund a new search for the tomb.

After five years, the expedition had achieved very little. Frustrated by the lack of progress, Lord Carnarvon was about to put an end to the search when Carter pointed out that the ground beneath some ancient workers’ huts had not been excavated. On 4 November 1922, Carter and his team found the first stone step leading down to the tomb of Tutankhamun. Three weeks later, after further excavation, Carter and Lord Carnarvon made their way through the entrance tunnel leading to a sealed doorway. Plastered and sealed by ancient priests, it appeared that the entrance to the tomb was intact, which suggested that whatever lay beyond the doorway would be undisturbed. Carter made a small hole in the sealed doorway and using a candle to peer inside, looked into the tomb. Impatiently, Lord Carnarvon asked if he could see anything, to which a stunned Carter could only reply, "Yes, wonderful things". Hidden for more than 3,000 years, Tutankhamun’s tomb was remarkably intact. Comprising four chambers, the tomb was filled with thousands of objects. The discovery made headlines around the world and sparked a huge interest in Egyptology, now often referred to as ‘Tut-mania’.