Five Pounds 2023 Pride of England, 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 coin, having the same reverse design as Norman Sillman's "three lions" £1 coin first issued in circulation in 1997, was issued in honour of the England women’s football team to mark its participation in the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 - jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand from 20 July to 20 August 2023.

The mint says about it:
"Since its official launch in 1972, the profile of the England women’s team has grown exponentially. In 1984, the Lionesses reached the final of the inaugural Women’s European Championship, before ultimately losing out to Sweden. Since then, the team has been a force to be reckoned with on the global stage, reaching the quarter-finals of the world competition in 1995, 2007 and 2011. Providing millions of youngsters across the UK with female role models, the Lionesses’ success has helped propel women’s football further into the mainstream spotlight and boost female participation figures as a result."

The design was initially issued as described above - branded as the Pride of England coin and linked to the FIFA Women's World Cup. It was later also issued as a base metal proof (now branded just England), in conjunction with four other designs, as part of a series called Coins for a Kingdom featuring the symbols of each of the four constituent nations of the United kingdom - where this design represents England, with a fifth design showing all of them together.