Like many other mints, the Royal Mint issues bullion coins in precious metals, having much higher intrinsic value than their face value. The two ounce (2 oz) silver coins are denominated as Five Pounds (£5).
The coins are legal tender but are not intended for circulation. They are targeted at bullion investors or collectors who appreciate the special editions as pieces of art. The coins are typically "one-year" types usually issued in parallel with smaller denominations with the same reverse designs.
This bullion coin is a re-issue of the 2016 design for the last round one-pound coin, and is part of a series called Coins for a Kingdom.
The reverse was designed by Gregory Kenneth Cameron, the Anglican bishop of the Diocese of St Asaph in Wales; it represents the United Kingdom and features the mythical "heraldic beasts" symbolic of each of its parts: the lion of England, the dragon of Wales, the unicorn of Scotland and the stag of Northern Ireland, with the Imperial Crown at centre - which is now the Tudor Crown, updated from St Edward’s Crown to reflect the change in monarch (King Charles III has elected to have the Imperial Crown rendered as the Tudor Crown, unlike Queen Elizabeth II who had it as St Edward’s Crown during her reign). |