Royal Mint launches new commemorative £5 coin to mark the Queen’s 95th birthday

In April, the Queen is set to be the first UK monarch to reach 95

The new £5 coin to commemorate the Queen’s 95th birthday (Royal Mint)

A £5 coin to mark the Queen’s 95th birthday is one of five new commemorative coins released this year, the Royal Mint has confirmed.

In April, the Queen will become the first UK monarch to reach 95.

The release of a £5 coin is typically issued to commemorate significant royal events, although historic events such as the new millennium, and famous military anniversaries, such as the Battle of Waterloo, have also been represented in coin form.

The new £5 coin is a “floral tribute” featuring the Queen’s own words, “my heart and my devotion”, which references part of a Christmas broadcast from 1957, the first to be televised.

In the speech, the Queen told the nation: “In the old days the monarch led his soldiers on the battlefield and his leadership at all times was close and personal.

“Today things are very different. 

"I cannot lead you into battle, I do not give you laws or administer justice, but I can do something else, I can give you my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.”

Timothy Noad, the designer of the coin, said: “Her Majesty The Queen is well-known as a lover of flowers and gardens.

“I like the idea that a posy or bouquet is often presented to The Queen, perhaps on her birthday, and that this could be a tribute from the four nations of the United Kingdom.”

The 250th anniversary of the birth of novelist Sir Walter Scott, the 75th anniversary of the death of author HG Wells and the 75th anniversary of the death of the inventor John Logie Baird will also be honoured in the new release.

Influential Scotsman Sir Walter Scott, author of Rob Roy, Ivanhoe and Waverley, and HG Wells, the science fiction author of The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine, will both be commemorated with £2 coins.

The 50th anniversary of decimalisation, when Britain's modern coins came into force, will be featured on a 50p coin.

Inventor John Logie Baird, who became known for his early prototypes of the television, will also be recognised in a new 50p coin.

Clare Maclennan, Divisional Director of the Consumer Division at The Royal Mint said that the commemorative coins marked “some of the biggest anniversaries in 2021”.

“Each coin is a miniature work of art and has been designed as a treasured keepsake or gift,” she added.

The commemorative five-coin set is now available for purchase from the Royal Mint website in a range of precious metal and base proof finishes, with prices beginning at £30.