England Shilling

Shilling, 1951
Metal: copper-nickel
Diameter: 23.5mm
Reverse: Lion atop crown
Ruler: George VI

Florin, 1966

Metal: copper-nickel
Diameter: 28.3mm
Ruler: Elizabeth II
Reverse: Tudor rose at centre, thistle and shamrock wreath surround

The two shilling is also called a florin.

England Half crown

George VI Half crown, 1950

Metal: copper-nickel
Diameter: 32.3mm
Ruler: George VI
Reverse: quartered shield flanked by monograms

The half crown was an English denomination which was equivalent to 2.5 shillings, or 30 pence.

England two pound

2 pounds, 2002
Weight: 12gm
Metal: bimetallic copper nickel centre with nickel brass rim
Diameter: 28.35mm
Reverse: Celtic designs
Edge lettering: Standing on the shoulders of Giants.

This phrase " standing on the shoulders of giants" was famously cited by Isaac Newton and it means to carry forward the intellectual work done by thinkers of the past. We are like dwarfs on the shoulders of giants, so that we can see more and farther than they did.

England one pound - IV

England one pound, oak tree

The oak has always been seen as the national tree of England. Its great height, age and strength made it the king of the English forest, and a symbol of endurance.

The oak's sturdy timber was used to build the frames of houses, barns and halls, and the ships of Francis Drake and Horatio Nelson - the "heart of oak" celebrated in the official march of the British Navy. The tree was also sacred to the Druids and the Anglo-Saxons, and it sheltered an English king, Charles II, when he was on the run from his enemies.

Oak tree is also a national symbol of Germany.

One pound plantegenet lions

This is one of the coat of arms borne by Geoffrey Plantegenet and his descendants. It shows three lions passant guardant and it also features on the royal banner of England.The coat of arms of kings and dukes of England from 1198 to 1340, including Richard the Lionheart and Edward ! Longshanks is shown below.

England one pound - III

1 pound, Celtic cross

The design on the reverse shows a Celtic cross, the broighter torc and pimpernel, all of which are a representation of Ireland. The pimpernel is a genus of 20-25 species of flowering plants.

Broighter torc and bowl

The Broighter torc was part of a substantial lot of gold artefacts found by Tom Nicholl in 1896 in Northern Ireland near Limavady. The lot is known as the broighter gold or broighter hoard. It includes a 7 inch long boat, a torc and some jewellery. It was found while ploughing on a farm and was later sold to the British museum for 600 pounds.

Celtic cross

Only the top part with the plus in the circle is the Celtic cross, the long column is simply a support.

1 pound, Welsh dragon

The Welsh dragon shown on this con also appears on the flag of Wales, and the Tudor monarchs had the red dragon as supporter in their coat of arms.The red dragon is seen as a symbol of all things Welsh.

The Mametz wood memorial

England one pound - II

1 pound, Welsh leek

A leek in a coronet is shown here, representing Wales. Rather than producing bulbs like onion, a leek produces long bundles of sheathed leaves. Leeks can be easily grown and are used to lend flavor to stock.

1 pound scottish thistle

This one shows a cotton thistle sprig in a coronet, representing Scotland.

1 pound, Menai bridge

This coin shows the Menai Suspension Bridge (Welsh: Pont Grog y Borth) is a suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. Completed in 1826, it is one of the first modern suspension bridges in the world.

Thomas Telford was assigned the task of improving the route from London to Holyhead, which is one of the key terminals to Dublin, and one of the key improvements was his design of the suspension bridge over the Menai Strait between a point near Bangor on the mainland and the village of Porthaethwy on Anglesey. The bridge was opened to much fanfare on 30 January 1826 and reduced the journey time from London to Holyhead from 36 to 27 hours, a saving of 9 hours.

Menai suspension bridge

England one poumd - I

England coat of arms

The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II.

The shield is quartered, depicting in the first and fourth quarters the three passant guardant lions of England; the rampant lion of Scotland in the second; and in the third, a harp for Northern Ireland.

The crest is a statant guardant lion wearing the imperial crown, himself on another representation of that crown.

The dexter supporter is a likewise crowned English lion; the sinister, a Scottish unicorn. According to legend a free unicorn was considered a very dangerous beast; therefore the heraldic unicorn is chained, as were both supporting unicorns in the Royal coat of arms of Scotland.

The coat features both the motto of English monarchs, Dieu et mon droit (God and my right), and the motto of the Order of the Garter, Honi soit qui mal y pense (Shamed be he who thinks ill of it) on a representation of the Garter behind the shield.

1 pound, 1983
Weight: 9.5gm
Metal: Nickel-brass
22.5mm
Reverse: England coat of arms
Obverse: queen Elizabeth II

1 pound, 1993

Edge lettering on pound coins

The edge lettering on the pound coins reads: "decus et tutamen" meanning an ornament and a safeguard was originally there on some 17th century coins and was meant to be for the edge as a protection for the precious metal. This phrase originally appeared in a poem by Virgil describing a breast plate interwoven with gold which was awarded to Menestheus as a prize.

1 pound, 2003

England 50 pence

Britannia statue

50 pence, 1980
Weight: 13.5gm
Metal: copper-nickel
Size: 30mm
Reverse: Britannia seated

England Crown

Crown, royal wedding

Metal: copper-nickel
Diameter: 38.5mm
Subject: wedding of prince Charles and lady Diana

Crown, silver jubilee of queen's reign

Diameter: 38.5mm
Metal: copper-nickel
Obverse: Queen Elizabeth on horseback
Reverse: Eagle at center, crown at top.

The crown is well known for its size and bulk, being the largest coin to be circulated in recent times along with the Eisenhower dollar. It is equal to 25 cents as per the value in the decimal coinage system, though crown is also used as 5 pound coin. These crowns were released on some special occasions.

England 20 pence

20 pence, 1982

20 pence, 1990

20 pence, 1999

Weight: 5gm
Metal: copper-nickel
Diameter: 21.4mm
Reverse: Tudor rose

The tudor rose is the traditional heraldic floral symbol from the Tudor dynasty of England.

When Henry Tudor defeated Richard III and took over the crown of England, he brought to an end the Wars of the Roses between the House of Lancaster (whose badge was a red rose) and the House of York (whose badge was a white rose). His father was Edmund Tudor from the House of Richmond, and his mother was Margaret Beaufort from the House of Lancaster; he married Elizabeth of York to bring all factions together.

Henry adopted the Tudor Rose badge which comprised of the White Rose of York and the Red Rose of Lancaster. The Tudor Rose is occasionally seen divided in quarters (heraldically as 'quartered') and vertically (in heraldic terms per pale) red and white.Quite often, the Tudor Rose is depicted as a double rose, white on red and is always described, heraldically, as "proper".

England 10 pence

10 pence, 1979

Weight: 11.31gm
Metal: copper-nickel
Diameter: 28.5mm
Obverse: Elizabeth young bust
Reverse: guardant lion passant crowned

10 pence, 1992

Former crest of England: guardant lion passant crowned

"This superb facsimile in fine pewter, is faithfully cast from a 15th century pewter original. As an heraldic beast, it is officially described as a 'lion passant guardant ". It is a powerful emblem that has been used since the 12th century as a symbol of support for the British monarchy . The warrior king, Richard the 1st, also known as Richard Couer de Lion(Richard the Lionheart), emblazoned his battle shield with three such lions, all in the same defiant posture which is on the current shield of England.

The origins of the original badge go back to the time of the Plantagenet Kings of England. Displaying an "open" crown and of particularly fine craftsmanship, it is almost certainly a Royal badge from the reign of Henry the 6th, who was crowned on November 6th 1429. Similar badges, from later Tudor England, display a "closed crown" upon a lion's head, the style which has survived in Royal Heraldry to the present day."

England 5 pence

5 pence, 1970

Note the "new pence" legend on the reverse. The 5 new pence came out in circulation in 1968 when the currency was changed to decimal system from the old system. The "new pence" featured on the coins till 1980 and in 1982 it was replaced by 5 pence.

5 pence, 1988
5 pence, 2001

Weight: 3.25gm
Metal: copper-nickel
Diameter: 18mm
Reverse: crowned thistle

Thistle is a common name given to a group of flowering plants characterized by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins. The thistle is an ancient Celtic symbol of nobility: by character and by birth, and hurting a thistle invokes some punishment. In one story, a barefoot Viking attacker stepped on a thistle and cried out, alerting the defenders. The thistle is the national flower of Scotland for hitherto unknown reasons.

5 pence, 2008

The latest 5 pence coin features a segment of the royal shield, and the new coin set is supposed to remake the shield when placed together.

England two pence

2 pence, 1988

Badge of prince of Wales

2 pence, 1999

Metal: copper plated steel

Weight: 7.12gm

Diameter: 25.9mm

The reverse shows the badge of the prince of Wales: Three white ostrich feathers emerging from a golden coronet. The ribbon below the coronet bears the motto: "Ich dien", which is German for "I serve". The batch is used to symbolize Wales, and is also used by the Welsh rugby league. The batch does not have any relation to the native princes of Wales, but is apparently associated with the Black Prince Edward, eldest son of Edward III. It is said that the prince had taken the badge from the blind John I of Bohemia, whom he admired for his bravery. The prince had fought against John I in the battle of Crecy in 1346 and went to his dead body after the battle. He took his helmet lined with ostrich feathers. The helmet along with the motto of "Ich dien" made up the prince's badge and was also used by the subsequent princes of Wales.

The motto of "Ich dien" sounds like "Eich Dyn" ehich means "your man" in Welsh which may have helped to endear the motto, although there are groups among the Welsh who do not particularly like the motto and it is rejected by Welsh nationalists as it is seen as a symbol of the British monarchy rather than Wales.

England half penny

Half penny, 1971

Weight: 1.78gm
Metal: Bronze
Diameter: 17.14mm

Half penny, 1965

Metal: Bronze
Diameter: 25.5mm
Ruler: Elizabeth II
Reverse: The Golden Hind

The Golden Hind was a galleon from England which was primarily known for its circumnavigation of the world under Sir Francis Drake between 1577 and 1580. It was known as the Pelican at first, but Drake renamed it mid voyage in 1978 as it entered the Magellan Straits to compliment his patron Christopher Hatton, who was the lord counselor and favorite of queen Elizabeth I of England. Chritopher Hatton had a golden hind(female deer) as his armorial crest.

After Drake's voyage, the ship was maintained at Deptford for public viewing, making it perhaps the first example of a historical ship being shown to public. The Golden Hinde remained there for 100 years until it eventually rotted away and was broken down.

Half penny, George V 1919

Metal: Bronze
Diameter: 25.5mm
Reverse: Britannia seated
Ruler: George V

England 1 penny - II

1 penny, 1913

Metal: Bronze
Diameter: 30.8mm
Ruler:George V
Reverse: Britannia seated


1 penny, 1964

Metal: Bronze
Diameter: 30.8mm
Ruler: Elizabeth II
Reverse: Britannia seated

Britannia is an ancient term for Great Britain, and also a female avatar of the country. The Roman empire began its conquest of Great Britain in 43 AD,they established a province called Britannia. The group of islands of and around Britain were called as Britannia on the name of the Roman colony. Later on Britannia came to be used for Britain alone, and the Celts were called Britons. Britannia was personified as a goddess armed with a shield and spear in the 2nd century, and this name and symbolism survived the withdrawal of the Romans in the fifth century.

1 penny, 1996

Reverse shows a portcullis, an old gate used as a last line of defence in fortresses.

England 1 penny - I

A portcullis
1 Penny, 2005

The old design of the one cent features a crowned portcullis flanked by chains on the obverse. A portcullis is an old fashioned gate, made of wood, metal or a combination of the two and often used for fortification of some entrance, most often to a fort. The portcullis moved by gliding up and down and was in the form of latticed bars. We had a sliding rope over pulley mechansim for pulling up the gate. It was the last line of defence during the time of an attack or siege. The gate closed very rapidly by falling if we let the rope be free. There was usually a double portcullis system for the entrance, and when some attackers came, the gate on the inside was closed first, and then the gate on outside was closed, trapping the enemy within. Then some hot sand could be poured on the enemy from the roof above,and there were also arrow slits so that archers or crossbowmen could quickly eliminate the enemy.

The crowned portcullis is shown here as it is a symbol of the British parliament.

1 Penny, 2008

The new one penny coin is from the new set of coins to be designed by Matthew Dent, who was the winner of a public desigining contest opened by the government for the design of the new coins. The reverse shows a section of the royal shield, and it is said that when all of the coins in the new set are placed together, the shield is re-formed.