Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, 2012- commerative coins
Diamond Jubillee
The year 2012 is a major year for the United Kingdom for two reasons, the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee of out Queen, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The jubilee marks Her Majesty's reign of sixty years which started on the death of her father, King George VI in 1952.
The Commonwealth
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth is the head of the Commonwealth which is an association of 54 states who work together to support each other in the shared goals of development and democracy. Members range from large countries such as Australia and Canada to small island countries such as St Lucia. The role of the Queen as titular head is not hereditary, her heir will have to stand for election. Neither is the role as a replacement ot the former colonial empire ruled over by previous Queens and Kings.
As a result of this many Commonwealth countries will be producing souvenirs to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen.
Canadian 2012 Commerative Coin
The first coin I have been able to find commemorating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee is that produced by Canada, a member of the Commonwealth. This coin has been minted by the Canadian Mint and is double headed, I.E. one head on either side of the coin, unlike the usual "head and tails" of normal coins.
The engravings on the coin are designed to represent the length of Her Majesty's rule, with one side depicting the Queen on her accession in 1952 and the other side depicting her as she is today- older of course, but still very regal. The "young" Queen has a swarovski crystal diamond representing the sceptre which she held when crowned as Queen of England!
As you would expect this coin comes with its own presentation case and certificate of authenticity. This is a limited edition coin of 15,000 therefore if you wish to add it to your collection it really is a case of making that decision now or risk not having the coin at all.
Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee
The last diamond jubilee of a reigning monarch was that of Queen Victoria, who ascended the throne in 1837. There had never been a diamond jubilee in the history of this country and the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria marked a momentous occasion in history Whilst browsing through Amazon I saw this original commerative medal/coin and thought to bring it to your attention
More Commerative Coins expected
I will be adding to the coins described as I become aware of them, so please come back another time. It seems that there are not yet any coins advertised on Amazon to celebrate the jubilee so I did some research elsewhere.
The Royal Mint have produced a special £5 coin to commemorate the Royal Jubilee., and it is the first time a coin has been struck to celebrate any monarchs jubilee, Diamond, Gold or Silver. The Royal Mint commissioned a new portrait of the Queen, as believe it or not they have only used 3 portraits in the first sixty years of her reign!
The Official Queen's Diamond Jubilee Collection
The Royal Mint have produced the Official Queen's Diamond Jubilee Collection. This is a boxed set of 24 coins from 15 commonwealth countries. This collection tells a story, the story of the Queen's long reign, one that is unlikely to be copied for some generations. The only monarch to have a Diamond Jubilee before our Queen was Victoria who was very infirm at the time and could hardly take part in the celebrations. The coins are available in a presentation box with advisory leaflets to explain the significance of each coin. Payments can be made on a monthly basis if required.
If you are interested in finding more please visit the Royal Mint at www.royalmint.com
