Queen’ Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee will be marked by a new 50p coin.
The monarch will celebrate seven decades on the British thrones next year and to mark the occasion, the Royal Mint have confirmed they will introduce a newly-designed coin into circulation.
The design – which has been given a seal of approval from Her Majesty – will consist of a number 70 to denote the length of her reign, with the queen’s cypher inset into the zero.
Clare Maclennan, the divisional director of commemorative coins at the Royal Mint reflected on its tradition of making “striking coins” for the Royal family’s achievements.
She said in a statement: “The Royal Mint has a proud history of striking coins for British monarchs and 2022 sees one of the greatest celebrations of Her Majesty the Queen with the upcoming Platinum Jubilee.
“Marking 70 days until the anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, the Royal Mint is delighted to reveal the commemorative Platinum Jubilee 50p design ahead of its launch in the new year.
“In recognition of the landmark occasion, this is the first time a royal milestone has been commemorated on a 50p coin and is a fitting celebration for Britain’s longest reigning monarch.”
In addition to the number of years, it will also read 1952 to 2022, registering the year she became the Head of the Commonwealth.
Collectors can register interest for a collection – which will contain the coin – with the Royal Mint, and it is tipped to be one of their biggest sets ever created.
The 95-year-old monarch has been recently plagued by health concerns that have caused her to pull out of key events in her calendar, such as Cop 26 in Glasgow and Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph.
However, Grant Harrold, a former butler in the royal household, thought that her health problems would not stop the national celebrations – which will be marked by an extended bank holiday between the 2-5 June – from going ahead.
He said: “I think it is appropriate to continue as normal, be the Queen in good health or bad.
“It would be difficult to say if celebration would be scaled back if the Queen was not in 100 percent healthy but only time will tell.”