The Royal Mint Commemorates 60 Years of The Queen's Reign

LONDON, June 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

The Royal Mint has revealed two Proof quality UK five-ounce coins to celebrate the momentous occasion of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee,

Following on from the success of the Alderney issue five-ounce coins created for the Royal Wedding last year, The Queen's Diamond Jubilee five-ounce will be issued on a UK coin and looks set to sell out as it appeals to collectors who want a unique piece of Diamond Jubilee memorabilia to treasure forever.

The gold five-ounce coin, priced at £9,500, contains five ounces of fine gold and only 250 will be struck. In addition to the gold five-ounce coin, a silver five-ounce coin has also been created, priced at £450, and only 1,952 will be minted in honour of the year The Queen took to the throne.

Created by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS, the reverse design of the five-ounce coin depicts a majestic image of Her Majesty The Queen enthroned. Inspired largely by the Great Seals of both Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II, the enthroned effigy of The Queen is a very important image, conveying a deeply meaningful sense of stability.

The Queen wears the Royal Diadem and is draped in luxurious robes, the extravagant folds and ornate sculptural detail suggests enormous grace and dignity. The Diamond Jubilee anniversary dates of 1952 - 2012 are shown in Roman numerals and are accompanied by the Latin inscription DILECTA REGNO - 'I reign beloved'.

The obverse of the five-ounce coins feature the Diamond Jubilee portrait of Her Majesty the Queen also by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS, created especially for and exclusive to all 2012 Diamond Jubilee UK coins struck by The Royal Mint.

Commenting on his design, Ian Rank-Broadley said: "I did look at the Great Seals of various monarchs and wanted to give a new dimension to that image, to produce something that will have a special significance for the nation and possibly worldwide."

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee UK Five-Ounce Gold Coin is housed in a high-gloss wood-veneer presentation case. The Diamond Jubilee UK Five-Ounce Silver Coin is presented in a faux leather case and both come with an illustrated booklet and a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. Both are available now from The Royal Mint's website http://www.royalmint.com.

Note to editors:

On 1 January 2010 the assets of The Royal Mint Trading Fund were vested into a private company, called The Royal Mint Limited. HM Treasury remains 100% owner of the shares of the company. All assets of an historical nature have been vested into a separate company, The Royal Mint Museum, to preserve, protect and enhance them for future generations to come. With the exception of the assets separated into the Museum, all other assets and liabilities, including those of a contingent nature, were transferred into the new company effective 1 January 2010.

About The Royal Mint

The Royal Mint has a history dating back over 1,000 years. By the late thirteenth century the organisation was based in the Tower of London, and remained there for over 500 years. By 1812 The Royal Mint had moved out of the Tower to premises on London's Tower Hill. In 1967 the building of a new Royal Mint began on its current site in Llantrisant, South Wales.

There were estimated to be 28.6 billion UK coins in circulation at 31 March 2011, with a total face value of £3.8 billion - all manufactured by The Royal Mint.

1.1 billion UK coins were issued during 2010-11.

The Royal Mint's Llantrisant site was recently chosen to host the Prime Minister David Cameron's first government cabinet meeting in Wales.

For media enquiries, please contact

Porter Novelli
The Royal Mint Press Office
31 St Petersburgh Place
London
W2 4LA
+44(0)207-853-2390

http://www.royalmint.com

SOURCE The Royal Mint