The Queen: Check out the new £5 coin to mark Her Majesty's 95th birthday
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The Queen will turn 95 on 21 April, 2021.
2021 will mark the Queens 69th year on the throne, she is Britain's longest-reigning monarch and she will be the only British monarch to ever turn 95 whilst still on the throne.
To celebrate her birthday and her long reign a special £5 coin will be released.
The release of a £5 coin is usually kept for special royal occasions and achievements.
What will the coin look like?
The coins will be made and released by Royal Mint, the company who makes coins for the United Kingdom.
The coin will have the royal cypher "EIIR" on it.
A royal cypher is a symbolic object or drawing that usually has the King or Queen's initials and a crown.
The coin will also have the words "my heart and my devotion" written on it.
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.
The Queen said those words during the first-ever Queen's speech to air on TV in 1957!
Before television, the Queen's speech was listened to over the radio.
Will there be any other new coins released in 2021?
Yes! There will be four other coins as well as the £5 coin.
2021 also marks the anniversary of the birth of Sir Walter Scott, who was a Scottish writer and is one of Scotland's most famous figures,
There will be a special £2 coin to remember him.
2021 is the 75th anniversary of the death of science fiction author - HG Wells.
HG Wells wrote the book The War of The Worlds there will be special £2 coins with images inspired by his books on them.
John Logie Baird was very important in making television what it is today.
Two new 50 pence pieces will be released as well.
One to celebrate 50 years since Britain's modern coin system came into place and another to mark the 75th anniversary of the death of the inventor John Logie Baird, who is known for his work on the first televisions.
All coins in circulation have the Queen's head on them.
This coin will also be released in 2021 to celebrate 50 years of the coin system we use today.
To make these special coins even more so, each one will have the Queen's head from a different stage in her reign on them.
Clare Maclennan, of the consumer division at the Royal Mint, said this year's commemorative coins marked "some of the biggest anniversaries in 2021", with each coin "a miniature work of art" designed as "a treasured keepsake or gift".
The coins will be available to buy from the Royal Mint website.
- Published1 June 2020
- Published24 August 2020
