In 2022, The Queen once again reaches another record-breaking milestone, becoming the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee with 70 years on the throne. To celebrate this royal occasion, The Royal Mint has struck a collection of coins featuring three new symbolic reverse designs, as well a brand-new special obverse, in gold, silver and platinum, in a variety of denominations. This is the first time ever a royal event has been celebrated with a 50-pence coin.
The Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II is a big deal. She is the longest-reigning British Monarch, and the first British Monarch to reach the Platinum Jubilee milestone, which occurred on February 6, 2022, 70 years after her ascension to the throne on February 6, 1952, at only 25 years old. Her Majesty is currently the longest reigning Monarch in the world.
The British Royal Mint is the official mint of the United Kingdom and one of the most technically advanced minting facilities in the world. Using highly skilled artisans, the mint is legendary for the unsurpassed craftsmanship of its proof coins and medallions. The history of the mint itself spans more than 1,000 consecutive years. The Royal Mint has struck every U.K coin of The Queen’s reign and is marking this once-in-a-lifetime moment with one of the largest coin collections the mint has released.
Each coin in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee collection features a gorgeous proof finish featuring frosty, precision-struck raised elements and brilliant, mirror-like fields. These coins were specially manufactured using polished dies and selected planchets to give the desired mirror effect, and proof coins are typically struck two times or more to insure a razor-sharp design.
To mark this historic event, these stunning Queen’s Platinum Jubilee coins feature three new reverse designs, with a brand-new obverse design common to each coin.
The larger specifications in this collection (5-Ounce Gold and Kilo Silver) offer a reverse design by John Bergdahl featuring an ornamental cartouche frame that surrounds the royal cypher topped by the St. Edward’s Crown—which is in turn surrounded by an array of roses, shamrocks, thistles, and daffodils representing England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales respectively. “EII “refers to Elizabeth II, and “R “stands for Regina, meaning Queen. The 1952 and 2022 dates are also represented.
The 39.94-gram Gold Proofs and the 56.56-gram Silver Piedfort Proofs feature a reverse design that makes use of the royal mantle as a surround, as used on the coinage of William IV. Enclosed in the mantle is the garter belt with the motto of the Order of the Garter, along with the quarters of the shield of The Royal Arms. Each bears the edge inscription ‘SERVE YOU ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE’, which was inspired by Queen Elizabeth II’s first Christmas message as The Queen in 1952. The 1952 and 2022 dates are also represented.
The Platinum Proof features a strong, graphic image of the number 70, and includes the dates 1952 and 2022 beneath The Queen’s official insignia.
Instead of the traditional Queen’s effigy, each obverse in this collection boasts a brand-new design featuring a commemorative portrait of The Queen, which is reminiscent of previous jubilee designs featuring Her Majesty on horseback. Surrounding her is the garter belt with the motto of the Order of the Garter, ‘HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE’, meaning ‘Shamed by who thinks evil of it’. Outer inscriptions include ‘Elizabeth II D G REG F D’ which stands for ‘By the grace of God, Queen and Defender of the Faith’, along with the monetary denomination and the 2022 year-date.
These 2022 Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Proofs have highly limited worldwide mintages, ranging from just 136 of the five-ounce Gold Proofs struck to just 2,162 of the 56.56-gram Silver Piedfort Proofs struck. What that means is simply this: you’ll want to act fast, so you don’t end up empty-handed. If you haven’t already grabbed the phone to secure your 2022 Queen’s Jubilee Platinum Proofs, now is the time to get after it!