For Britain 2016 marks a very important year full of exciting celebrations. The Queen’s 90th birthday has been highlighted by many events and activities to celebrate the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
Born on April 21, 1926, to Prince Albert, Duke of York – later King George VI, and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Elisabeth II became the Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth on February 6, 1952, and was crowned on June 2, 1953.
To join in the celebrations of this remarkable birthday, many people were looking for commemorative investments for their loved ones. London’s coin galleries in Mayfair are busier than ever welcoming clients who are looking for unmissable treasures or bullion gifts for this occasion. In particular The Queen’s Beasts 2016 and Her Majesty The Queen’s Fifth Portrait are very sought after.
The Queen’s Beasts 2016, available in gold or silver, are the most recent releases and celebrate the Queen and Her heraldic beasts. The Beast in fact commemorates the ten heraldic sculptures made for the coronation and placed in Westminster Abbey during the ceremony. The Beast has been designed by Royal Mint Engraver 33 year old Jody Clark.
He is also designer of both the 2014 Britannia and Her Majesty the Queen’s Fifth Portrait. Her Majesty has been portrayed during her reign by five beautiful portraits of The Queen, the most of any monarch in the modern era. In the fifth and definitive coinage portrait of the Queen, Her Majesty is portrayed with the Royal Diamond Diadem crown, the same worn for her Coronation.
The Inscription reads ELIZABETH II – DEI – GRA –REGINA – FID – DEF, Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith.
It’s the first time that The Queen’s portrait has been entirely created digitally, the effigy is an elegant testimony of the long reign. Jody Clark commenting on the winning selection of his design, said: “I really liked the four previous coin portraits – each one is strong in its own way. I hope that I’ve done Her Majesty justice and captured her as I intended, in a fitting representation. The news that my design had been chosen was quite overwhelming, and I still can’t quite believe that my royal portrait will be featured on millions of coins, playing a small part in The Royal Mint’s 1,000 year history.”
In addition to being an excellent commemorative coin, the gold options exempt buyers from VAT and Capital Gain Tax, like all British legal currency. Considering then the financial advantage, these two bullion coins are really offering the ultimate and most flexible option to celebrate and invest in 2016.
London Coin Galleries Limited deals in rare coins, medals, banknotes and bullion, offering a wide selection of coins to suit both collectors and investors.