Platinum Jubilee Coins: 2022 Range From The Royal Mint

On 6 February 2022, Her Majesty the Queen will celebrate seven decades on the throne. She succeeded her father, King George VI, at the age of 25 in 1952 and was crowned the next year at Westminster Abbey. Already the UK's longest reigning monarch, Elizabeth II will be the first British head of state to mark a Platinum Jubilee.

A range of official events are planned for 2022 but The Royal Mint are ahead of the curve, releasing an extensive range of commemorative coinage just before the anniversary date.

Jubilee coinage is nothing new - the first such commemorative pieces were issued for Queen Victoria - and the Mint has consistently celebrated important dates for Elizabeth II with new designs. This Platinum Jubilee collection, however, might be the most extensive ever issued.

Looking to buy into this once-in-a-lifetime range? We're stocking a wide range of pieces including Sovereigns, Annual Sets, commemorative Crowns, 50ps and more and we've got all the details on a new obverse portrait, used only for Platinum Jubilee coins. Read on for the full run down.

The Platinum Jubilee Sovereign

We speculated at length about the 2022 Sovereign ahead of its release and explored its new reverse design in a separate blog post a few months back.

The 2022 Sovereign family is one of those rare and highly anticipated deviations from the classic Saint George and the Dragon design. Instead, the reverse features a special royal arms motif, the work of heraldic artist Timothy Noad. He had previous designed the reverse of the 2002 Sovereign, issued to coincide with the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

The reverse of the 2022 gold proof Sovereign features Timothy Noad's take on the royal arms.

We've been proud to offer a range of 2022 proof Sovereigns and sets, including:

• The 2022 Gold Bullion Sovereign (uses Noad's reverse)
• The 2022 Gold Proof Sovereign (limited edition presentation of 10,500)
• The 2022 Gold Proof Half Sovereign (2,000)
• The 2022 3 Coin Gold Proof Sovereign Set (2,310)
• The 2022 4 Coin Gold Proof Sovereign Set (1,310)
• The 2022 5 Coin Gold Proof Sovereign Set (700)

All the coins in the 2022 Sovereign family feature Jody Clark's royal portrait to the obverse. These pieces were released in late 2021 with a 2022 date. 

New Annual Sets for 2022

This year's Royal Mint annual sets went on sale on 4 January. For 2022 these sets included five commemorative coins, two of which celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. The five commemoratives are:

• The 2022 Platinum Jubilee £5 Crown: Featuring a decorative shield of royal arms reverse by John Berghdahl, the Five Pound piece celebrates Her Majesty's long reign with the edge inscription: 'Serve you all the days of my life'
• The 2022 Dame Vera Lynn Memorial £2: This Two Pound coin shows a youthful portrait of the English singer and entertainer, known for her wartime hits and charity work. Lynn sadly passed away in 2020 at the age of 103
• The 2022 Alexander Graham Bell Telephone £2: A century after his death, this Two Pound coin celebrates Scottish-born inventor, Alexander Graham Bell's most famous invention: the first telephone, with a keypad design by Henry Gray
• The 2022 Platinum Jubilee 70th Anniversary 50p: A minimal '70' design by Osbourne Ross features on the reverse of this commemorative Fifty Pence piece with a royal cypher and anniversary dates in the zero
• The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games 50p: The XXII Commonwealth Games will open in Birmingham in summer 2022 and this geometric Fifty Pence design by Natasha Preece which also shows the Games' arrow logo

As in previous years, annual sets are available in a range of different formats, including sets that just include the five commemorative coins, those that also include a definitive set of 2022 coinage and those that just offer the definitive issues. This year we're carrying:

• The 2022 Platinum Proof Annual Set: Appropriately, this five-coin collection is the first time a Royal Mint annual set has been issued in 999.5 platinum. Just 30 sets are available worldwide
• The 2022 Gold Proof Annual Set: From a limited presentation of only 100 pieces, this is the second most exclusive annual set issued this year and contains the five commemorative coins in 22 carat gold
• The 2022 Premium Proof Set: Commemorative and definitive coins, struck to proof standard in a special wooden case: only 2,500 issued in this presentation
• The 2022 Collector's Proof Set: Thirteen base metal coins, struck to finest proof standard. This annual set includes the commemoratives and the definitive set, all packaged in an attractive folio
• The 2022 Brilliant Uncirculated Set: This comprehensive annual set is the most cost effective way of acquiring the definitive 2022 coins alongside the commemorative issues. 13 coins, all in a BU finish

Coins in the platinum and gold proof sets both feature Jody Clark's fifth official effigy of Her Majesty the Queen to the obverse. The cupronickel sets, however, feature a unique design.

The 2022 gold proof annual set features the five commemorative coins, all with Jody Clark's portrait to the obverse.

A New Jubilee Portrait

The work of veteran coinage designer John Bergdahl, the Platinum Jubilee coinage portrait shows Her Majesty the Queen on horseback, surrounded by a garter motif with the date below.

It's reminiscent though not identical to the 1953 Coronation Crown. Commemorative Crowns issued in 1977 and 2002 for the Silver Jubilee and Golden Jubilee respectively also featured equestrian portraits. Even into her nineties the Queen has been pictured horse riding and is know for her love of the animals. These designs - the new Platinum Jubilee portrait included - offer a little sliver of her character and harken back to historic coinage which has sometimes shown monarchs astride.

One of the special portraits that appeared on the 2002 Golden Jubilee silver proof £5 Crown compared to John Bergdahl's equestrian portrait on the obverse of a 2022 Platinum Jubilee silver proof £5 Crown.

Bergdahl's portrait is used on many of the individually issued Platinum Jubilee coins (more on those below). This adds to the complexity and, ultimately the future collectibility of the 2022 collection, in that 2022 commemorative coinage with both the regular Jody Clark obverse and the Bergdahl obverse is available.

The First Royal Fifty Pence

The Royal Mint is certainly no stranger to commemorating royal events and anniversaries on their coinage. However, the primary vehicle for monarchic mementoes is their Five Pound coin (more on those in a minute).

For 2022 the Mint is breaking new ground with the first royal 50p. They've been issuing these seven-sided coins with alternate reverse designs for nearly fifty years at this point but never for a jubilee.

The Platinum Jubilee 50p features a minimal, graphic '70' motif by design agency Osbourne Ross with the royal cypher and anniversary dates (1952-2022) inside the zero. Its a clean-lined, modern design, sure to be popular with collectors of this denomination.

The commemorative obverse and reverse of the Platinum Jubilee 50p as they appear on the gold proof edition.

We're pleased to offer a range of these Fifty Pence pieces, including:

• The 2022 Gold Proof Platinum Jubilee 50p: From a limited edition presentation of just 400
• The 2022 Platinum Proof Platinum Jubilee 50p: One of just 50 issued in 999.5 platinum

Both feature the new Bergdahl reverse. Silver proof, gold proof and base metal editions of this coin are included in 2022 annual sets.

A New Jubilee Crown

No jubilee year would be complete without a commemorative Crown. In the early part of Elizabeth II's reign, Crowns were only really issued for these big royal anniversaries. The denomination - still legal tender with a face value of Five Pounds - is now a mainstay in The Royal Mint's annual release schedule but its occasions like this where it really comes into its own as a collectible format.

The reverse 2022 Platinum Jubilee £5 Crown draws inspiration from historic Royal Mint coinage and shows the crowned royal arms, surrounded by a garter and draped with a mantle, reminiscent of the garment Her Majesty wore during her 1953 coronation. The design is also the work of John Bergdahl. It takes inspiration from the the mantle shield reverse used on the coinage of William IV.

The reverse of a silver proof 2022 £5 Crown, compared to a 1834 William IV Halfcrown.

Right now we're offering three varieties of the Platinum Jubilee Crown:

• The 2022 Platinum Jubilee Piedfort Platinum Proof £5 Crown: This double-weight, double-thickness coin is the only way to own the 2022 Crown in 999.5 platinum and its the most limited of this issue with just 52 pieces struck
• The 2022 Platinum Jubilee Gold Proof £5 Crown: Just 400 issued. This 39.94 gram 22 carat gold coin comes in its original presentation packaging with a numbered certificate of authenticity
• The 2022 Platinum Jubilee Silver Proof £5 Crown: from a LEP of 5,000, this Five Pound coin is struck in 28.28 grams of .925 sterling silver

Both of these feature the equestrian Bergdahl reverse and have an edge inscription that reads 'SERVE YOU ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE' - a line from the Queen's first Christmas message in 1952 and a promise fulfilled.

The same obverse and reverse designs have also been used for 2oz 999.9 fine gold proof and 2oz 999 fine silver proof Platinum Jubilee coins though these have a milled edge.

Larger Commemorative Pieces

We're big fans of the sort of commemorative coin where it becomes necessary to describe them in terms of the amount of precious metal they contain rather than their face value. Luckily, The Royal Mint's Platinum Jubilee offer includes a few of these too with a different reverse design than the smaller commemorative issues.

Right now we have stock of:

• The 2022 Platinum Jubilee Silver Proof 2oz: 1,000 of these 62.42 gram 999 fine silver pieces have been minted
• The 2022 Platinum Jubilee Silver Proof 5oz: struck in 999 fine silver, this comes from a limited edition presentation of 700 pieces
• The 2022 Platinum Jubilee Gold Proof 5 oz: only 120 of these 999.9 gold proof coins were offered by The Royal Mint

These pieces all feature John Bergdahl's equestrian obverse, paired with a decorative design by - you guessed it - John Berghdahl. It shows the Queen's crowned cypher within a series of rococo flourishes and national flower emblems, the anniversary dates on a scroll below ('1952-2022'). Its richly detailed and looks great across the larger surface area of these heavier pieces.

John Bergdahl's reverse for the 2022 silver proof 5oz Platinum Jubilee coin.

Share Your Jubilee Coins

We were really pleased to be among the first UK coin dealers shipping out 2022 Sovereigns and Annual Sets and its been great to see these pieces in customers hands on social media.

Have you purchased a 2022 Platinum Jubilee coin or set? Show it off by sharing with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or use the hashtag #britanniacoinco.