2021 UK Silver Proof Annual 12 Coin Set

A limited presentation mintage of only 550 sets. This silver Proof coin set presents special edition coins to mark 2021 milestones alongside the circulating coins of the year. The Royal Mint collection consists of five commemorative coins; a £5 coin to honour the 95th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen, two £2 coins celebrating novelists H.G. Wells and Sir Walter Scott, and two 50 pence pieces in recognition of John Logie Baird and the 50th anniversary of decimalisation. The set also features the circulating coins of 2021; the £2 Britannia design by Antony Dufort, a £1 coin designed by David Pearce and the familiar 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p and 1p designed by Matthew Dent in 2008. The obverse of this 13-coin set from The Royal Mint presents the 5th Portrait of Her Majesty The Queen by Jody Clark on all the coins except one. A special version of the 2nd Portrait of HM The Queen, Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin RA, which was first introduced in 1968, is featured on the 50p celebrating 50 years of decimalisation.

Five Pound Coin

The Crown in this 2021 annual set honours The Queen's 95th birthday. Her Majesty has two birthdays as is tradition to permit celebrations during the summer months. Her official birthday takes place in June and her actual birthday is on 21st April. In 2017, Queen Elizabeth II became the UK's longest reigning Monarch, commemorating over 65 years since her accession to the throne. The 2021 design by renowned sculptor Timothy Noad captures the royal cypher of Elizabeth II accompanied by the inscription 'MY HEART AND MY DEVOTION” in reference to the oath she made to the people in her first televised Christmas broadcast in 1957. The broadcast reference is a subtle nod to the television-related motif of this 13-coin collection. The edge inscription reads 'FULL OF HONOUR AND YEARS'. 

Two-Pound Coins

The two-pound coins in this set recognise two treasured writers, and the icon Britannia:

• The first of the £2 coins marks the achievements of renowned science fiction author H.G. Wells. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature four times. The coin's design by Chris Costello pays homage to motifs from his The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine and The Invisible Man novels, alongside the edge inscription 'GOOD BOOKS ARE THE WAREHOUSES OF IDEAS', a famous quote in literature. 
• The second of the £2 coins presents a tribute to Scottish writer and poet, Sir Walter Scott, who penned novels; Waverley, Rob Roy and Ivanhoe. In a design by Stephen Raw, the edge inscription features a well-known Scott quote, 'THE WILL TO DO, THE SOUL TO DARE' a stanza from his 1810 poem, The Lady of the Lake. He is one of Scotland's most famous figures. 
• The third £2 coin is a design by Antony Dufort and portrays a modern 2015 depiction of Britannia, recasted for a new era. The Roman goddess Britannia, with her shield, trident and centurion helmet, first appeared on the coins of Emperor Hadrian over 2,000 years ago. She was brought back into coinage in 1672 and appeared on all UK coins until 2008. Over time, Britannia has become a mark of the quality of British minting around the world. She is also a source of national pride and a rallying-point in a crisis. 

Fifty Pence Coins

• The first 50p is dedicated to the 'Father of Television' John Logie Baird, on the 75th anniversary of his death. The design by Osborne Ross, the company of designers Deborah Osborne and Andrew Ross, presents a timeline of the milestones in Baird's life in encircling waves of transmission radiating from the Crystal Palace mast. 
• The second 50p celebrates the 50th anniversary of 'Decimal Day' when the UK moved to a decimal currency system in 1971. New coinage was introduced to support the transition and a campaign helped manage public concerns, including television transmissions, a recurring motif of this 5-coin issue. This design by Dominique Evans captures our nostalgia around pre-decimal coins with recognisable images from old coins including the sixpence and threepence. The obverse hosts the 2nd portrait of Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin, the release of which coincided with decimalisation. 

Pounds and Pennies

• The £1 coin in this collection presents a 'tails' design by David Pearce, which has been in circulation since 2017. Pearce was just a teenager when he submitted the design in a Royal Mint competition. The design features; a rose, a thistle, a leek and a shamrock. Together, the images represent the national symbols of the UK's four constituent countries.
• The 50p (non-commemorative), 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p and 1p in this 13-coin set host the 2008 reverse design by Matthew Dent. When pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle, the coins unite to present the Shield of the Royal Arms.

The obverse of these coins host the 5th Portrait of HM The Queen, a 2015 design by sculptor Jody Clark, with the exception of the 'Decimal Day' 50p. 

The year 2021

Beyond the walls of The Royal Mint, the year 2021 is predicted to; host a plethora of 2020's cancelled events, see Joe Biden inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States, witness global general elections, and observe the worldwide take up of “space race” missions and Climate Change agreements. This Royal Mint 2021 collection marks an extraordinary year for coinage and current affairs. Struck at a higher standard and hand-finished to inspect for imperfections, Proof coins are ideal for a serious collector or to mark an important milestone such as a wedding, birthday or anniversary. This 13-coin annual set features commemorative coins released in this limited edition presentation for 2021.