2024 annual sets give us the first look at the official coinage that will be released in this year by The Royal Mint. This includes five new commemorative coins that will only initially be available in these collectable sets:
- 2024 Buckingham Palace £5
- 2024 Sir Winston Churchill £2
- 2024 National Gallery £2
- 2024 RNLI 50p
- 2024 Team GB 50p
Collectors can enjoy 2024 annual sets in a range of finishes and presentations including BUnc, proof, premium proof, silver, piedfort silver and gold. Quantities are strictly limited so we recommend securing your 2024 set quickly.
2024 Buckingham Palace £5 Crown
The Royal Mint's Buckingham Palace coin is the only Five Pound included in 2024 annual sets.
The reverse features the instantly recognisable east wing public façade, encircled by a decorative motive inspired by the pattern on the balustrade from the Palace's Grand Staircase. The royal standard flies above while the text below reads 'BUCKINGHAM PALACE'.
This coin was designed by graphic designer Henry Gray who is also known for his work on the Edward Jenner £2, the BCC 50p and the Alexander Graham Bell £2 among others.
Buckingham Palace is King Charles III's official London residence and serves as the administrative headquarters of the British monarchy. The Palace was acquired by the crown in 1761 and extensively redesigned in the 19th century, adding the balcony on which the royal family traditionally appears to wave to the crowds.
Sir Winston Churchill 2024 £2 Coin
2024 marks 150 years since the birth of Sir Winston Churchill on 30 November 1874. While more famous for his two terms as Prime Minister, including during the Second World War, Churchill also served in the British Army and was a prolific writer. He became the first non-royal person to feature on British currency when a commemorative Crown coin was issued in 1965 to mark his passing.
The design on the 2024-dated Churchill £2 coin included in UK annual sets is the work of first-time coin designer Natasha Seaward and shows the statesman in his youth, during his time serving with the 4th Queen's Own Hussars. The legend reads '150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF WINSTON CHURCHILL' with the dates of this birth and death on either side of the portrait.
The edge reads 'PAVE THE WAY FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM' - a line reportedly made by Churchill in December 1953, during his second term as Prime Minister.
2024 National Gallery 200 Years £2
The National Gallery was opened to the public on 10 May 1824. A new Two Pound coin included in 2024 Royal Mint annual sets celebrates the 200th anniversary of the art museum, now based in Trafalgar Square in central London. The Gallery's collection today includes 2,300 paintings dating from the 1200s to the 1900s, telling the story of British and European art.
The National Gallery anniversary £2 coin features the iconic dome and Corinthian column of this London landmark with the words '200 YEARS OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY' above. The edge of these 2024-dated coins is inscribed with the words 'MAIORVM GLORIA POSTERIS LVMEN EST'. This Latin motto is found on the ceiling above the main staircase and translates as 'The glory of our ancestors is a light to our descendants'.
The design is the work of engraver and printmaker Edwina Ellis whose previous UK coins include the Stephen Hawking 50p, British Bridges £1s and the London Underground £2.
2024 RNLI Anniversary 50p Coin
The Royal National Lifeboat Association will also celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2024.
The RNLI provides a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service around the coastline of the UK and Ireland, saving lives at sea and raising awareness. The charitable organisation has enjoyed royal patronage since its foundation in March 1824 and is largely staffed by volunteer lifeboat crews and lifeguards.
The reverse of the RNLI 50p is the work of veteran coin designer John Bergdahl and can be seen in 2024 annual sets. The design features the flag of the RNLI complete with crown and anchor, found on the side of all their lifeboats. This is surrounded by a Kisbee life ring, an innovation adopted by the RNLI as early as 1855. The text on the ring reads '200 YEARS 1824 2024'.
Speaking about his design, Bergdahl said:
'I was born and raised in a seaport on the Suffolk coast … Fortunately, I never had need to call upon the services of the brave men and women of the RNLI but was always reassured to know that they would always be there if ever needed.'
Team GB Olympics 2024 Fifty Pence
The final commemorative coin found in 2024 annual sets celebrates the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. The XXXIII Olympiad will be the biggest event ever organised in France and is due to open on 26 July 2024.
This is not the first Olympic coin from The Royal Mint who released an extensive range of 50ps ahead of the 2012 London Olympics. This new piece is a tribute to Team GB and Paralympics GB's athletes as they prepare for the historic sporting event.
The design for the 2024 Team GB coin features two athletes running, set against the Union flag. A tiny Eiffel Tower can be seen below while the male athlete sports an artificial leg. The futuristic reverse is dynamic, conveying a sense of motion through angled, light-reflecting surfaces.
This is Greek visual designer and digital mosaic artist Charis Tsevis' first coin for The Royal Mint but shows similarities to his 2022 Commonwealth Games designs for Royal Mail stamps.
Royal Mint Definitive Coin Designs
Thirteen-coin 2024 annual sets include five new commemorative coins as well as eight 'definitive' coins.
Definitive coins feature standardised designs used across years or decades on circulating coinage. Think of Christopher Ironside's depiction of Britannia, used on 50ps issued between 1969 and 2008 or the interconnecting shield of arms design created by Matthew Dent.
In late 2023 The Royal Mint unveiled a full suite of eight definitive designs ranging from the 1p to the £2, all inspired by British flora and fauna. The coins were personally approved by King Charles III who is well known for his interest in wildlife and conservation.
2024-dated definitive coins can be found in 13-coin BUnc, proof, premium proof, silver and gold sets. The definitive designs are also available separately in an eight-coin definitive brilliant uncirculated set.
First Coin Portrait Of King Charles III
All of the commemorative and definitive coins featured in 2024 UK annual sets feature the first official coin portrait of King Charles III by Martin Jennings to the obverse.
Jennings' portrait shows His Majesty facing left: the opposite direction to his mother Queen Elizabeth II who passed away in September 2022. This is in line with a long-standing British tradition where successive monarchs are shown looking in a different direction on their coinage. While Elizabeth was shown wearing various tiaras on her money, Charles is shown uncrowned which is common for recent male members of the royal family including his grandfather King George VI.
Martin Jennings is a British sculptor best known for his life-sized statues of literary figures like John Betjemen, George Orwell and Philip Larkin. His portrait of King Charles was his first coinage commission and will appear on all UK circulating and commemorative coins for the foreseeable future.
2024 UK Annual Set Mintages And Packaging
2024 annual sets are available in limited numbers except for brilliant uncirculated sets which are produced by The Royal Mint based on demand. The exact figure for the number of 2024 BU annual sets issued will likely become available a few years following the release.
- 2024 UK Brilliant Uncirculated Definitive Eight Coin Annual Set - Unlimited mintage
- 2024 UK Brilliant Uncirculated Thirteen Coin Annual Set - Unlimited mintage
- 2024 UK Proof Thirteen Coin Annual Set - 7,500 issued
- 2024 UK Premium Proof Thirteen Coin Annual Set - 2,024 issued
- 2024 UK Silver Proof Thirteen Coin Annual Set - 500 issued
- 2024 UK Piedfort Silver Proof Definitive Five Coin Annual Set - 250 issued
- 2024 UK Gold Proof Thirteen Coin Annual Set - 25 issued
The mintage figures for the precious metal 2024 sets represent a significant reduction compared to previous years meaning the gold and silver editions may be difficult to get hold of in the future.
The official packaging for each set varies. 2024 brilliant uncirculated sets are presented in printed presentation sleeves with built-in protective capsules. The 2024 proof set is offered in a stylish black folder with the thirteen coins displayed in clear, double-sided sleeves. The premium proof and precious metal 2024 coin sets are offered in bespoke gift boxes, the coins sealed in individual capsules. Our sets include all the original information booklets and numbered certificates of authenticity where these are supplied.
