Five pounds (British coin)


The British five pound coin is a commemorative denomination of the pound sterling. Its obverse has featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II since the coin’s introduction in 1990. Two different portraits of the Queen have graced the coin, with the latest design by Ian Rank-Broadley being introduced in 1998. The coin has no standard reverse; instead it is altered each year to commemorate important events. Variant obverses have also been used on occasion.
The coin is a continuation of the crown, which after decimalisation became the commemorative twenty-five pence coin. The twenty-five pence was discontinued in 1981 after creating a large coin with such small value became prohibitively expensive. The five pound coin shares the same dimensions as the twenty-five pence coin, and the five shilling coin before it, but has a value twenty times greater.
Five pound coins are legal tender but are intended as souvenirs and are rarely seen in circulation. The coins are sold by the Royal Mint at face value and also, with presentation folders, at a premium to that face value. The 2010 coins, with such folders, were sold for £9.95 each. As of 2020 the coin and folder cost £13.
Separate five pound coin designs have also been released in various British crown dependencies and British Overseas Territories. These are outside of the scope of this article and are not listed below.

Design

The designs which have appeared on the five pound coin's reverse are summarised in the table below.
NumberYearImageEventDesignEdge InscriptionDesignerMintage
11990The Queen Mother's 90th BirthdayA cypher in the letter E in duplicate, above a royal crown flanked by a rose and a thistle all within the inscription QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER and the dates 1900–1990–Leslie Durbin2,761,431
21993The Queen's Coronation 40th AnniversarySt Edward's Crown encircled by forty trumpets all within the inscription FAITH AND TRUTH I WILL BEAR UNTO YOU and the anniversary dates 1953–1993–Robert Elderton1,834,655
31996The Queen's 70th BirthdayA representation of Windsor Castle with five flag poles, two holding forked pennants with anniversary dates of 1926 and 1996, the other flags are Royal Arms, Union flag and Our Personal flag–Avril Vaughan2,396,100
41997Golden Wedding Anniversary of the Queen and the Duke of EdinburghA pair of Shields, chevronwise, on the left, Shield of Our Royal Arms, on the right, Shield of Prince Philip, above a Royal Crown and the date 20 NOVEMBER, below an anchor cabled and FIVE POUNDS–Leslie Durbin1,733,000
51998Prince Charles' 50th BirthdayA portrait of Prince Charles and in the background words relating to the work of The Prince's Trust. A circumscription of FIFTIETH BIRTHDAY OF HRH PRINCE OF WALES and below FIVE POUNDS flanked by anniversary dates of 1948 and 1998–Michael Noakes/Robert Elderton1,407,300
61999Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial CrownA portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales with the dates 1961 and 1997, circumscription IN MEMORY OF DIANA PRINCESS OF WALES and the value FIVE POUNDS–David Cornell5,396,300
71999Millennium CrownA representation of a dial of a clock, hands set at 12 o'clock with a map of the British Isles and the dates 1999 and 2000 and the words ANNO DOMINI and the value FIVE POUNDSWHAT'S PAST IS PROLOGUEJeffrey Matthews5,396,300
82000Millennium CrownA representation of a dial of a clock, hands set at 12 o'clock with a map of the British Isles and the dates 1999 and 2000 and the words ANNO DOMINI and the value FIVE POUNDSWHAT'S PAST IS PROLOGUEJeffrey Matthews3,147,092
92000The Queen Mother's 100th BirthdayA portrait of the Queen Mother,flanked by groups of people with the circumscription QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER, the anniversary dates 1900–2000. Below the portrait a representation of her signature.–Ian Rank-Broadley3,147,092
102001Death of Queen Victoria 100th AnniversaryA representation of Crystal Palace within the value FIVE POUNDS, stylised railway lines in the shape of a V incorporating a portrait of Queen Victoria, remnant of the words ONE PENNY and anniversary dates of 1901 and 2001–Mary Milner-Dickens851,491
112002Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth IIA portrait of the Queen with the value FIVE POUNDS below–Ian Rank-Broadley3,469,243
122002Queen Mother Memorial CrownA portrait of the Queen Mother encircled by a wreath and with the circumscription QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER and the dates 1900–2002STRENGTH DIGNITY LAUGHTERAvril Vaughan3,469,243
132003The Queen's Coronation 50th AnniversaryGOD SAVE THE QUEEN in the centre surrounded by the words CORONATION JUBILEE FIVE POUNDS and the anniversary date 2003–Tom Phillips1,307,147
142004Entente Cordiale between Great Britain and France 100th AnniversaryCombined figures of Britannia and Marianne, with the words ENTENTE CORDIALE and the anniversary dates 1904 and 2004–David Gentleman1,205,594
152005200th Anniversary of the Battle of TrafalgarDesign features HMS Victory & Termeraire in battle surrounded by inscription TRAFALGAR and the dates 1805 & 2005–Clive Duncan1,075,516
162005200th Anniversary of the death of Horatio NelsonA portrait of Horatio Nelson and the dates 1805 & 2005ENGLAND EXPECTS EVERYMAN TO DO HIS DUTYJames Butler1,075,516
172006The Queen's 80th BirthdayThree trumpets with trumpet banners accompanied by the inscription 1926 VIVAT REGINA 2006DUTY SERVICE FAITHDanuta Solowiej-Wedderburn52,267
182007Diamond Wedding Anniversary of the Queen and the Duke of EdinburghThe rose window of Westminster Abbey accompanied by the inscription TVEATVR VNITA DEVS, the dates 1947 and 2007, and the denomination FIVE POUNDSMY STRENGTH AND STAYEmma Noble30,561
192008450th Anniversary of the Accession of Queen Elizabeth IA portrait of Queen Elizabeth I crowned and set within a mandorla. A rose has been placed at each connecting point while the two side arches each contain a leaf pattern reminiscent of the carvings made by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. The year of her accession and the year of the anniversary are both shown in Roman numerals.I HAVE REIGNED WITH YOUR LOVESRod Kelly20,047
202008Prince Charles' 60th BirthdayA portrait of His Royal Highness The Prince of WalesSIXTIETH BIRTHDAYIan Rank-Broadley14,088
212009500th Anniversary of the Accession of Henry VIII––John Bergdahl67,119
222009Countdown to 2012: 3Two swimmers, and countdown number '3'. The words COUNTDOWN above and XXX OLYMPIAD below; the London 2012 logo on the left, the date 2009 on the right.–Claire Aldridge184,921
232010350th Anniversary of the Restoration of the Monarchy––David Cornell30,247
242010Countdown to 2012: 2Two runners, and countdown number '2'. The words COUNTDOWN above and XXX OLYMPIAD below; the London 2012 logo on the left, the date 2010 below the image.–Claire Aldridge153,080
252011Royal Wedding: Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton––Mark Richards250,000
26201190th Birthday of the Duke of Edinburgh––Mark Richards18,730
272011Countdown to 2012: 1Cyclist, and countdown number '1'. The words COUNTDOWN above and XXX OLYMPIAD below; the London 2012 logo on the right, the date 2011 on the left.–Claire Aldridge52,261
282012Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II––Ian Rank-Broadley484,775
292012Countdown to 2012Three medallists on a podium. The words COUNTDOWN above and XXX OLYMPIAD below; the London 2012 logo on the right, the date 2012 above the image.–Claire Aldridge52,261
302012Olympic GamesFeatured an engraving of the LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman on the back.–Saiman Miah315,983
312012Paralympic Games–Pippa Sanderson55,524
322013Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II –Emma Noble57,262
332013Birth of Prince George7,460
342013Christening of Prince George--56,014
352014Death of Queen Anne –Mark Richards12,181
362014Prince George's First Birthday7,500
372015Death of Winston Churchill -Mark Richards18,161
382015Battle of Waterloo -David Lawrence24,554
392015Birth of Princess Charlotte-John Bergdahl
402015Christening of Princess Charlotte
412015Second Birthday of Prince George
422015Longest Reigning MonarchJames Butler
43201690th Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II-Christopher Hobbs
442017House of Windsor -Timothy Noad
452017Coronation of King Canute -Lee R. Jones
462017Sapphire Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II-Glyn Davies
472017Prince Philip: Celebrating a Life of Service-Humphrey Paget
482017Remembrance Day-Stephen Taylor
492017Platinum Wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip-John Bergdahl
502017Christmas-Edina Ellis
512017The Queen's Beasts I: The Lion of England-Jody Clark
522017The Queen's Beasts II: The Unicorn of Scotland-Jody Clark
532018The Queen's Beasts III: The Red Dragon of Wales-Jody Clark
5420185th Birthday of Prince George-Jody Clark
552018Four Generations of Royalty-Timothy Noad
562018Royal Academy of Arts
572018The Queen's Beasts IV: The Black Bull of Clarence-Jody Clark
582018Royal Wedding: Prince Henry and Ms Meghan Markle-Jody Clark
592018Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II –Stephen Taylor
602018The Queen's Beasts I: The Lion of EnglandAs 2017 version; reissued dated 2018 for the World Cup.-Jody Clark
612018Remembrance Day
622018Prince Charles' 70th BirthdayRobert Elderton
632018The NutcrackerHarry Brockway
642019The Queen's Beasts V: The Falcon of the PlantagenetsJody Clark
652019Legend of the Ravens Jody Clark
662019The Queen's Beasts VI: The Yale of BeaufortJody Clark
672019The Crown Jewels Glyn Davies
682019Queen VictoriaJohn Bergdahl
692019The Yeoman Wardens Glyn Davies
702019The Lion of England - Cricket World CupJody Clark
712019Ceremony of Keys Glyn Davies
722020Lunar Year of the RatP.J. Lynch
732019Remembrance DayHarry Brockway
742019The Queen's Beasts: The White Lion of MortimerJody Clark
752019The Queen's Beasts: The White Greyhound of Richmond
762019The Queen's Beasts: The White Horse of Hanover
772019The Queen's Beasts: The Griffin of Edward III
782020George IIIincorporates an effigy of the king in the centre alongside the King’s Observatory and Windsor Castle around the outside–Dominique Evansunlimited, 2,500, 550, 250
792020Music Legends: Queenfeatures the band's logo QUEEN and instruments played by the members: Bechstein grand piano played by Freddie Mercury for "Bohemian Rhapsody", May's "Red Special" guitar, Roger Taylor's Ludwig bass drum with an early-day Queen crest and John Deacon's Fender Precision Bass.–Chris Faceyunlimited and 75,000 limited editions
802020James Bond
812020William Wordsworth
822020The Tower of London
832020Elton John

Coin Sets

Additionally, the Royal Mint have released a number of five pound coin sets in silver proof quality.

2012 Olympics Set

A series of 18 commemorative £5 coins were issued to celebrate the London 2012 Olympics.
  1. Mind Stonehenge
  2. Mind Big Ben
  3. Mind Angel of the North
  4. Mind Flying Scotsman
  5. Mind The Globe Theatre
  6. Mind Sir Isaac Newton
  7. Body Giant's Causeway
  8. Body The Great British Oak
  9. Body River Thames
  10. Body Weather
  11. Body British Fauna
  12. Body The Coastline of Britain
  13. Spirit Courage
  14. Spirit Pageantry
  15. Spirit Unity
  16. Spirit Music
  17. Spirit Humour
  18. Spirit Tolerance

    Queen's Portrait Set

Four proof coins were released as part of the 2013 Queen's Portrait set. These coins feature the four portraits of Elizabeth II that appear on British coins.

The Portrait of Britain Set

Sixteen silver proof coins have been released as part of the 'Portrait of Britain' set.
A series of silver proof coins have been released as part of the 'First World War' set. 36 coins were released as part of this series.
The number of commemorative £5 coins has been criticised in some quarters. Christopher Henry Perkins characterises the coins as being released at an "alarming rate". Perkins notes that "during the entire 100 year period 1900-1999 there were twenty-seven crowns issued. In 2017 alone, there were 19!"