The reign longer than Queen Elizabeth II?

Since 1958, the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II has featured on the obverse of British coins.

And now, for the first time in 70 years, a new portrait of King Charles III is entering circulation.

But did you know that there’s another British icon who has featured on coins for far longer?

In fact, she has been on our coinage for an incredible 2,000 years…

It is, of course, Britannia.

A Roman icon

‘Britannia’ originally comes from the Greeks, who called the British Isles, ‘Pretannia’.

The Romans adopted the word and the figurehead, and when Julius Caesar invaded Britain, they put Britannia on their coins.

However, originally the coins showed a warrior, neither male nor female, with an inscription along the lines of “DE BRITANNIS”.

RIC 0742 - The reign longer than Queen Elizabeth II?
A Sestertius from the rule of Antoninus Pius, featuring Britannia seated on a pile of rocks. Attribution: Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com

It wasn’t until Hadrian arrived in the second century AD that the coins started to feature a female figure with the inscription BRITANNIA”.

A 1400-year hiatus…

Despite being used by Elizabeth I, along with many other rulers as an inspiration, Britannia wouldn’t feature again on British coins for over a thousand years.

In fact, it wasn’t until the reign of Charles II that she would make her way back onto our coinage.

E charlesII P407 - The reign longer than Queen Elizabeth II?
A 1665 Charles II Silver Pattern Farthing. Attribution: WildWinds.com

It’s thought that the rise of Britain as a naval power was the inspiration to include Britannia on coinage again.

Britain’s largest penny

Under George III a one penny and two penny coin were introduced in an attempt to restore confidence in British currency. The intrinsic value of the metal plus an allowance for the cost of production was made equal to the nominal value of the coin. This made them very heavy and a lot larger than other coins in circulation – giving them the nickname ‘Cartwheels‘.

george iii cartwheel penny flat - The reign longer than Queen Elizabeth II?
A George III 1797 Penny, nicknamed ‘Cartwheel’ due to it’s size

Importantly though, as Britannia had become more and more associated with the sea, these were the first coins to depict her holding a trident rather than a spear.

The Standing Britannia

Throughout history Britannia has been depicted on several denominations of coins, usually pennies or half pennies. Often she was shown seated with the sea in the background, and never before had she been issued on a Florin. After the long Victorian tradition of a crowned cruciform shield for the reverse, a new Britannia design was issued as King Edward VII took to the throne.  A truly beautiful design, it shows Britannia with her trident, shield, and stood powerfully against the sea. Only issued during King Edward VII’s short reign, this coin has become incredibly popular for its iconic design and impressive story.

ls uk 1904 edward vii florin both sides - The reign longer than Queen Elizabeth II?
A 1904 Edward VII Florin, featuring Britannia standing

Of course the Britannia has featured and continues to feature on Britain’s coinage, with new depictions on annual releases and even special releases such as the 2019 commemorative 50p. It certainly looks like she’ll continue to have a long reign on our coinage.


If you’re interested…

Today you can own the first UK bullion coin to feature His Majesty The King’s coinage portraitthe Britannia.

The Britannia is Britain’s flagship bullion coin, a timeless icon representing centuries of British history and tradition.

Expertly struck by The Royal Mint, this official United Kingdom coin has been minted from the very finest 99.9% fine silver.

Don’t miss out on adding this beautiful coin to your collection for just £39.99 with FREE p&p by clicking here >>

MicrosoftTeams image 21 - The reign longer than Queen Elizabeth II?

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