62) Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations (1952-2012): A Five Pound Commemorative Coin issued by the Royal Mint, U.K.

62) Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations (1952-2012):

A Five Pound Commemorative Coin issued by the Royal Mint, U.K.

Queen Elizabeth II (born 21.04.1926) is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states( known as the Commonwealth Realms – Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United Kingdom, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Belize, St. Christopher (Kitts) & Nevis, St. Lucia, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and  Papua New Guinea) and Head of the 54-member Commonwealth of Nations. In her specific role as monarch of the United Kingdom, she is also the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. 

 She is, also, the “Head of the Commonwealth” and “Queen Regnant” of seven independent Commonwealth countries (the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka).

Titles and styles:

She is the “Monarch” or “Sovereign”. In common parlance, she is “The Queen”, or “her Majesty”. Officially, she has a distinct title in each of her Realms. For example, she is the “Queen of Canada” in Canada, “Queen of Australia”, in Australia, in the Channel Islands which are Crown Dependencies rather than separate Realms, she is known as “The Duke of Normandy” and “Lord of Mann” respectively. Additional styles include “Defender of the Faith” and “Duke of Lancaster”. When in conversation with the Queen, the practice is to initially address her as “Your Majesty” and thereafter as “Ma’am”. She has received Honours and Awards from around the World and holds several honorary military positions around the Commonwealth.

Ascension and coronation:

She began to undertake her public duties during World War II in which she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service.

In 1951, when George VI’s health was declining, she toured Canada and USA. In 1952, she went on a tour of Australia and New Zealand after visiting Kenya. It was during her Kenya trip that the news of George VI passing away came on 6^th February 1952 after she returned to her Kenya home “Sagana Lodge” from a stay at “Treetops Hotel”, when the mantle of Monarch/Queen passed onto her and she started staying at Buckingham Palace.

Her coronation took place on 2^nd June 1953, the ceremony being conducted at Westminster Abbey and was televised for the first time, with millions of viewers watching the Event world-wide.

Duties and Commitments: 

Throughout her 60 years of reign The Queen has carried out her duties with commitment and enthusiasm, including that of the State Opening of Parliament. She is a patron to over 600 charitable Organisations in addition to her official duties. 

She also makes several overseas trips and welcomes visiting Heads of States from other countries. Tradition and ceremony are still central to modern monarchy, with some of Britain’s famous patriotic scenes inter-linked with the Royal Family. She has been performing even the  most serious duties  – such as laying of wreaths at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday, to the everyday traditional spectacle of Guard Mounting and the vibrant military pomp of Trooping the Colour and , has also, been a part of the colourful celebrations of Royal weddings, jubilees etc. 

The “Guard Mounting” (or Changing of the Guard) is one of London’s most iconic sights and occurs regularly at Buckingham Palace. Accompanied by a Guards Band playing traditional military marches and even pop songs, a new Guard replaces the Guard on duty, protecting the Sovereign and Royal Palaces as they have been doing since 1660. At the Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s Guard is normally formed by the Household Division in their iconic full dress uniform of red tunics and towering hats known as bearskins.

The Annual Trooping the Colour is an exercise dating back to the time of Charles II, the custom including a daily parading or “trooping” of regimental flags or Colours in front of soldiers – for each soldier to recognize his regiment in the heat of battle. Presently, more than 1400 officers and soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians unite to parade at the annual Trooping the Colour.

Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign:

In 2012 (this year), Queen Elizabeth II, will complete the 60^th year of her reign – her Diamond Jubilee. She is the second longest reigning monarch after her grandmother, Queen Victoria. 

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee will be celebrated from 2^nd to 5^th June 2012. Several events have been organized throughout the U.K., the Commonwealth and the World to make this a memorable occasion.

The Queen herself will take part in a number of celebrations including “The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant” where about 1000 boats will assemble on the Thames, with the Queen’s Royal barge leading the flotilla. The whole event is reminiscent of the days of old, when the Kings/Queens of Britain would go on barge flotillas on the Thames on festivals and special occasions and would be a page out of a history book. Queen Victoria had granted city status to Bradford, Kingston-upon-Hull and Nottingham and Queen Elizabeth will grant city status to competing towns as well.

On 4^th June2012, a total number of 2012 beacons will be lit across the U.K. and the Commonwealth, with the Queen lighting the National Beacon. It is expected that the streets will be filled with people both from the U.K. and around the World.

The other day, I saw a documentary on BBC on how even the iconic Big Ben is getting a massive face-lift for the occasion.

Notwithstanding the planned pomp and show, the Queen is said to have set two guidelines, informally:

i)             The use of minimum public funds

ii)           People should not be forced to celebrate.

Commemorative Coin:

To celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, the Royal Mint U.K. has brought out a series of coins that mark the various events, ceremonies and landmarks from her reign. The Commemorative five Pound coin, which I have acquired for my coin collection recently, features two new portraits of the Queen, one each on both faces of the coin. The theme of having two portraits of the Queen , one young (at the time of her Coronation) and one present day, is inspired by the Commemorative medal struck for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

The cover of the coin album issued by Royal Mint U.K. for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

For the portrait, when the Queen was younger, the inspiration has come from the very first portrait of the Queen which appeared on coins from 1953 onwards, which also appeared on the coins which were issued by the Royal Mint at the time of her Coronation. This portrait was fresh, evocative and symbolically reflected the optimistic mood of the people at the beginning of a new Elizabethan era.  On this portrait, the Queen is shown as wearing a wreath and no crown as in the portrait at the time of her coronation and the words “DIRIGE DEUS GRESSUS MEOS” (May God Guide my steps), which had also appeared on Queen Victoria’s gold five Pound coins in 1839.

The present portrait of the Queen facing right has “more dignity and gravitas”, as she appears in full official regalia. On the periphery of this face of the coin are the words “ELIZABETH .II.D.G.REG.F.D.”(ELIZABETH II. BY THE GRACE OF GOD QUEEN. DEFENDER OF THE FAITH” and “FIVE POUNDS”. Both the portraits have been crafted by Ian Rank-Broadley.

The coin specifications are as under:

Denomination: 5 Pounds

Alloy: Cupro-Nickel

Weight: 28.28 gms.

Diameter: 38.61 mm

Edge: Milled

Quality: Brilliant Uncirculated.

In addition, the Royal Australian Mint, has released a 50 cent silver proof coin to celebrate the event/occasion.

The above image is of a crown issued in 1953, celebrating the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the present reigning Sovereign. This coin is from the collection of young Kavish Hukmani, who is an avid numismatist. The image shows Queen Elizabeth II wearing a cap/beret and riding a horse. 

On the outer periphery the words “ELIZABETH.II.DEI.GRATIA.BRITT.OMN.REGINA.FEDEI.DEFENSOR” (Translated into English, it means “ELIZABETH II, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, OF ALL THE BRITONS, QUEEN, DEFENDER OF THE FAITH”.  On either side of the Horse are two identical images of the Royal Crown with the inscription “E II R” (meaning Elizabeth II Regina). The coin is minted with a cupro-nickel composition.

Interestingly, I have noticed a flaw in the Inscription in the above coin. The term “FEDEI DEFENSOR” (Defender of the Faith) is used for Kings/Sovereigns while the term “FEDEI DEFENSATRIX” is the title given to a Queen.

The Royal Mint having got used to using the term “Defensor” from the time of Edward VII’s coronation in 1902, have erroneously continued with the term even in the case of the Queen. I wonder, whether in the face of this glaring oversight, whether this coin qualifies as an “error coin” (like in the case of the Commemorative State quarters issued by the U.S. Mint, one lot of which was minted with the inscription “In God ,We Rust” in place of  “Trust”). If the Crown issued in 1953, does qualify as an error coin, then the value of this coin would be much more than other issues during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

The reverse of the Crown issued in 1953 on Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation to the throne. This face shows the four quarters of the Royal Shield from the Royal Coat of Arms  (also carried on the One Pound coins issued from 2008 onwards). For a detailed reference please refer my post "65) The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom: Great British 2012 coin set (Uncirculated) issued by Royal Mint, U.K.", ( reference link given at the bottom of this post).

 The theme is that of the four quarterings of the Royal Arms, each contained in a shield and arranged in saltire with a rose, a thistle, a sprig of shamrock and a leek . In the centre is the Royal Crown .

At the bottom is mentioned 1953 indicating the year of issue.

The following images of a 100 pound Note issued by the States of Jersey to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, are from the collection of Jayant Biswas who has shared the images for this post:

The above is an image of the cover of the album containing the 100 Pounds Note. 

              
The 100 Pound Note with the Queen's holographic portrait titled "Equanimity" reproduced on this Note by special permission of Jersey Heritage.  Notice that the serial number of this Note starts with the letters "QE" indicating that this is a "Queen Elizabeth II" limited edition Note for Collectors only. The inscriptions are "States of Jersey" on the top of the Note. "One Hundred Pounds" on the bottom and "EIIR" (Elizabeth II Regina - "or Queen")

 The back of the above 100 Pound Note. The inscriptions being "Chent Louis" "Cent Livres" and "Etats De Jersey". This Note has been printed by De La Rue.

The description of how the project was commissioned to carry out the making of the Queen's portrait titled "Equanimity" and the historical background. 
 

The personal flag of Queen Elizabeth II.



Links:

British Crown Dependencies:

1) Specimen Banknotes from the States of Jersey

2) Coinage and Currency from the States of Jersey

3) Currency & Coinage of the Bailiwick of Guernsey

4) Currency & Coinage of Gibraltar : An Overseas Territory of Great Britain

5) Coinage of Gibraltar: (A British Overseas Territory): An Uncirculated Decimal Coin Collection Set minted by the Tower Mint, UK in 2010
  
6) The Isle of Man: An Uncirculated Decimal Coin Collection Set minted by Pobjoy Mint, UK in 2015

7) The Centenary of the ill-fated Titanic (15.04.1912 - 15.04.2012): An Alderney Five Pound Coin Commemorating the Maritime Legend

8) "Man of Steel": A Superman Movie: A set of stamps brought out in 2013 by Jersey post, the States of Jersey, commemorating Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill who played Superman in the Movie

9) Coins & Currency of Bermuda

10) The Bailiwick of Jersey - Presently circulating coinage - Pounds and Pence 

11) St. Helena & Ascension Islands: An Uncirculated Coin Set from 2003 

12) The Legend of the "HMAV Bounty" is interwoven with the heritage of the Pitcairn Islands: An uncirculated coin set from Pitcairn Islands in 2009 depicting the icons/relics of the Bounty minted by the New Zealand Mint 

Famous Battles: 

1) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's Exile to St. Helena: (Part I): A One Crown Commemorative coin issued by the Ascension Island (minted by Pobjoy Mint UK) 

2) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's Exile to st. Helena: (Part II) 1) A 5 GBP Coin issued by the Royal Mint UK. 2) A"Drie Landen Zilverset" ( ot the "Three Lands Silver set") containing coins issued by the Royal Dutch Mint including coins of Netherlands, Belgium and UK

3) Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain by issuing a 50 Pence coin by the Royal Mint UK

Gold Coins:
  
1) Gold Sovereigns issued in 2013 & 2014 by MMTC-PAMP in India under licence from the Royal Mint, UK, carrying the "I" Mint Mark

2) Gold Half-Sovereigns minted by MMTC-PAMP in India in 2014 under licence from the Royal Mint UK bearing the "I" Mint Mark 

Silver Coins:

1) A 20 Pound Silver coin minted for the first timr by the royal Mint UK: reverse design carries the famous St. George slaying the dragon design found on Gold Sovereigns 

British India Coinage:

 1) East India Company Quarter Anna Copper Coin which is one of the first issues under the Coinage Act 1835

2) Victoria Coinage: When she was Queen and afterwards Empress

3) Edward VII: King & Emperor  Coinage

4) George V King Emperor Coinage

5) George VI: The last of the British India Emperors Coinage 

Other British Royalty: 

1) Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations (1952-2012): A Five Pound Commemorative coin issued by the Royal Mint, UK

2) Commemorating Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953: A Five Pound Coin minted by the Royal Mint UK in 2013, depicting the Imperial State Crown

3) The Royal Coat of Arms of the UK: Great British 2012 Coin Set (Uncirculated) issued by the Royal Mint UK

4) Prince George's Christening Ceremony celebrated with coins issued by the Royal Mint UK in 2013

5) The British Empire:  A Case of Numismatic "segregation": (Guest Post by Rahul Kumar)

6) 1) The Portrait Collection: Various Portraits of Queen Elizabeth II on Coinage 2) The Fourth & Final Circulating coinage of the Portrait designed by Ian Rank-Broadley and the First Edition of the portrait of the Queen made by Jody Clark

 British Coinage:

1) The contribution of the Great British One-Pound coins in keeping alive the historical legends/emblems/heritage of the UK (1983 onwards)

2) Transformation of a Five shilling Coin (Crown) into the UK Twenty-five Pence & then the Five Pound Coin

3) Transformation of the Two Shilling Coin (Florin) Coin into the UK Ten Pence

4) The 350th Anniversary of the Guinea: A Two Pound Coin issued by the Royal Mint UK celebrating the milestone

 Commemorative British Coinage:

 1) Commemorating the Bicentenary of Charles Dickens: A Two pound coin celebrating his literary contributions during the Victorian Era

 2) Commemorating 50 Years of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) - presently called the World Wide Fund for Nature by issue of a Fifty Pence coin by the Royal Mint, UK

3) Coins commemorating London Olympics & Paralympics (2012)

4) Commemorating 150 Years of the London Underground : Two pound Coins minted by the Royal Mint UK, showing the "Roundel" logo and a train emerging from a tunnel 

5) Commemorating the 100th Birth anniversary of Christopher Ironside with his" Royal Arms" design on a 50 Pence coin issued by the Royal Mint, UK 

6) 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta - the Universal Guidepost to Liberty and Freedom

Inspirations from Scottish History: 

1) The Legend of King Bruce & the Spider on Banknotes

Banknotes from Scotland:
  
1) Commemorating Sir William Arrol and his creation the Forth Rail Bridge by issues of Britain's first ever 5 Pound Polymer Banknote