The Royal British Mint has released several products which celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. This follows the many Diamond Jubilee products issued last year to celebrate 60 years since the Queen’s accession.

The 2013 60th Anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation £5 Coin was released in December 2012. The reverse design features a depiction of the Imperial State Crown, which was worn just after the Coronation ceremony. An inscription above the crown reads “To Reign and Serve – A Vow Made Good”.

The obverse of the coin contains the Ian-Rank Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II with the “2013″ date.

This coin is available in copper-nickel composition in brilliant uncirculated quality, packaged with an illustrated folder. A 22-karat gold proof version is available with a mintage limit of 2,000. A silver proof version is limited to 15,000 pieces, a gold plated silver proof version is limited to 12,500, and a silver piedfort proof version is limited to 3,250. The coin is also included in various annual sets.

Just announced this month is 2013 The Queen’s Portrait Four Coin Set, available in three different precious metals options . The obverse designs of the coins feature each of the portraits that the Royal Mint has used for circulation coinage, which were designed by Mary Gillick, Arnold Machin, Raphael Maklouf, and Ian-Rank-Broadley.

A common reverse design features the Royal Arms reimagined by sculptor James Butler.

A Gold Proof Four Coin Set will be offered with a limit of 450 sets. Also available will be a silver proof set limited to 4,800 and a piedfort silver proof set limited to 2,700 sets.

The Royal Mint has a section of their website which showcases products celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation, which can be found here.

The Royal British Mint recently unveiled the third in a series of medals which are created to showcase the skill and craftsman ship of Royal Mint engravers. The gold and silver medals for this year are designed by Lee Robert Jones and inspired by the legend of King Arthur.

The obverse of the medal depicts Arthur as a Warrior King defeating the Saxons as Merlin stands in the background. The battlefield is shown with mist and smoke rising into the air and the dragon flags planted by the cavalry symbolizing victory. The reverse depicts Arthur as a wounded and defeated King offering his sword Excalibur to his Knight Bedivere. In the background appear Arthur’s wife Guinevere embracing Lancelot and Arthur’s half sister Morgana holding her staff with a raven atop.

Both the gold and silver medals feature the same intricate design and are struck in high relief. Both are oversized to provide a large canvas for the work. The .999 silver coin has a weight of 250 grams (8.04 troy ounces) and diameter of 80 mm. The .999 gold coin has a weight of 313 grams (10.06 troy ounces) and diameter of 65 mm.

As might be expected, these are extremely limited in mintage and premium priced. The silver medal has an issue limit of 500 and is £695.00, and the gold medal has a limit of just 25 and is priced at £23,500.00. The product pages can be found here and here.

What I like most about these medals and why I wanted to highlight them is the concept of the series. Coin design can be restrained by legal or other requirements for the depiction, the specifications of the particular series, and/or the inclusion of required inscriptions. This of course comes with the medium, but it is great to see the artists work in a format ideally suited to showcasing skill and craftsmanship.

From the Royal Mint’s own description of the Masterpiece series:

The Masterpiece is defined by attention to detail at every level; the medal is always highly intricate and immaculately struck to a high relief. The intention is to embody the history and heritage of the specialist art of engraving, the result of originality coupled with the quality of execution.