Obverse. Photo © Royal Mint
  • 5 Pounds 2015, KM# 1298a, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Elizabeth II, 50th Anniversary of Death of Sir Winston Churchill
  • 5 Pounds 2015, KM# 1298a, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Elizabeth II, 50th Anniversary of Death of Sir Winston Churchill
  • 5 Pounds 2015, KM# 1298a, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Elizabeth II, 50th Anniversary of Death of Sir Winston Churchill, Case
Description

Sir Winston Churchill is one of history’s great figures. In 2015 the Royal Mint paid tribute to a man who has become an icon – the first statesman ever to be commemorated twice on Britain’s coins. Issued by the Royal Mint to mark his death in 1965, the Churchill Crown was the very first United Kingdom coin to feature anyone other than the reigning monarch.

Obverse

Fourth crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was a wedding present in 1947 from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland in 1893 on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later George V. Made by E. Wolfe & Co., it was purchased from Garrard & Co. by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1914, Mary adapted the tiara to take 13 diamonds in place of the large oriental pearls surmounting the tiara. At first, Elizabeth wore the tiara without its base and pearls but the base was reattached in 1969. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of Elizabeth's most recognisable pieces of jewellery due to its widespread use on British banknotes and coinage.

ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FIDEI DEFENSATRIX means Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen and Defender of the Faith.

Engraver: Ian Rank-Broadley

ELIZABETH·II·D·G·REG·F·D FIVE POUNDS·2015
IRB

Reverse

The coin includes a new depiction of the man nicknamed “The Bulldog”. A front-facing partial portrait is utilized which is primarily positioned towards the left half of the coin. The bold letters “CHURCHILL” are placed along the upper right corner, in a similar fashion as the 1965 version.

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill (1874–1965) was a British statesman who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a non-academic historian, and a writer (as Winston S. Churchill). He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his overall, lifetime body of work.

At the forefront of politics for fifty years, he held many political and cabinet positions. Following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain on 10 May 1940, Churchill became Prime Minister. His speeches and radio broadcasts helped inspire British resistance, especially during the difficult days of 1940–41 when the British Commonwealth and Empire stood almost alone in its active opposition to Adolf Hitler. He led Britain as Prime Minister until victory over Nazi Germany had been secured.

After the Conservative Party suffered an unexpected defeat in the 1945 general election, he became Leader of the Opposition to the Labour Government. He publicly warned of an "Iron Curtain" of Soviet influence in Europe and promoted European unity. After winning the 1951 election, Churchill again became Prime Minister. His second term was preoccupied by foreign affairs, including the Malayan Emergency, Mau Mau Uprising, Korean War, and a UK-backed coup d'état in Iran. Upon his death aged ninety in 1965, Elizabeth II granted him the honour of a state funeral, which saw one of the largest assemblies of world statesmen in history.

Engraver: Mark Richards

CHURCHILL

Edge

NEVER FLINCH, NEVER WEARY, NEVER DESPAIR

Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.925
Weight 28.28 g
Diameter 38.61 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Royal Mint

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