United Kingdom (Great Britain) Elizabeth II 50 Pence

History

50 Pence 2019, Sp# H75, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Elizabeth II, 60th Anniversary of Paddington Bear, Paddington at the Tower of London

Obverse. Photo © Royal Mint

Description

For more than 60 years, the good-hearted bear from Darkest Peru has been charming audiences around the world with tales of his adventures big and small. Celebrated with a coin series in 2018, Paddington returns once again with two new adventures and designs, featuring the childhood favourite on visits to the Tower of London and St Paul's Cathedral.

Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children's literature. He first appeared on 13 October 1958 in the children's book A Bear Called Paddington and has been featured in more than twenty books written by British author Michael Bond and illustrated by Peggy Fortnum and other artists. The friendly bear from Peru—with his old hat, battered suitcase (complete with a secret compartment, enabling it to hold more items than it would appear to), duffle coat and love of marmalade—has become a classic character from English children's literature. Paddington books have been translated into 30 languages across 70 titles and sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. A much loved fictional character in British culture, a Paddington Bear soft toy was chosen by British tunnellers as the first item to pass through to their French counterparts when the two sides of the Channel Tunnel were linked in 1994.

Paddington is an anthropomorphised bear. He is always polite – addressing people as "Mr", "Mrs" and "Miss", rarely by first names – and kindhearted, though he inflicts hard stares on those who incur his disapproval. He has an endless capacity for innocently getting into trouble, but he is known to "try so hard to get things right." He was discovered in Paddington Station, London, by the (human) Brown family who adopted him, and thus he gives his full name as "Paddington Brown".

Obverse	Crown, jewelry Diamond Diadem Person (king, queen, tsar etc.) Elizabeth II The fifth crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the George IV State Diadem and drop earrings. The George IV State Diadem, officially the Diamond Diadem, is a type of crown that was made in 1820 for King George IV. The diadem is worn by queens and queens consort in procession to coronations and State Openings of Parliament. The piece of jewellery has been featured in paintings and on stamps and currency. It can be seen in the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace. ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FIDEI DEFENSATRIX means Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen and Defender of the Faith. Engraver: Jody Clark ·ELIZABETH II·D·G·REG·F·D·50 PENCE·2019 J.C
Reverse	Colorised Animal (fish, bird, mammal etc.) Bear Character (book, movie, cartoon etc.) Paddington Bear Construction (building, bridge etc.) Tower of London Depicts Paddington Bear eating his traditional marmalade sandwich in front of the White Tower. Paddington Bear once said, “A wise bear always keeps a marmalade sandwich in his hat in case of emergency.” The White Tower is a central tower, the old keep, at the Tower of London. The Tower of London is a historic castle located on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078 and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. The castle was used as a prison from 1100 (Ranulf Flambard) until 1952 (Kray twins), although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under kings Richard I, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site. The peak period of the castle's use as a prison was the 16th and 17th centuries, when many figures who had fallen into disgrace, such as Elizabeth I before she became queen, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Elizabeth Throckmorton, were held within its walls. Despite its enduring reputation as a place of torture and death, only seven people were executed within the Tower before the World Wars of the 20th century. Today, the Tower of London is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. Engraver: David Knapton DK
Edge	Plain