New coins: UK Royal Mint 50p coins celebrate Queen Elizabeth II, F1 and Darwin’s Beagle in gold, silver - buy
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.
The limited edition 2026 coins feature royal, F1 and wildlife designs, with some crafted from recycled gold 💰
- The Royal Mint has unveiled five new UK commemorative coin designs for 2026, celebrating royal, sporting and scientific milestones
- Highlights include coins marking 100 years since the birth of Queen Elizabeth II and the centenary of the British Grand Prix
- The collection also honours the Zoological Society of London, HMS Beagle, and 50 years of The King’s Trust
- None of the coins will enter general circulation and must be bought directly from The Royal Mint
- Limited mintages and precious metal versions mean some coins could hold or grow in value over time
Coin collectors, royal watchers and Formula 1 fans are being given a very specific reason to check their change drawers in 2026.
The Royal Mint has unveiled the designs and themes behind its 2026 UK commemorative coin collection, and it’s one of the most wide-ranging in years.
The line-up includes coins marking 100 years since the birth of Queen Elizabeth II, a century of the British Grand Prix, and the bicentenaries of both the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and HMS Beagle.
Add in a sustainability first for the Mint, and the collection has been pitched as something that appeals to far more than just traditional numismatists - that is, people who collect or study currency.
But where can you buy these coins, how rare are they, and could they ever be worth more than their face value? Here is everything you need to know...
What coins are being released in 2026?
The 2026 annual set contains five commemorative designs across three denominations:
- £5 coin – 100 years since the birth of Queen Elizabeth II
- £2 coin – 200 years of the Zoological Society of London
- £2 coin – HMS Beagle bicentenary
- 50p – 100 years of the Grand Prix in Britain
- 50p – 50 years of The King’s Trust
All coins feature the official coinage portrait of King Charles III, but importantly, none of them will enter general circulation, and they are collector issues only.
Prices start from £39.50 for the base-metal annual set, with options in silver, gold and proof finishes. At the top end, a limited-edition 22-carat gold set costs £14,500.
The coins went on sale from January 2, 2026, exclusively via The Royal Mint’s website, with individual coins released throughout the year. The one exception is The King’s Trust 50p, which is only available as part of the full annual set.
Visitors to The Royal Mint Experience in Wales will also be able to strike their own 2026-dated £1 coin from January 2.
A strong royal and motorsport focus
The headline piece is the £5 coin celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s centenary. Born on April 21, 1926, Elizabeth II appeared on more UK coins than any other monarch, with five official portraits used during her reign.
The new design includes her royal cypher, St Edward’s Crown and foliage inspired by the ironwork at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, where she is buried.
One hundred beads surround the design to mark the centenary, alongside the Latin inscription “Exaltabitur in gloria”, meaning “She will be exalted in glory”.
Motorsport fans are catered for with a 50p marking 100 years of the British Grand Prix, showing the evolution of racing cars from early competitions to a modern 2026 Formula 1 machine. It’s a rare example of Formula 1 history appearing on official UK coinage.
Conservation, science and exploration
Two £2 coins focus on science and discovery. The ZSL bicentenary coin features a Sumatran tiger, Socorro dove and partula snail, highlighting conservation work across more than 70 countries.
Its inscription, “Restoring wildlife together”, reinforces the charity’s modern mission.
The HMS Beagle £2 commemorates the ship made famous by Charles Darwin. Launched in 1820 and refitted as a surveying vessel in 1826, the Beagle’s voyages shaped modern science.
The coin shows the ship in profile, with the edge inscription “The voyage of the Beagle”.
In a notable shift, The Royal Mint is using recycled gold in parts of the 2026 range, sourced in partnership with Sempsa from old jewellery and coins.
The Mint aims to move all gold commemorative coins to recycled gold by the end of 2026, building on its metals recovery facility in south Wales, which already extracts gold from electronic waste.
How rare are these coins – and could they rise in value?
While exact mintages (the number of copies issued of a particular coin) haven’t been published in full, commemorative coins are produced in strictly limited numbers, especially in silver and gold.
The Royal Mint has also confirmed that only 52 gold commemorative versions of the 2026 collection are made using recycled gold, a first for the Mint.
Historically, most modern commemorative coins do not soar in value overnight. Base-metal issues usually retain close to their purchase price, rather than their face value, because collectors buy them as finished products.
But royal anniversaries, milestone birthdays and “last of an era” themes tend to perform better over the long term, particularly in precious metals.
The Queen Elizabeth II centenary £5 coin is likely to be the strongest long-term candidate, especially in gold or silver proof, due to sustained global interest in the late Queen.
Coins tied to Formula 1 may also appeal to a growing international collector base, rather than just UK buyers.