See the New Coins Celebrating the Legacies of Elizabeth II, Charles Darwin and the British Grand Prix

Released by the Royal Mint, the designs from this year’s commemorative coin set also honor anniversaries connected to the King’s Trust and the Zoological Society of London

Christian Thorsberg | Daily Correspondent

January 7, 2026

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The United Kingdom’s Royal Mint has unveiled its five designs for the new year’s commemorative coin set, which honors significant royal, scientific and sporting anniversaries.

This year, the Mint is celebrating milestones that include the 200th anniversary of the HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin’s famed Galápagos-bound ship; the 100th birthday of the late Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch; and the 100th anniversary of the British Grand Prix, which remains one of the most famous races on the Formula One calendar.

The new coins, which feature a portrait of Charles III on the other side, will not enter general circulation, but they will be available for purchase.

In recent years, other commemorative coins have marked 100 years since the death of Alexander Graham Bell (2022), 100 years since Agatha Christie’s first novel (2020), 200 years since Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (2018) and 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare (2016).

“Whether you’re a royal enthusiast, a motor racing fan or passionate about conservation, there’s something for everyone in this collection,” Rebecca Morgan, the director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, says in a statement. “Coins have a unique ability to mark a variety of themes that resonate across different communities and interests, creating lasting reminders of the moments and institutions that shape our shared heritage.”

The centerpiece of the 2026 collection is Elizabeth, whose 100th birthday—April 21, 2026—is celebrated with the year’s first £5 coin. Born in 1926, the queen reigned over the United Kingdom for more than 70 years, and her portrait appeared on five coins circulating in the U.K. during her lifetime.

Elizabeth’s coins always showed her facing right “as part of a tradition which has lasted for over 300 years,” according to the Royal Mint Museum. “Each king or queen faces in the opposite direction to the one before. Her Majesty’s father, George VI, faced left on his coins.”

The new design doesn’t include a portrait; instead, it features the late royal’s monogram cypher, St. Edward’s Crown, 100 beads and foliage resembling the ironwork on the door of St. George’s Chapel, where she was buried following her death in 2022. “Exaltabitur In Gloria,” which translates to “She will be exalted in glory,” is inscribed on the coin opposite her name.

The HMS Beagle set sail for the first time 200 years ago this May, completing a surveying journey to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego under the helm of Captain Pringle Stokes and Flag Lieutenant Robert FitzRoy. But the ship remains most famous for its second trip, which included a stop at the Galápagos Islands. The islands’ wildlife heavily influenced the voyage’s naturalist, 22-year-old Charles Darwin, who would become famous for his contributions to the theory of evolution. The Royal Mint’s £2 coin features an image of the ship with an inscription, “The Voyage of the Beagle.”

The set’s other £2 coin also commemorates a bicentennial: 200 years since the founding of the Zoological Society of London, an international conservation charity that supports wildlife in more than 70 countries. The three animals featured on the coin—the Sumatran tiger, Socorro dove and Partula snail—were chosen as species that best represent the society’s research and protection efforts. An inscription along the coin’s edge reads, “Restoring Wildlife Together.”

The final two coins, both 50-pence pieces, honor the 50th anniversary of the King’s Trust, a community charity that supports young people in education and the workforce, and the 100th anniversary of the British Grand Prix, which runs annually at the famed Silverstone racetrack.

For the first time, 52 versions of this year’s set have been pressed using recycled gold. By year’s end, in an effort to be more sustainable, the Mint aims for all gold commemorative coins to be made from recycled materials.

“This move demonstrates our commitment to a more sustainable future for the Royal Mint, preserving finite precious metal resources and supporting a circular economy,” Morgan says in the statement.

Christian Thorsberg | Read More

Christian Thorsberg is an environmental writer and photographer from Chicago. His work, which often centers on freshwater issues, climate change and subsistence, has appeared in Circle of Blue, Sierra magazine, Discover magazine and Alaska Sporting Journal.