2019 Five Pound Coin – Tower of London: Ceremony of the Keys

The 2019 Five Pound Coin - Tower of London: Ceremony of the Keys

The Ceremony of the Keys is held every evening at the Tower of London and it is when the main gates are locked for the night. It is an ancient ritual, dating back to the middle ages, and has never been cancelled. It is carried out by the Chief Yeoman Warder who starts his walk at exactly 9.53pm every evening. The gate are locked at 10pm and the Last Post is sounded.

In 2019 the Royal Mint introduced a 4-coin series call "The Tower of London". The coins tell the story of the famous London fortress (officially called Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London) and shows some the the ancient ceremonies that are still carried out. 

The Tower is the property of the Crown and dates back to 1078, with the last extension in 1399. It is a popular tourist attraction with about 3 million visitors each year and is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The coins feature The Legend of the Ravens, The Crown Jewels, Yeoman Warders and The Ceremony of the Keys. 

All of the coins in this collection feature a special Tower mint mark. 

There are many variants: BU £5, Silver Proof £5, Silver Piedfort Proof £5, 5oz Silver Proof, Gold £5, Gold 1/4 oz and Gold 5 oz. 

The BU edge is milled, but on the Silver Proof versions the edge is inscribed "On into twilight within walls of stone".

For each coins the Reverse Designer was Glyn Davies and the Obverse Designer is Jody Clark.

The series in order of release is:

1. Legend of the Ravens
2. Ceremony of the Keys
3. Yeoman Warders
4. Crown Jewels

Images used by permission of The Royal Mint

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