Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th Birthday: The Royal Mint Releases Commemorative 5-Pound Coin

To mark the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, The Royal Mint has released a commemorative 5 pounds ($7.11) coin. The design was created by artist and sculptor Christopher Hobbs, who spent three months working on the design before giving it for approval from the British monarch. The coins are available in silver, gold and platinum gold.

The coins are priced up to 5,000 pounds ($7,078.75) for a rare platinum edition collector’s coin. The commemorative coin features a prominent number 90 and a garland of nine roses — one for each of Elizabeth’s decades. The roses are indicative of the queen’s love for flowers.

It also has a crown and a wreath of laurel leaves with four points to symbolize England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Royal Mint also created coins to mark her 70th and 80th birthdays, along with her record reign in September 2015. “Coins produced to celebrate the Queen becoming Britain’s longest reigning monarch in 2015 were very well received, with some ranges selling out completely,” said Anne Jessopp of The Royal Mint.

“We anticipate that coins created for Her Majesty's 90th birthday will prove equally popular with members of the public wishing to mark this historic occasion,” she said. Speaking about his design, Christopher Hobbs said his design for Elizabeth’s 90th birthday coin collection was “inspired by the heraldic rose and the Queen’s love of flowers.”

Hobbs added that the central “EIIR” was surrounded by a classical wreath of celebration. The artist tried to make the roses more natural than heraldic, and each of them was different from the other. Elizabeth will celebrate her milestone 90th birthday on April 21.

It will be a work day for the British royal who will carry out three engagements with her husband Prince Philip. Two engagements will be in Windsor – one unveiling a plaque marking The Queen’s Walkway at the foot of Castle Hill. The now 89-year-old monarch will also meet locals and well-wishers during a walkabout in the town.

Later in the evening, she, her husband and Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall will attend a beacon lighting ceremony to celebrate her special day. Meanwhile, in another development, The Bentley Mulsanne used by Elizabeth from 2012 to 2014 is listed for sale on the British Auto Trader website for $285,000.