Rare coin specialist Hattons of London has launched a new range to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
The company, which has offices in King Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, has released a set of exclusive coins to commemorate Her Majesty's 70-year reign.
The coins have been designed to showcase the important role that horses have played throughout Queen Elizabeth II's life – from her first Shetland pony, Peggy, to her many champion racehorses.
The 'Queen Elizabeth II 'The Equestrian Portrait' Crown Set' includes four crown-sized coins, each depicting the Queen on horseback during the time of the three major jubilees celebrated since her 1952 coronation.
The four coins include the Coronation crown of 1953 featuring Her Majesty riding side-saddle on a prancing horse, a riding stock in her left hand and reins in her right.
The second is the 1977 Silver Jubilee crown-sized decimal 25p coin, which was the first British jubilee commemorative coin released in the reign of Her Majesty. The coin features a portrait of the Queen riding side-saddle at the Trooping of the Colour on Horse Guards parade. The portrait is the work of the late visual artist Arnold Machin, who was born in Stoke-on-Trent, and is best known for designing iconic British coins and postage stamps.
Also included is a collectible £5 coin created for the Queen's 2002 Golden Jubilee, again showing a portrait of the Queen atop a horse, while the final coin is a newly created crown-sized £5 coin, featuring a special commemorative portrait of the Queen by artist John Bergdhal, showing Her Majesty in the uniform of the Horse Guards.
Hattons of London managing director, Simon Mellinger said: "Following a tradition of equestrian portraits of monarchs dating back to the 1500s, we have brought together the most iconic equestrian-themed crown coins created to celebrate landmark moments in the Queen's reign with a design created for this year's Platinum Jubilee, which brings us full circle.
"The set has already proven popular not only with those wanting a fitting memento of the Queen's remarkable 70-year reign but with horse enthusiasts alike, and on the back of the success that we have seen with recent sell-out ranges including the Platinum Jubilee Monarch Range, we are not expecting these sets to be around for long."
Established in 2017, Hattons of London has undergone remarkable growth – expanding its team from 11 to 45 in just five years.
Despite challenges posed by the pandemic, 2021 proved to be the company's most successful year yet.
And the business – which was recently awarded the Investors in People gold accreditation – shows no signs of slowing down, with increased demand as a result of this year's Platinum Jubilee prompting a recruitment drive to further grow its specialist team.
