Anniversary Royal Academy £5 Coin

Coin Summary & Key Facts (BU Version)

The Royal Academy of Arts 250th Anniversary 2018 UK £5 Brilliant Uncirculated Coin celebrates two and a half centuries of the RA championing art, architecture and education in Britain. Designed by Sir David Chipperfield RA, the reverse shows the historic façade of Burlington House, the Academy’s home since 1867, framed by an inscription about the RA’s role as a place to make, exhibit and debate art. This base-metal £5 is a non-circulating BU issue, supplied only in collector packaging rather than in general change.

Core specifications and reference values for the 2018 Royal Academy of Arts £5 Brilliant Uncirculated coin.

250th Anniversary of the Royal Academy of Arts 2018 United Kingdom £5 Coin Collector Notes

The Royal Academy £5 BU feels more like a miniature architectural print than a typical commemorative coin. It’s aimed squarely at collectors who like art, design and the history of British cultural institutions, rather than at people scooping coins from change.

• Art and architecture focus: The reverse is based on an engraving of Burlington House’s façade, drawing directly on architectural source material. Sir David Chipperfield RA, who worked on modernising the RA’s physical spaces, designed the coin, so it doubles as a commentary on old and new Academy.
• Royal Mint × Royal Academy connection: The coin also nods to a long-standing historical link: one of the Academy’s founding members, Richard Yeo, served as Chief Engraver at the mint in the 18th century, and later engravers like William Wyon RA also bridged the two institutions.
• Low BU mintage for a modern £5: With just 11,988 BU coins recorded, this sits at the lower end of base-metal £5 issues for the late Elizabeth II era, especially compared with some widely promoted seasonal £5 pieces that run into the tens of thousands.
• Other formats (for context): The design was also struck as a silver proof £5 (sterling silver, 28.28 g, 38.61 mm) with a low proof mintage of just 1,671 silver coins, giving higher-end collectors a precious-metal option alongside this BU base-metal coin.
• What to look for in BU condition:
  • crisp architectural lines on the Burlington House façade,
  • clear, fully readable inscription around the reverse,
  • bright, even lustre on both sides with minimal contact marks in the open fields,
  • intact, clean packaging if the coin is still in its original BU pack or card.
• Collecting angle: This coin works nicely in several mini-themes: modern £5s, Royal Academy / art-themed coins, or “institutions of culture” alongside pieces for literary anniversaries, museums and similar subjects.

Overall, the 2018 Royal Academy of Arts £5 Brilliant Uncirculated coin is a quietly premium modern issue – low BU mintage, strong design credentials, and a subject that appeals well beyond traditional coin-collecting circles.