The Angel 2026 UK £5 Brilliant Uncirculated Coin

Summary of Value, Significance & Key Facts

The Angel 2026 UK £5 Brilliant Uncirculated coin brings back a legendary design last seen on English coinage more than three centuries ago. It combines a classic image of protection and victory over evil with a contemporary Brilliant Uncirculated finish for modern collectors.

Key details for the 2026 Angel £5 Brilliant Uncirculated coin and its related issues. Values focus on issue pricing and positioning rather than secondary-market speculation.

The Angel is not just another commemorative £5 coin; it revives a denomination that once sat at the heart of English coinage, royal ritual and even superstition. The 2026 design reconnects modern collectors with a story that stretches back more than 500 years.

• Origins in medieval Europe: The Angel first appeared in England in the fifteenth century, inspired by earlier French “angel” gold coins. It typically showed the Archangel Michael standing over a dragon, symbolising the triumph of good over evil. For centuries it circulated as a high-value gold coin under monarchs such as Edward IV, Henry VII, the Tudors and the early Stuarts.
• A coin of protection and healing: Beyond its monetary role, the Angel became closely associated with protection and good fortune. In some periods it was used in royal healing ceremonies for the “king’s evil”, where sufferers received a gold Angel as a touch-piece. This gave the coin a reputation as a charm against misfortune and as a token of divine favour.
• End of the original Angel: Production of the original gold Angel ceased in the mid-seventeenth century as English coinage evolved and new gold denominations, such as the guinea, took over. For more than 300 years, the Angel survived mainly in collections and in numismatic literature rather than in everyday currency.
• The 2026 revival: The 2026 UK £5 Brilliant Uncirculated coin marks the Angel’s return to the official UK coin programme. The reverse carries a dynamic modern reimagining of Saint Michael battling the dragon, created by artist Sandra Deiana, while the obverse features the effigy of King Charles III by Martin Jennings. The design captures the original coin’s dramatic energy but with crisp contemporary engraving and a larger 38.61mm canvas.
• Symbolism in the modern era: For today’s collectors, the 2026 Angel blends medieval religious symbolism with modern design. Saint Michael’s poised stance over the dragon echoes themes of courage, spiritual protection and moral victory, making this coin especially appealing as a gift, keepsake or centerpiece of a themed collection.
• Where the BU £5 fits in a collection:
  • Brilliant Uncirculated: The cupro-nickel BU £5 is the entry point to the range, with a detailed strike and durable composition. It offers the full design without the cost of precious metals and is ideal for type collections, modern £5 series, or anyone drawn to the Angel’s story.
  • Proof silver and gold: Higher-end proof pieces in silver and gold provide deeper definition and strictly limited mintages, placing them in the premium collector tier. They are closer in spirit to the historic gold Angels, while the BU £5 keeps the design widely accessible.
• Long-term interest: Because this is the first official Angel design to appear on a UK coin for centuries, it is likely to be seen as a landmark issue within twenty-first-century Royal Mint output. Its appeal spans medieval history, religious iconography, heraldry and modern commemorative collecting.

The 2026 Angel £5 Brilliant Uncirculated coin stands at the crossroads of myth, history and modern minting – a contemporary piece that reawakens one of England’s most storied coin designs for a new generation of collectors.