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Anniversary Royal Academy £5 Coin

Cupro-nickel BU 2018 £5  Share This Coin:
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Anniversary Royal Academy £5 Coin - Reverse - 2018 UK £5 Coin
Market Value
£17.00

Coin Specifications

Denomination
£5
Year
2018
Metal
Cupro-nickel
Finish
BU
Weight
28.28 g
Diameter
38.61 mm
Obverse
Jody Clark
Reverse
Sir David Chipperfield RA

How much is the Anniversary Royal Academy £5 Coin worth?

The current market value for the Anniversary Royal Academy £5 Coin is estimated at £17.00. Values can vary based on condition and demand.

Anniversary Royal Academy £5 Coin Images

High-quality images of the 2018 Anniversary Royal Academy £5 Coin showing obverse and design details. Click any image to view full size.

Anniversary Royal Academy £5 Coin Obverse - 2018 UK £5 Coin Head Side
Obverse (Heads)
Designed by Jody Clark
The obverse (heads side) of the 2018 £5 coin featuring the portrait designed by Jody Clark .

Tip: Click any image to view it in full size. All images show the actual 2018 Anniversary Royal Academy £5 Coin as issued by The Royal Mint, helping you identify genuine coins and understand their design features.

Coin Description

250 Years of Championing the Arts

For 250 years, the Royal Academy of Arts (RA) has been at the forefront of championing the arts in Britain through education and exhibition. 2018 saw the RA250 celebrations – a significant moment where an iconic British institution reached 250 years of supporting and promoting the arts. To mark this occasion, the RA and The Royal Mint have collaborated on a £5 coin.


Designed by Sir David Chipperfield RA, who also led the redevelopment of the RA by linking Burlington House and Burlington Gardens to create more space for art, education and debates, the coin features the facade of Burlington House, the familiar entrance for millions of art lovers, artists and architects.

2018 Royal Academy of Arts £5 – Quick Summary

At a Glance

  • What it commemorates: The 250th anniversary of the Royal Academy of Arts (RA), founded in 1768.
  • Design: Burlington House façade by Sir David Chipperfield RA, with the inscription “A PLACE TO MAKE, EXHIBIT AND DEBATE ART · ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS · 1768–2018 ·”.
  • Specs: Cupro-nickel £5, 28.28 g, 38.61 mm, milled edge, Brilliant Uncirculated finish, non-circulating.
  • BU mintage: Around 11,988 BU coins recorded – low for a modern base-metal £5.
  • Guide value: Typically around £17–£20 for a clean BU coin in good packaging, based on recent price guides and dealer listings.
  • Why collectors like it: Strong architectural design, clear cultural theme, and a comparatively small BU run make it an appealing modern £5 for art fans and commemorative-series collectors alike.

About This Coin

2018 Royal Academy of Arts £5 – Brilliant Uncirculated
Brilliant Uncirculated £5 coin marking the 250th anniversary of the Royal Academy of Arts, featuring the façade of Burlington House in London. A non-circulating collector piece with a relatively low BU mintage compared with most modern £5 coins.

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.

📊 Key Figures – Brilliant Uncirculated £5

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

Aspect Figure BU-specific notes
Denomination £5 (Five Pounds) Crown-sized UK commemorative £5, issued as a non-circulating legal tender coin.
Year of issue 2018 Released for the RA’s 250th anniversary (founded 1768).
Alloy, weight & diameter Alloy: Cupro-nickel
Weight: 28.28 g
Diameter: 38.61 mm 		Standard modern base-metal £5 specification with a milled (reeded) edge.
Circulation status Not struck for circulation No circulation mintage; the design exists only as Brilliant Uncirculated and silver proof collector coins.
BU mintage 11,988 BU coins Official sales data records 11,988 Brilliant Uncirculated coins in base metal, making it one of the lower-mintage modern BU £5 issues.
Obverse Designer: Jody Clark
Portrait: Fifth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II 		Standard £5 obverse with the inscription ELIZABETH II · D · G · REG · FID · DEF · 5 POUNDS ·.
Reverse Designer: Sir David Chipperfield RA
Design: Façade of Burlington House 		Shows the front of Burlington House with the inscription A PLACE TO MAKE, EXHIBIT AND DEBATE ART · ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS · 1768–2018 ·.
Edge Milled (reeded) Standard reeded edge for base-metal £5 coins; there is no decorative edge inscription.
Original BU issue price ≈ £17.50 Contemporary pricing for a single BU coin in official packaging was around the mid-teens.
Current guide value (BU) ≈ £17–£20 Recent price guides and dealer listings for a clean BU example typically sit in this range, depending on packaging and condition.

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

💡 Collector Notes – BU Version

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.