Four new commemorative coins to be released by Royal Mint in 2018

The Royal Mint has unveiled four new coins for 2018, with each design marking an event that has 'shaped the country'.

A new 50p coin and three £2 coins will appear in circulation later this year to celebrate significant centenaries and bicentenaries.

Here, we take a look at each of the new coins and explain how you can get your hands on one.

50p coin - 100th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act

The new 50p coin will commemorate 100 years since women were given the right to vote in the 1918 Representation of the People Act, passed in February of that year.

The design will show men and women queuing up to cast their votes.

£2 coin - 200th anniversary of Frankenstein

A new £2 coin will be released to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein,first published on 1 January 1818.

The coin will feature an electric pulse design that spells out the title of the classic work.

£2 - 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force

The 100th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Air Force is also commemorated on a new £2 coin. It features the RAF's official emblem, an eagle in flight, which has been in use since shortly after the organisation's founding in April 1918.

£2 - 100th anniversary of the First World War Armistice

The final coin in the new collection marks the centenary of the end of the First World War on 11 November 1918.

Its design will feature a quote, 'the truth untold, the pity of war', taken from Wilfred Owen's poem Strange Meeting.

When will the coins be released?

You might have to wait a little while to get your hands on the new coins, as the Royal Mint can only confirm they'll be seen in circulation at some point this year.

If you're after a collectible edition, you can buy sets of coins in different metals and finishes directly from the Royal Mint from around £95 upwards.

The Royal Mint has also confirmed that individual collectible editions of the coins will be released throughout the year, close to the anniversaries they commemorate.

What will the new coins be worth?

With no specific mintage figures, it's difficult to say whether these coins will become a collector's item in the future.

Other factors have a significant impact on value, too, such as levels of demand from collectors in the UK and abroad.

Mintage figures can vary significantly from coin to coin, as shown in the graph below.