ROYAL MINT £5 CROWN COIN KEEPS BIG BEN STRIKING ON TIME

For the first time in Big Ben's 150 year history, a new £5 Crown, from the Royal Mint is being used to help London's iconic clock keep time. The 2009 Big Ben £5 Crown was today placed inside the movement of the Great Clock and will play an essential role in maintaining its famous accuracy.

The coin change-over forms part of Big Ben's 150th Anniversary celebrations, with the new £5 Crown, one of the official London 2012 licensed coins, replacing some of the pre-decimal pennies which have acted as weights inside the clock since 1859. This is the first time any of the coins inside the clock have been changed.

Mike McCann, Keeper of the Great Clock commented: "There is a long and historic relationship between Big Ben and the UK's coins. Few people realise the technical role the old pennies have played inside the clock.

For 150 years, coins have been used to adjust the time of the clock - adding or subtracting them effects the pendulum's centre of mass and the rate at which it swings. Using the new Royal Mint Big Ben Crown is a great way to celebrate this relationship.

To read the complete article, see: Royal Mint £5 Crown Coin Keeps Big Ben Striking on Time (www.coinnews.net/2009/11/12/royal-mint-5-crown-coin
-keeps-big-ben-striking-on-time/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: COIN HELPS PUT THE BONG BACK IN BIG BEN (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v10n39a25.html)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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