New coins in 2016 will mark key events in British history

The works of playwright William Shakespeare are to be celebrated in 2016 with three coins to mark the 400th anniversary of his death, Britain's Royal Mint announced Friday.

The three coins, each with a face value of two pounds (three U.S. dollars) will represent Shakespeare's comedies with jesters stick and hat, while the coin to represent his historical works will feature a sword and crown and his tragedies with rose and skull.

The coins, which have been endorsed by the Shakespeare Birthday Trust, are the first time the nation's most famous story teller has been featured on British coins.

The Royal Mint also announced a coin, also with a face value of two pounds, will be issued in 2016 to remember another event that happened in the century of Shakespeare's death, the Great Fire of London.

This year marks the 350th anniversary of the 1666 fire that raged through and destroyed the medieval City of London within the city's old Roman city walls, destroying an estimated 70,000 houses.

A spokesman for the Royal Mint explained why the key moment in English history was being remembered.

"London in 1666 was very different to the city we know today. Wooden structures rather than soaring skyscrapers made up most of the homes and businesses in the capital: one of the reasons that a small fire, which notoriously began in a bakery in Pudding Lane, went on to rage across the city."

Aaron West, a member of the Royal Mint's team of expert designers, has taken the perspective of one of the Londoners seeking sanctuary on the River Thames to capture the devastating scenes of the fire.

"Aaron's dramatic design captures the stories of the moments that changed London forever," said the Royal Mint.

Anne Jessopp, director of commemorative coins at the Royal Mint, said: "It is always exciting to see the new year's designs revealed, commemorating the moments that matter, and revisiting some of the great events and stories from our history. The British public should start to see these coins appearing in their change from spring 2016."

Meanwhile the Royal Mint is to mark the Chinese Year of the Money in 2016 with special limited edition coins in silver or gold, costing from 82.50 pounds (122 U.S. dollars) to 7,500 pounds (11,200 U.S. dollars) for a five ounce gold coin.

Although the coins will be legal tender in Britain, the cost of each one, makes it hardly likely to be spent in the local supermarket.

Instead they are being marketed by the Royal Mint as the 'perfect gift' to celebrate the new lunar year in the Chinese calendar. Endit