5 Pounds - Elizabeth II 5th portrait, Yeoman Warders

Issued to mark the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII's establishment of the Yeoman Warders as a permanent bodyguard corps in 1509, this crown-sized piece belongs to a broader commemorative program the Royal Mint ran throughout 2009's Tudor anniversary year — though this particular piece came a decade later, tied instead to ongoing Tower of London series releases rather than that milestone directly. The Yeoman Warders have guarded the Tower continuously since the 15th century, a tenure that has outlasted every English and British monarch since Henry VII.