Scarce: fewer than 2,000,000 minted. Sells often: 40 verified sales in the last 12 months.
5 Pounds - Elizabeth II 4th portrait Horatio Nelson (2005)
"Nelson crown"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2005 |
| Denomination | 5 Pounds |
| Face value | £5 |
| Mintage | 1,075,516 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Copper-nickel |
| Weight | 28.280g |
| Diameter | 38.6mm |
| Thickness | 3.20mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | James Butler |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Fourth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, legend around.
ELIZABETH II D G REG F D FIVE POUNDS
Uniformed portrait of Admiral Lord Nelson dividing dates with legend above.
Horatio Nelson £5 Crown market value
Find this on eBay
AffiliateHoratio Nelson £5 Crown price history
Daily limit reachedHoratio Nelson £5 Crown value by grade
Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC | £7.50 🔒 eBay | £6.49 | – | £5.45 – £7.50 | 3 | 3 | 06-10-2026 | |
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| BU | £12.94 🔒 eBay | £10.50 | – | £8.99 – £12.94 | 3 | 3 | 14-09-2026 | |
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| VF | £9.73 🔒 eBay | £9.73 | ▲49.2% | £4.38 – £27.22 | 27 | 27 | 17-10-2026 | |
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| MS-69 | £87.46 🔒 eBay | £87.46 (1) | – | £87.46 – £87.46 | 1 | 1 | 24-04-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £5.43 🔒 eBay | £10.28 | – | £5.43 – £13.01 | 6 | 6 | 27-09-2026 | |
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About the 2005 5 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Horatio Nelson
The 2005 5 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Horatio Nelson is a collector 5 pounds coin, struck in copper-nickel. It weighs 28.28g and measures 38.61mm across. Reverse design: Uniformed portrait of Admiral Lord Nelson dividing dates with legend above.
1,075,516 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2005 5 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Horatio Nelson worth?
Verified sold prices for the 2005 5 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Horatio Nelson run from £6.49 to £87.46 across 5 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many 2005 Nelson £5 coins were made?
The Royal Mint gives no separate figure. Its striking numbers show 1,075,516 crowns struck to circulating standard in 2005, covering both the Nelson and the Trafalgar designs together. Its 2005 sales page adds 72,498 orders for the Nelson coin in a Brilliant Uncirculated pack.
Who designed the Horatio Nelson crown?
James Butler designed the reverse, a portrait of Lord Nelson in the uniform of a Vice Admiral with the inscription HORATIO NELSON and the dates 1805 and 2005. The obverse has Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Elizabeth II.
Does the Nelson £5 coin have ENGLAND EXPECTS on the edge?
Only the precious-metal versions do. The royal proclamation gives the silver and gold coins a plain edge with the incuse inscription ENGLAND EXPECTS THAT EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY, and states that the cupro-nickel version has a milled edge.
What is the difference between the Nelson and Trafalgar £5 coins?
They are two separate 2005 designs authorised by the same proclamation. The Nelson coin, by James Butler, shows a portrait of the admiral with the words HORATIO NELSON. The Trafalgar coin, by Clive Duncan, shows HMS Victory and Temeraire in battle with the word TRAFALGAR.
Is the 2005 Nelson crown legal tender?
Yes. The Royal Mint says crowns authorised by royal proclamation are legal tender. It also describes them as souvenirs not meant for everyday use, and says banks are not required to accept them, so check with a bank before trying to pay one in.
How do I identify the 2005 5 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Horatio Nelson?
Check the weight 28.28g and diameter 38.61mm and the metal (copper-nickel) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, in the hour of his fleet's victory over the combined French and Spanish navies. For the bicentenary a royal proclamation given at Buckingham Palace on 17 November 2004 ordered £5 coins in gold, silver and cupro-nickel with a choice of two reverses: one for the battle and one for the man.
This is the coin for the man. Its companion, by Clive Duncan, shows the ships Victory and Temeraire. The Royal Mint does not publish separate striking figures for the pair. Its table gives 1,075,516 crowns struck to circulating standard in 2005, both designs together.
James Butler designed the reverse. The proclamation describes it as a portrait of Lord Nelson in the uniform of a Vice Admiral, accompanied by the inscription HORATIO NELSON and the dates 1805 and 2005. Butler returned to the crown ten years later: the Royal Mint credits him with both sides of the 2015 Longest Reigning Monarch £5 coin.
The obverse has Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Elizabeth II with the inscription ELIZABETH II D G REG F D and the denomination FIVE POUNDS.
The edge depends on the metal. The proclamation gives the silver and gold coins a plain edge with the incuse inscription ENGLAND EXPECTS THAT EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY, the signal Nelson sent to his fleet before the battle. The cupro-nickel coin has a milled edge and no lettering.
Collecting notes
A base-metal Nelson crown with a plain milled edge is correct, not an error: the edge inscription was never part of the cupro-nickel issue. An example offered as silver should have the lettered edge.
The Royal Mint's 2005 sales page records 72,498 orders for the Nelson coin in a Brilliant Uncirculated pack, a little behind the 79,868 for the Trafalgar pack. Coins struck to circulating standard usually show bag marks, most visibly on the face and the field around it.
In precious metal the same page lists 12,852 silver proofs ordered against a limit of 30,000 and 1,760 gold proofs against a limit of 1,805. A platinum piedfort was authorised by a separate proclamation in October 2005. The Royal Mint says crowns are "intended as souvenirs rather than for everyday use" and that banks are not required to accept them.
The companion coin is the Trafalgar crown.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- £5 Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Commemorative Coin Striking Numbers, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and design for five-pound coins to commemorate the two-hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of Lord Nelson (notice L-57484-1004), The Gazette (read 10 Oct 2026)
- 2005 Dated UK Commemorative Coin Sales, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- 2005 Elizabeth II Nelson Five-Pounds, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and design for a five-pound coin to commemorate the two-hundredth anniversary of the death of Lord Nelson (notice L-57993-1008), The Gazette (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Battle of Trafalgar, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- 2005 £5 Crown, Check Your Change (read 10 Oct 2026)
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