£2 Coins
The ‘Father of Fantasy’ celebrated on a UK coin – J.R.R. Tolkien £2
I guarantee that most of you will have heard of The Lord of the Rings, or The Hobbit, but do you know who created these literary masterpieces?
J.R.R. Tolkien of course – and the legendary author has been honoured on the latest UK £2 coin!
An intricate design
The 2023 UK J.R.R. Tolkien £2 features a bespoke design by artist David Lawrence, featuring Tolkien’s trademark monogram, framed by an intricately detailed runic band. Also inscribed onto the reverse design are the years of his life 1892-1973 and the words ‘Writer, Poet, Scholar’, representative of his intellect and imagination.
The edge inscription of the coin reads ‘NOT ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE LOST’, a quote taken from Tolkien’s poem, ‘The Riddle of Strider’, which actually appears in The Fellowship of the Ring.
The ‘Father of Fantasy’
Often referred to as the ‘Father of Fantasy’, J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic stories inspired a whole new generation of fantasy literature, helping shape the modern fantasy genre as we know it today. He’s perhaps best known for titles such as The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, which are considered some of the greatest fantasy books ever written.
Credit: FlickreviewR CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Lord of the Rings books have inspired countless games, tv shows and music, they’ve been translated into 38 different languages, and were of course adapted into 3 blockbuster films, which have a huge cult following.
Other works
Aside from his incredibly popular fantasy novels, Tolkien also published a number of other works, from scholarly essays to translations of Middle English. His literary legacy even continued after his death in 1973, with another cult favourite, The Silmarillion being published in 1977.
Credit: Stojanoski Slave, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Secure the 2023 UK J.R.R. Tolkien CERTIFIED BU £2
So, if you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings, fantasy films or literature in general or you just appreciate beautifully detailed coins, the 2023 UK J.R.R. Tolkien £2 is definitely one to add to your collection.
To secure this new coin in superior brilliant uncirculated quality, protectively encapsulated in official Change Checker packaging, simply click here >>
The ‘enchantress of numbers’ celebrated on a UK coin – Ada Lovelace £2
A brand new £2 coin has just been issued, paying tribute to English mathematician and writer, Ada Lovelace. This new UK £2 coin is the 9th coin in The Royal Mint’s Innovation in Science series, which has previously featured coins dedicated to Stephen Hawking, Alan Turing, Edward Jenner and Alexander Graham Bell.
A discoverer of the hidden realities of nature
The Innovation in Science series has mainly comprised of 50p coins, however the 2023 UK Ada Lovelace £2 will be the third £2 in the series. It’s also only the second time a female has been celebrated on an Innovation in Science coin, preceded only by the 2020 Rosalind Franklin 50p.
The reverse design of the Ada Lovelace £2 by Osborne Ross takes inspiration from the original input cards used by Lovelace to programme the Analytical Engine, along with the inscription “a discoverer of the hidden realities of nature”. The quote is a self declared statement taken from a letter that Lovelace wrote to her mother.
Credit: Alfred Edward Chalon, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The ‘enchantress of numbers’
Lovelace worked closely with Charles Babbage, who also featured on an Innovation in Science coin, on his Analytical Engine and saw limitless potential in the computer. She studied the technology meticulously and discovered there was much more to computers than just calculating mathematical equations. This lead to her being referred to as the first computer programmer. Charles Babbage himself even gave her the nickname the ‘enchantress of numbers’.
The 2023 Ada Lovelace £2 pays homage to Lovelace’s tenacity and her life as a visionary. The edge inscription of this coin reads ‘INNOVATION IN SCIENCE – LOVELACE’, reinforcing its ties to the other coins in the Innovation in Science series.
Secure yours 2023 UK Ada Lovelace CERTIFIED BU £2
Don’t miss out on adding the latest Innovation in Science coin to your collection. Click here to get yours >>
New UK £2 coin celebrates the world’s most famous locomotive – Flying Scotsman
A brand new UK £2 coin has been issued celebrating the world’s most famous locomotive – Flying Scotsman.
To commemorate its centenary year, The Royal Mint featured a design of Flying Scotsman in motion on the reverse of the £2, by John Bergdahl.
This coin was issued in the 2023 Commemorative Coin Set. But, this is the first time collectors have been able to get their hands on the individual coin!
Flying Scotsman £2 celebrates poignant anniversary
If you’re lucky enough to have ever travelled on the famous locomotive, you’ll know just how impressive its engineering is – a true symbol of Britain’s great age of steam.
Built in 1923 at Doncaster Works, Flying Scotsman was the first locomotive of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway (LNER).
Credit: Frances Lyon, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
It joined Sir Nigel Gresley as part of the A1 class – the most powerful locomotives used by the LNER at that time.
It coined its name after the daily 10.00 London to Edinburgh rail service which started in 1862.
The British Empire Exhibition made Flying Scotsman famous when it first appeared in 1924.
Record-breaking steam power
1934 saw Flying Scotsman clock 100pm on a special test run, officially making it the first locomotive in the UK to reach that speed.
This was crucial in the negation of LNER’s directors plans to use diesel power on its high-speed services – proving steam power was just as punchy!
After a restoration project in 2006, Flying Scotsman broke yet another record. It returned as a working museum exhibit making it the oldest mainline working locomotive on Britain’s tracks.
Source: Barry Lewis, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Flying Scotsman is certainly the world’s most famous locomotive. Despite being retired from regular transportation duties, it still attracts hundreds of thousands of fans at every location it visits.
Have you ever seen Flying Scotsman in action? Let us know in the comments below.
Popular Train and Locomotive Coin Issues
The brand new Flying Scotsman £2 follows in some very big footsteps.
2013 London Underground Roundel £2
In 2013, The Royal Mint marked 100 years of the London Underground with two £2 coins.
This was the first to be issued and features the iconic Underground roundel, designed by Edwina Ellis.
The Tube has 11 lines covering 402 km and serving 272 stations, handling up to five million passenger journeys a day.
2013 London Underground Train £2
The second coin in The Royal Mint’s London Underground series shows a design of the iconic Tube, appearing through a tunnel.
The inscription reads ‘1863 – London Underground – 2013’.
Just 1,690,000 of these £2 coins entered circulation, making it somewhat tricky to get your hands on.
2004 Steam Locomotive £2
This £2 coin was issued to commemorate the 200th anniversary since the development of Richard Trevithick’s ‘Pennydarren‘ – the first steam engine locomotive.
The Pennydarren started the growth of railway transportation in the 19th century.
It travelled from Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales to Abercynon on its first journey in 1804, carrying 10 tons of iron, 5 wagons and 70 people on the 9 mile trip.
Celebrate Flying Scotsman’s 100 years of history with this brand new UK £2
Get your hands on the brand new 2023 UK Flying Scotsman for JUST £9.50 (+p&p) by clicking here >>