Posts Tagged ‘£2 Coin’
The end of an era: The final stamps of Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II has graced UK stamps for 70 years, but now we’re coming to the end of an era; Royal Mail have released their final commemorative stamp issue with the Queen’s silhouette, celebrating the centenary of the world’s most famous locomotive – Flying Scotsman.
So, before we steam ahead towards the BRAND-NEW Flying Scotsman editions, let’s take a look back at Queen Elizabeth II’s iconic 70-year reign in UK postage…
The beginning of Queen Elizabeth II stamps
1953 marked the beginning of Her Majesty’s Reign and the introduction of the Wildings – a series of definitive postage and revenue stamps featuring Dorothy Wilding’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, which were used up until 1967.
The first four stamps to be issued within this series were for Her Majesty’s 1953 Coronation, presented in the colours of Carmine-Red, Ultramarine, Deep Yellow-Green and Deep Grey-Blue.
Commemorative stamps were then introduced during the 1950s and early 1960s. However, the Postmaster General, Tony Benn, proposed a new criteria outlining what could appear on them. From 1965, it was decided that all GB stamps had to include a small silhouette of the Queen based on the coinage head of Mary Gillick, which then became the standard.
Two once-in-a-lifetime tributes
And now, Royal Mail have issued twelve commemorative editions featuring Flying Scotsman.
Not only are they the official UK stamps to mark the centenary of the world’s most famous locomotive, but they will also be the last to show the Queen’s silhouette after 70 years – marking two incredible moments in British history!
These nostalgic editions portray the steam locomotive travelling through North Yorkshire, Northumberland, Berwick-on-Tweed and London’s Victoria Station. Inspired by poster artwork from the 1920s and 1930s, Royal Mail’s spokesman David Gold intends for them to evoke “the golden age of steam travel”.
Your chance to celebrate both!
To pay tribute to such monumental moments in history, a limited-edition coin and stamp cover has been released, comprised of The Royal Mint’s Official UK 2023 Flying Scotsman £2 in Brilliant Uncirculated Quality along with Royal Mail’s BRAND-NEW Flying Scotsman stamps.
But considering these are the last UK stamps to feature Queen Elizabeth II, we are predicting insatiable demand – and we have already seen sell-outs at The Royal Mint for the Flying Scotsman coin range.
All steams ahead! Click here to secure one for your collection now >>
Celebrate 100 years of the world’s most famous steam locomotive!
When I think of the world’s most famous steam locomotive, only one name springs to mind – Flying Scotsman.
And as we approach the 100th anniversary since it was introduced to the railway, we can reflect on its remarkable history with The Royal Mint’s BRAND-NEW UK 2023 Flying Scotsman £2 coin.
But first, let’s travel back an entire century to see where it all began…
Doncaster, 1923
Built in Doncaster 100 years ago, Flying Scotsman was the first locomotive of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway. It went into service on 24 February 1923 and was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley as part of the A1 class – the most powerful locomotives used by the LNER at the time.
In 1928, Flying Scotsman was redesigned with a revised corridor. This meant the crew could take over service without the locomotive having to stop, reducing the journey time from London to Edinburgh by eight hours!
As a result, Flying Scotsman hauled the first-ever non-stop service from London to Edinburgh on 1 May 1928.
By 1934, Flying Scotsman was the first locomotive in the UK to reach 100mph on rails. It was also the first locomotive to circumnavigate the globe in 1989 – both remarkable feats at the time!
Flying Scotsman retired in 1963 but returned to the tracks in 2022, hauling a limited number of steam excursions just prior to its 100th anniversary.
The UK 2023 Flying Scotsman £2 Coin
In celebration of 100 years since the world’s most famous steam locomotive took to the tracks, The Royal Mint have released a very special £2 commemorative coin.
Depicting a nostalgic side-on view of the locomotive during one of its many rail journeys, the coin features a thoughtfully crafted design by John Bergdahl.
What’s more, your £2 comes available in Brilliant Uncirculated, Silver Proof, Silver Piedfort or Gold Proof quality!
And interestingly, it has been more than two decades since The Royal Mint last released a colour-printed UK £2 commemorative coin. So, this range marks a special moment for the £2 coin, as it includes a colour-printed Silver Proof AND Silver Proof Piedfort edition!
But with just limited numbers available, you must act now to secure yours!
Have you got THESE £2 coins in your collection?
Since its inception 25 years ago, the familiar bi-metallic £2 coin has become the commemorative canvas for some of the most exciting and collectable coin designs of our time. Sit tight for a quick-fire countdown of my top 5 £2 coins and why you should add them to your collection… if you’re lucky enough to find them.
5. The 2016 Great Fire of London £2 Coin
Issued to mark the 350th anniversary of the fire, it was later revealed that its mintage figure was mistakenly listed.
With 3.5 million less than originally thought in circulation, it’s in fact one of the rarest £2 coins in circulation.
4. The 2014 First World War (Lord Kitchener) £2 Coin
Issued to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, over 5,700,000 of these coins entered circulation, making it an easy design to stumble across.
However, a small number of these coins supposedly entered circulation without the ‘Two Pounds’ denomination anywhere on the coin. In March 2020 one of these so-called ‘error’ coins sold at auction for £500. A hefty return on a £2 coin!
[Image credit: The Sun]
3. The 2012 London Olympics Handover £2 Coin
Undoubtedly one of the greatest national events in my lifetime. London hosting the Olympic Games in 2012 will remain etched in my memory forever.
Unsurprisingly, the event has been immortalised on official UK coinage. The London 2012 Handover £2 coin was issued to mark the handing over of the flag to the next host city, Rio. Just 845,000 of these historic £2 coins entered circulation.
2. The 2022 25th Anniversary £2 Coin
It would be remiss of me not to mention the coin issued to mark this year’s special 25th anniversary. This is a re-issue of the first ever definitive UK £2 coin.
Despite not entering circulation, this could be the last Commemorative UK £2 coin to feature the effigy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Undoubtedly, this one will hold great importance for collectors for years to come.
1. The 2021 UK H.G. Wells £2 Coin
As a fan of The War of the Worlds, taking the top spot is last year’s HG Wells £2 coin. This was issued to mark the 75th anniversary of his passing.
But there’s another reason.
Eagle-eyed collectors will call this an ‘error’ coin. Spotting an additional leg on the Martian, famously known to be a tripod but controversially depicted on the coin with a fourth leg!
To celebrate this year’s 25th Anniversary of the £2 coin, you can own the UK 2021 HG Wells £2 Coin for JUST £2 (+p&p) when you trial the Best of British £2 Coin Collection. There’s no obligation to continue collecting – cancel at any time.
Click here to claim your HG Wells £2 Coin for JUST £2
Alternatively, if you’d like to collect the latest UK £2 coins issued by The Royal Mint and receive them as soon as they’re released, you can visit our sister brand Change Checker and sign up to the Official £2 Coin Subscription: www.changechecker.org/subscription