Coins
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!
Approved by Buckingham Palace – The Official King Charles III Coronation Coins
A series of coronation coins have been approved by Buckingham Palace – featuring the official British Isles portrait of King Charles III.
Whilst we await for confirmation on a UK coronation coin, Buckingham Palace has approved a series of 50p coins celebrating His Majesty’s upcoming coronation in May.
However, one particular coin has been catching the attention of collectors…
The Dual-Plated King Charles III Coronation 50p
This 50p features the inscription ‘God Save the King‘ and is uniquely plated with a dual-plated finish of silver and 24 carat gold – not something we see very often.
This is the first coin in a brand new British Isles 50p series being issued over the coming months in the lead up to the coronation, all approved by the King himself.
You can add this coin to your collection today for our introductory offer of £4.99 (+p&p) – a saving of £20 – by clicking here.
Meet the obverse designer – Glyn Davies
In anticipation of these coins being issued, we spoke with Glyn Davies – the artist behind the British Isles King Charles III coinage portrait.
He explained that the process of creating our monarch’s portrait took him nearly 6 months. It involved initial sketches, concept sketches, clay models, digital drawings, and even having Raphael Maklouf check over them.
Raphael Maklouf famously designed the United Kingdom’s effigy of Queen Elizabeth II that appeared on our coinage between 1985 to 1997.
Watch or read our full interview with Glyn Davies here >>
King Charles III’s Coronation – what we know so far
With King Charles III’s Coronation (code name Operation Golden Orb) is set for Saturday 6th May, 2023, plans are already in place.
- During the ceremony, the King will be crowned alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort.
- The King will be crowned with the solid gold 17th Century St Edward’s Crown.
- There will be an extra bank holiday across the UK, on Monday 8th May.
- It’s expected to be shorter and smaller in scale than Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation.
- The King and Queen Consort will travel to Westminster Abbey in the King’s procession, and return to Buckingham Palace in a larger coronation procession, where they will be joined by other members of the Royal Family.
- The ceremony is likely to be broadcast live.
Add the Dual-Plated Coronation to your collection!
The SOLD OUT Great Sphinx of Tanis Masterpiece from La Monnaie de Paris
If you’ve heard of La Monnaie de Paris, you’ll know that their coins are some of the hardest pieces to get hold of, especially outside of France and have a record of sell outs.
Their artistic excellence and minting quality mean that their pieces are some of the best on the market.
And with their latest release, they have created a true Egyptian Masterpiece.
Introducing the SOLD-OUT Great Sphinx of Tanis Masterpiece from La Monnaie de Paris…
This coin features so many tiny details that are easy to miss, so let us talk you through some of them.
Great Sphinx of Tanis
First of all, and perhaps the most obvious is that this 10 Euro coin has been expertly struck from .999 Pure Silver in the shape of a Sphinx.
But it’s not just any Sphinx – it is an exact replica of the Great Sphinx of Tanis.
(Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
The Great Sphinx of Tanis is thought to date from as early as the 26th century BC and was discovered in the ruins of the Temple of the God, Amun-Ra and now resides in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Dual Anniversary
Another key feature is that this coin has been issued for a dual anniversary. 2022 marks 200 years since the deciphering of hieroglyphs and 100 years since the discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun.
The obverse features the inscription ‘1822-2022’ to honour the ground-breaking work of Jean-Francois Champillion. After years of hard work, Champillion finally cracked the code that allowed the world to understand the ancient Egyptian language.
(Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Champillion was so overwhelmed by his discovery that he shouted, ‘I’ve got it’, before fainting and having to spend the next few days in bed recovering.
The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun
To celebrate 100 years since the Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun by Howard Carter in 1922, the reverse of this coin features an image of a young Tutankhamun being watched over by the God, Amun.
Also displayed are the cartouches of Tutankhamun. A cartouche is a panel expressing royal or divine names in Egyptian hieroglyphics. The archaeologists who found the tomb knew it was Tutankhamun’s because they could read the cartouches over the door seals – all thanks to the work of Champollion a century earlier.
SOLD OUT on the International Market
La Monnaie de Paris coins are amongst some of the hardest pieces to get hold of. Very few have been made available to collectors outside of France, and they have already completely sold out on the International market.
Even as an official distributor, only 100 coins have been secured for UK collectors.
This coin is unavailable elsewhere on the international market, so we don’t expect these to be around for long.
Pieces like this are few and far between so if you want to make sure you’re one of a select number of UK collectors to own this new artistic masterpiece, you’ll need to be quick.
Click here to avoid missing out >>