Posts Tagged ‘£2 Coin’
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
Quiz time! Do you know how many Lighthouses are in the UK and Channel Islands?
Did you know that on the jagged coast of the UK and the Channel Islands there are an estimated 251 Lighthouses? Each tower and the people who have lived and worked in them over the centuries have kept an untold number of ships and sailors safe.
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Stevenson — the man who constructed some of the most important and iconic lighthouses in the British Isles.
Not only did he build lighthouses, but he also improved upon their design by inventing intermittent and flashing warning lights, undoubtedly saving the lives of many as the lights helped warn sailors of dangerous areas and guided them to safety.
To celebrate the amazing work of Robert Stevenson, a brand-new collection of Jersey £2 coins have been issued. These £2 coins have been beautifully designed by artist Tabitha Mary, and each features the image of an iconic lighthouse from around the UK and the British Isles.
Continue reading to find out more about each of the iconic UK and British Isles lighthouses featured on this BRAND NEW set of coins…
Take a closer look at our set of Lighthouse £2 Coins below!
Bell Rock Lighthouse
The Bell Rock Lighthouse is situated off the Angus Coast in Scotland.
Designed by Robert Stevenson, it’s the world’s oldest working sea-washed lighthouse, established in 1811.
St. John’s Point Lighthouse
St. John’s Point is one of 65 active lighthouses on the Irish Coast and is a well-known beacon in the northeastern Irish Sea.
Built in 1844, it’s the tallest lighthouse in Ireland, standing over 40 meters tall.
Trwyn Du Lighthouse
Situated in Wales, Trywn Du is also known as Penmon Lighthouse and marks the channel between Puffin Island and Penmon Point.
In 1996 the lighthouse was converted to run on solar power.
Portland Bill Lighthouse
Portland Bill is a functioning lighthouse on the Isle of Portland in Dorset.
Its distinctive red and white tower first shone its famous four flashes of light every twenty seconds on 11th January 1906 and has a range of 25 nautical miles.
La Corbière Lighthouse
La Corbière lighthouse is a historic structure which was first lit in 1874.
It’s one of the most significant monuments in Jersey and is located at the extreme southwestern point of the Bailiwick of Jersey. It is flanked by rocks and can be reached by a causeway.
This set has some rare collectable features you won’t want to miss out on! Not only does each coin feature a never-before-seen porthole design around each lighthouse, but it also has an edition limit of only 2,022. This is extremely unusual for a BU £2 set, as usually there is no edition limit, making this collection one of the most limited £2 sets ever!
These stunning coins come in a presentation pack featuring artwork by the designer, making this a valuable piece to hand down to feature generations. I’m sure you’ll agree that these are unlikely to be around for long.
Click here to secure your British Isles Lighthouse BU £2 collection today >>>
HMS Endurance discovered: Sir Ernest Shackleton’s lost ship found in Antarctic
You might have already seen the news that the HMS Endurance has been discovered more than 3,000 metres below the Antarctic Ocean.
It’s a fascinating discovery – in fact, the team that discovered the lost ship said that it’s ‘by far the finest wooden shipwreck’ they’ve ever seen.
If you don’t know why this story has captured everybody’s imagination, I’m going to explain to you why Sir Ernest Shackleton’s expedition on his ship HMS Endurance is one of the most enthralling stories in British maritime history…
The story of Endurance…
Sir Ernest Shackleton’s expeditions to the Antarctic captured my imagination as a young man, and even inspired the likes of Sir Edmund Hillary.
His most famous voyage was on the HMS Endurance – the very ship that’s discovery was announced this week. It’s this journey that produced one of the greatest stories of heroism in British exploration history.
Shackleton’s attempt to complete a Trans-Antarctic voyage left him and his crew stranded on the ice for 6 months with no prospect of rescue after the Endurance was crushed and sank in the place where it’s since remained for more than a century.
With the pack ice breaking apart underneath their feet, Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance had to make a decision and fast.
Using three small fishing boats the crew sailed 800 miles through the treacherous Southern Ocean, battling against hurricane force winds and icy water to cross South Georgia’s uncharted glaciers.
During this tortuous journey, Shackleton’s main concern was for his men. At one point, Shackleton handed over his precious mittens to a member of the crew who lost his at sea, suffering frostbite as a result.
When rescue finally arrived, the crew of the Endurance returned home to find that the First World War had broken out in their absence.
Shackleton’s immense journey, his bravery, and his endurance firmly secured him a place amongst Britain’s greatest.
The Discovery of the Endurance
Now, more than 100 years since it was last seen, the HMS Endurance has finally been discovered!
Dr John Shears, the expedition leader of Endurance22, said the search for Endurance had made “polar history” by completing what he called “the world’s most challenging shipwreck search”.
In memory of the famous explorer and his ship the HMS Endurance, you have the chance to own a collection of coins that celebrate the famous explorer.
View our range of Sir Ernest Shackleton commemorative coins here >>
