Posts Tagged ‘£2’
350 Years of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich celebrated on a UK £2 coin
Originally released as part of the 2025 Annual Coin Set, the 2025 UK Royal Greenwich Observatory £2 is now available to own individually for the very first time – and it’s bursting with history and symbolism.
Explore the UK Royal Observatory, Greenwich £2 Coin Range >>
Celebrating 350 Years of Innovation and Exploration
In 1675, King Charles II commissioned the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, unknowingly setting in motion centuries of astronomical discovery, navigational breakthroughs and global timekeeping.
Image Credit: DiscoA340, via Wikimedia Commons
Greenwich is where East meets West, and home to the Prime Meridian – an invisible line that runs through the very ground. The Royal Observatory is where Greenwich Mean Time was born, and it’s been guiding explorers, scientists and seafarers ever since.
Now, 350 years on, this iconic institution has been honoured on a UK £2 coin.
A Design Packed with Symbolism
Created by renowned designer Henry Gray, the reverse design of the 2025 Royal Greenwich Observatory £2 is a treasure trove for collectors.
Here’s what you’ll spot:
- The Shepherd Gate Clock – one of the world’s first public displays of Greenwich Mean Time.
- Ursa Minor and Polaris – the constellation and star used for celestial navigation across centuries.
- The Prime Meridian on a globe – marking the division between East and West.
- And along the edge, the words: “PERFECTING THE ART OF NAVIGATION” – a phrase taken from the Observatory’s founding Royal Warrant.
Every detail speaks to the Observatory’s unmatched contribution to science, timekeeping, and navigation.
Watch our video
Deserving of a space in your collection
You can secure the 2025 UK Royal Observatory £2 in Brilliant Uncirculated quality, or for something truly special, it’s also available in Silver Proof and Silver Piedfort.
The Silver Proof version has an edition limit of 1,500, and just 650 of the Silver Piedfort coins are available. Demand for these coins is expected to be high, so don’t hesitate as you may miss out on securing yours!
UK’s 2024 Annual Coins Revealed
The new year means one thing in the collecting world, new coins!
Each year, collectors eagerly anticipate the arrival of The Royal Mint’s Annual Set.
Featuring five brand-new commemorative designs, the coins celebrate some of the biggest anniversaries and events of the year.
Last year, the coins were issued for the first-time featuring King Charles III and as expected, all premium specifications sold out in a matter of hours.
Then, a little later in the year, the UK’s new circulating coin designs were revealed – again selling out and instigating a whole new wave of collectors.
2023 truly was a monumental year for coinage, and 2024 is likely to follow suit. So, let’s take a look at the 2024 coin designs…
RNLI 50p
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, otherwise known as the RNLI, was founded over 200 years ago by Sir William Hillary. Ever since, crews and lifeguards have been working hard to save lives 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The coin’s reverse design features some of the most recognisable RNLI symbols, with the flag in the centre surrounded by a life ring and rope.
British Olympians and Paralympians 50p
This year, the 2024 Olympics will take place in Paris, France – exactly 100 years since the city last hosted the games. The Paralympics will also be held in France for the first time, making the games the biggest event ever held in France. 202 competitors from Great Britain will participate in 17 sports, in the hopes of clinching Gold.
The coin itself features a geometric design of an Olympian and Paralympian set against the Union Jack, with a small Eiffel Tower at the bottom.
Winston Churchill £2
The first £2 coin in this year’s set, honours 150 years since the birth of famous politician, Winston Churchill.
Having led Britain to victory during the Second World War, Churchill served as Prime Minster twice. However, the design of this £2 coin takes us back to a younger Churchill, depicting him as a young man during his time in the Cavalry arm.
National Gallery £2
The National Gallery also celebrates its 200th anniversary on a UK £2 coin. Founded in 1824, the gallery was initially opened with the ambition of making art accessible for everyone.
Soon after, a dedicated building was commissioned and built in Trafalgar Square in 1838 – the very building that now features on the new £2 coin.
Today, the gallery holds over 2,300 paintings from renowned artists like Monet, da Vinci and Michelangelo.
Buckingham Palace £5
The final commemorative coin in the set features one of the most recognisable buildings in the world – Buckingham Palace. The official residence of all British monarchs since Queen Victoria, the palace is now the headquarters of King Charles III.
The Definitives
Each Brilliant Uncirculated and Silver Set will also come specially paired with the 2024 Definitive Coins. From the 1p to the £2, these coins saw a complete re-design in 2023 and are now available in the Annual Coin Sets for the first time since 2022.
How to secure yours
The 2024 Annual Coins are available in a variety of different specifications. From the official Royal Mint Brilliant Uncirculated Pack to the Base Proof edition with exclusive Royal Mint medal, to the strictly limited Silver Proof and Piedfort Editions.
There really is something for everyone, so click here to view the range and 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