As one of the most popular collections in the Royal Mint annual range, the Deluxe Edition of the 2010 Proof Set will again prove to be a firm favourite this year. The three new commemorative coins celebrating outstanding events in British history, the two £1 coins beginning the new Cities Series and their eight companion coins are housed in a sumptuous black leather case which displays the 2010 family in style. Each collection comes with an informative booklet which also contains a Certificate of Authenticity guaranteeing the specifications of each coin.
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Please note each coin has a maximum mintage of 50,000.
The Queen’s Portrait
The faithful likeness of the Queen on each obverse was created by the sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS who deliberately set out to create ‘a portrait which was clearly recognisable, not over idealised’.
The Definitive £2 Coin – Celebrating Technology
When it was first struck in 1997, the definitive £2 coin was the first bi-colour coin of the UK. Its reverse design was the result of a public competition and celebrates the march of technological progress in Britain from the Iron Age to the Internet Age.
Special silver Proof coins were made available to collectors that year and again the following year when the current portrait of the Queen made its debut on all circulating coins of the realm. It has since been struck in silver to Proof quality to be included in the Millennium Collection of 2000 and in the collection of 2006 which celebrated the Queen’s 80th Birthday. It took its place in the 2009 Silver Proof Set and now makes a welcome addition to the 2010 Silver Proof Collection.
The Royal Arms
New designs for the circulating coins from the 1p to the £1 were unveiled in 2008. Celebrating Britain’s ancient royal heritage and created by Matthew Dent, they focus entirely on the shield of the Royal Arms, a powerful symbol of monarchy used on the coinage since the reign of Edward III (1327-1377). The 1p to the 50p reveal the shield when arranged correctly while the £1 coin features the shield in its entirety.
The Restoration of the Monarchy
350 years ago, the Monarchy was peacefully restored under the reign of Charles II. The handsome £5 coin celebrating the Restoration features a representation of St Edward’s crown, newly made for the coronation of Charles II, sprays of oak leaves alluding to his escape after the battle of Worcester in 1651 and, in a pleasing link with his coinage, interlinked Cs.
Florence Nightingale
During the Crimean War Florence Nightingale took a team of nurses to Constantinople to care for the ill and critically injured troops. The £2 coin struck in her honour celebrates 150 years of nursing care with the background symbolising the rays of light from her lamp.
The Cities Series
The 2 new £1 coins making their debut in 2010 begin a new series of 4 celebrating the great cities of the UK. London and Belfast feature in 2010 with Cardiff and Edinburgh due to follow in 2011. The reverses each bear the heraldic devices of the 4 cities while highlighting each one specifically.
The Girl Guides
The Girl Guides Association was founded in 1910 to give girls the same opportunities and experiences available to boys in the Scouts. The charming 50p coin marking the centenary of the Girl Guide movement features a repeating pattern of the Girlguiding UK identity, their interlinking form conveying a sense of protection, trust and unity.