The year 2010 promises to be an exciting one for coin collectors. The Royal Mint is striking five new coins with reverse designs focussing on Britain’s royal heritage and well-known institutions in British history. This superior collection for 2010 comprises the circulating coins of the realm, from the 1p to the £2, together with the three magnificent commemorative coins and, the first of the new series representing England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. All 13 coins are struck to beautiful Proof standard and sit together in a luxurious walnut-veneer display case.
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**Please note – each coin has a maximum coin 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 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 United Kingdom. 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.
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 two new £1 coins making their debut in 2010 begin a new series of four 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 four 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.