The coinage of the UK, as a whole, embodies the rich history of the nation but special coins issued each year also recall great events in British history. This collection for 2010 contains the range of circulating coins from the 1p to the £2 as well as a £2 coin celebrating the achievements of Florence Nightingale, two £1 coins beginning a new series of four and a 50p coin marking the centenary of the Girl Guides.
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*Please note the 4 commemorative coins have a maximum mintage of 250,000
Celebrating Technology
When it was introduced in 1997, the definitive £2 coin was the first bi-colour coin of the UK. Its reverse design, created by Bruce Rushin, celebrates the march of technology from the Iron Age to the Internet.
The central design features the decorative whorls familiar in Ancient Celtic art and surrounding this is a circle of cogs and wheels symbolising the Industrial revolution. The twentieth century computer age completes the design, the third cupro-nickel circle depicting a pattern derived from silicon chips and the outer ring of nickel-brass representing the Internet. As a whole, the design is an evocative reminder that developments in technology have been built on the accomplishments of previous generations, an acknowledgement that is also summed up in the words chosen for the edge inscription, words of Isaac Newton: ‘if I have seen further it is by STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS.
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, 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.
Florence Nightingale
During the Crimean War Florence Nightingale took a team of nurses to the battlefields to care for the ill and critically injured troops. She brought order and cleanliness to the hospitals there becoming known as ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ as she tended the wounded at night. She dedicated her life to nursing, publishing her Notes on Nursing in 1859, and became one of the most influential women of the age. 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
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, created by renowned goldsmith Stuart Devlin, each bear the heraldic devices of the 4 cities highlighting each in turn.
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. Today, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts enjoys a membership of millions throughout the world helping countless girls get the best possible start in life. The charming 50p coin marking the centenary of the Girl Guide movement features a repeating pattern of the Girlguiding UK identity, portraying the strength and diversity of the organisation as a whole.