• The Royal Mint has unveiled a £2 collectable coin to celebrate the life and work of JRR Tolkien, one of the greatest authors, poets, scholars, and philologists in modern history. 
• The coin, which was part of 2023’s Annual Set, is now available to purchase individually and features Tolkien’s monogram at the centre, encircled by intricate runic pattern.
• Visitors to The Royal Mint Experience will be able to strike their own JRR Tolkien coin from today.

August 2023:

The Royal Mint has launched a new £2 collectable coin to commemorate the life and work of JRR Tolkien, with 2023 marking 50 years since his death.

The coin was previously part of the 2023 Annual Set, and has proved extremely popular among customers, being among the coins for which customers have shown the greatest interest, with 24,500 already registered. The coin’s design, created by David Lawrence, draws inspiration from Tolkien’s prominent career as Professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford, in which role he brought the world of the Dark Ages to life in his teaching, writing and studies.

Combining traditional minting techniques with modern technology, The Royal Mint’s craftspeople have faithfully recreated JRR Tolkien’s monogram at the centre of the coin. Product Design Lead at The Royal Mint, Lee Jones, mixes a technical approach with key consideration for the coin’s aesthetic appeal to ensure David’s original design was translated properly to appear on a £2 coin. Modelling is completed via the use of a computer, which offers the most flexible and detailed option, allowing for mastering for production.

The monogram is encircled by intricate runic pattern. The pattern work takes inspiration from many sources to provide a ‘feel’, bringing to the design an aesthetic reflective of Tolkien’s love for Anglo-Saxon scripts. The words “NOT ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE LOST”, a quote from the poem ‘The Riddle of Strider’, which features in Tolkien’s ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’, serves as the coin’s edge inscription.

Rebecca Morgan, Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint said: “As one of the most eagerly anticipated collectable coin launches of the year, we are delighted to be launching an official £2 coin honouring and celebrating the life and work of JRR Tolkien.

As the original maker of coins in the United Kingdom, we are honoured to commemorate JRR Tolkien’s long-standing career, and our master craftspeople have worked carefully to create a coin which is a testament to arguably one of the greatest authors, poets, scholars, and philologists in our history.

£2 coins are one of the most favoured denominations among collectors. Since its introduction to the definitive coinage of the United Kingdom in 1998 the £2 coin has seen over 50 reverse designs, including a coin commemorating Jane Austen and the work of William Shakespeare.”

As an accomplished scholar, philologist, father of modern fantasy fiction and maker of Middle-earth, JRR Tolkien is best known for creating the seminal fantasy novel The Hobbit in 1937 and the immensely popular The Lord of the Rings in 1954–55.

From 21^st August 2023, visitors to The Royal Mint Experience in Llantrisant, South Wales, will have the unique opportunity to strike their own JRR Tolkien £2 collectable coin. Tickets to strike your own coin are available to purchase at check-in for an additional £7.50 per coin.

The coin is available in £2 Gold, Silver, and Piedfort Proof Silver, as well as £2 Brilliant Uncirculated. For more information, please visit The Royal Mint website.

ENDS

 

About The Royal Mint

With a history spanning more than 1,100 years, The Royal Mint is Britain’s oldest companies and the original maker of UK coins.  Today The Royal Mint is a premium British maker, providing carefully crafted coins and precious metal products for the UK and overseas.  Based in Llantrisant, South Wales it has three main focuses as a business: Currency, Consumer (collectable and rare, historic coins) and precious metals investment.

Collecting with The Royal Mint:

Every coin tells a story, from a rare gold Sovereign to a Peter Rabbit™ 50p coin. The Royal Mint aims to inspire collectors young and old and nurture a love of collecting through unique designs and popular themes. As the maker of UK coinage, we have unparalleled knowledge about coins, from the historic coins of our past, through to the collectable commemorative coins of today.  Sourcing and authenticating pre decimal coins is a natural fit for The Royal Mint as we struck each one.

Investing with The Royal Mint:

As a world authority on precious metals, The Royal Mint has traded and made products in gold and silver for centuries. Since launching its designated precious metals investment arm six years ago, The Royal Mint has grown rapidly to become the home of gold in the UK – increasing its market share and becoming the largest producer of bullion coins in Britain. As well as offering physical precious metal investment options in the form of bars and coins, The Royal Mint also offers a range of digital investment options including DigiGold, Little Treasures, designed for children, and Gold for Pensions

Celebrating with The Royal Mint:

For over a thousand years The Royal Mint has marked the moments that changed the world on coins - from coronations to conflict, from commemorations to celebrations. The designs are captured on commemorative coins, minted in a range of metals.  Commemorative coins do not always enter circulation but give collectors the chance to purchase coins to keep and cherish.  Recent themes have included David Bowie, Winnie the Pooh, Decimalisation and Team GB. Each commemorative coin is carefully struck up to three times in order to create a superbly detailed finish, and ensuring each one meets the standards The Royal Mint is famous for.

The Royal Mint Experience

The Royal Mint opened its popular visitor centre, The Royal Mint Experience, at its home in Llantrisant, South Wales in 2016. Since opening the award-winning attraction has welcomed around 400,000 visitors through its doors and is the place to explore the 1,100-year history of coins.

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