The History of The £2 Coin
It’s been a quarter of a century since the first UK £2 coins were struck for circulation, sparking a year of celebrations, but the coin’s history actually stretches back to 1986 when the first commemorative UK £2 coin was struck for the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. This was the first time a sporting event had been commemorated on UK coinage. Although these coins have the same diameter as the post-1997 circulating £2 coin, they are single-coloured nickel brass and much heavier.The Introduction of a Bicolour Coin
A 1994 coinage review recommended £2 coins enter circulation for convenience in payment and in weight. Following consultation with the vending machine industry, the public and special interest groups, including the Royal National Institute of Blind People and Age Concern, consensus was reached on a larger, bimetallic coin. It would easily distinguishable from other coins, harder to counterfeit and recognisable by the blind because of the raised join between the two parts of the coin.
The Winning Design
Norfolk art teacher, Bruce Rushin's design won a public competition, which he based on a series of concentric circles that tell the story of technological development from the Iron Age to the Industrial Revolution and from the Computer Age to the internet. Taken from a letter written in 1676 by Sir Isaac Newton to his fellow scientist Robert Hooke, the edge of the coin features the phrase:STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS’.
A Distinctive Coin
Planned for issue in November 1997 and struck the same year, the new bimetallic £2 coin featured Raphael Maklouf’s definitive coinage portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, but the issue of the coin into circulation was delayed until 1998. The delay led to a crossover in the obverse portrait, as when production of the coin resumed, the 1998-dated piece featured the new portrait of Her Majesty by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS on the obverse.
A New Era
Following Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's passing, a new obverse portrait was required. King Charles III's first coin portrait was designed by sculptor and designer, Martin Jennings. The reverse of the £2 coin features the flowers of the four nations of the UK (Rose, Thistle, Daffodil and Shamrock) alongside a design of interconnecting letter 'C's to represent King Charles III.
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