2 pound coins
The ‘Father of Fantasy’ celebrated on a UK coin – J.R.R. Tolkien £2
I guarantee that most of you will have heard of The Lord of the Rings, or The Hobbit, but do you know who created these literary masterpieces?
J.R.R. Tolkien of course – and the legendary author has been honoured on the latest UK £2 coin!
An intricate design
The 2023 UK J.R.R. Tolkien £2 features a bespoke design by artist David Lawrence, featuring Tolkien’s trademark monogram, framed by an intricately detailed runic band. Also inscribed onto the reverse design are the years of his life 1892-1973 and the words ‘Writer, Poet, Scholar’, representative of his intellect and imagination.
The edge inscription of the coin reads ‘NOT ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE LOST’, a quote taken from Tolkien’s poem, ‘The Riddle of Strider’, which actually appears in The Fellowship of the Ring.
The ‘Father of Fantasy’
Often referred to as the ‘Father of Fantasy’, J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic stories inspired a whole new generation of fantasy literature, helping shape the modern fantasy genre as we know it today. He’s perhaps best known for titles such as The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, which are considered some of the greatest fantasy books ever written.
Credit: FlickreviewR CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Lord of the Rings books have inspired countless games, tv shows and music, they’ve been translated into 38 different languages, and were of course adapted into 3 blockbuster films, which have a huge cult following.
Other works
Aside from his incredibly popular fantasy novels, Tolkien also published a number of other works, from scholarly essays to translations of Middle English. His literary legacy even continued after his death in 1973, with another cult favourite, The Silmarillion being published in 1977.
Credit: Stojanoski Slave, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Secure the 2023 UK J.R.R. Tolkien CERTIFIED BU £2
So, if you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings, fantasy films or literature in general or you just appreciate beautifully detailed coins, the 2023 UK J.R.R. Tolkien £2 is definitely one to add to your collection.
To secure this new coin in superior brilliant uncirculated quality, protectively encapsulated in official Change Checker packaging, simply click here >>
A Winning Design for the NEW Manx Grand Prix £2!
We’re just over a week away from the first Isle of Man Manx Grand Prix race of 2023!
This world-famous event sees the likes of motorcycle legends, Carl Fogarty, Steve Hislop, and Michael Dunlop (to name a few) tackle the infamous Isle of Man mountain roads.
Crowds flock to the island from the world over and, as 2023 marks the centenary, this year is set to be the biggest yet!
So, it’s only fitting that to celebrate 100 years of the Manx Grand Prix, a BRAND NEW £2 coin has been released.
A Winning Design
The eye-catching design of this new £2 coin features the renowned Manx Grand Prix A.B. Crookall trophy, which is awarded by the Manx Motorcycle Club each year to winner of the Senior Manx Grand Prix.
You’ll also spot the official MGP logo on the reverse, bordered by a decorative laurel wreath. Meanwhile, the obverse design features King Charles III’s effigy by Glyn Davies.
Iconic Isle of Man Sporting Coins
Ask any British Isles collector and you can bet that one of their top themes will include the Isle of Man sporting coins.
For years, the TT race coins have been sought-after among collectors, with many selling for hefty sums on the secondary market.
The first Isle of Man TT coin was a 50p issued in 1981, and a new TT 50p has been released most years since.
Now we see a new Isle of Man sporting £2 – issued to celebrate 100 years of the Manx Grand Prix – I’ve no doubt collectors will be racing to get their hands on this coin!
The Race is on to Own the Manx Grand Prix £2
Start your engines! We have a small initial allocation of CERTIFIED Brilliant Uncirculated coins available in Change Checker packaging, so the race is now on to own the 2023 Isle of Man Manx Grand Prix £2!
Click here to secure yours in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £12.50 (+p&p) >>
The ‘enchantress of numbers’ celebrated on a UK coin – Ada Lovelace £2
A brand new £2 coin has just been issued, paying tribute to English mathematician and writer, Ada Lovelace. This new UK £2 coin is the 9th coin in The Royal Mint’s Innovation in Science series, which has previously featured coins dedicated to Stephen Hawking, Alan Turing, Edward Jenner and Alexander Graham Bell.
A discoverer of the hidden realities of nature
The Innovation in Science series has mainly comprised of 50p coins, however the 2023 UK Ada Lovelace £2 will be the third £2 in the series. It’s also only the second time a female has been celebrated on an Innovation in Science coin, preceded only by the 2020 Rosalind Franklin 50p.
The reverse design of the Ada Lovelace £2 by Osborne Ross takes inspiration from the original input cards used by Lovelace to programme the Analytical Engine, along with the inscription “a discoverer of the hidden realities of nature”. The quote is a self declared statement taken from a letter that Lovelace wrote to her mother.
Credit: Alfred Edward Chalon, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The ‘enchantress of numbers’
Lovelace worked closely with Charles Babbage, who also featured on an Innovation in Science coin, on his Analytical Engine and saw limitless potential in the computer. She studied the technology meticulously and discovered there was much more to computers than just calculating mathematical equations. This lead to her being referred to as the first computer programmer. Charles Babbage himself even gave her the nickname the ‘enchantress of numbers’.
The 2023 Ada Lovelace £2 pays homage to Lovelace’s tenacity and her life as a visionary. The edge inscription of this coin reads ‘INNOVATION IN SCIENCE – LOVELACE’, reinforcing its ties to the other coins in the Innovation in Science series.
Secure yours 2023 UK Ada Lovelace CERTIFIED BU £2
Don’t miss out on adding the latest Innovation in Science coin to your collection. Click here to get yours >>