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The Australian $2 coin representing triumph over adversity…
HRH Prince Harry launched the very first Invictus Games at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London in 2014, showcasing the incredible power of sport to inspire recovery and rehabilitation, and increase respect for those who have served their country.
The Games have installed a real sense of belonging for all, and as the international adaptive multi-sport event makes its way ‘down under’ to Sydney, Australia, something extra special will be happening this year for the Invictus Games to mark the fourth year running.
Because to commemorate this special event, The Royal Australian Mint have released a limited quantity of commemorative $2 AUD coins into circulation in Australia.
2018 Invictus Games $2 AUS
This $2 coin features a competitor in a wheelchair, with the words “Invictus Games” on the reverse. Taken from the Latin word for ‘unconquered’, ‘Invictus’ captures the spirit of the games and the competitors who won’t be defined by their injuries or disabilities.
2.3 million of these coins have been released over the past few months, meaning that they should be in the pockets of Australian change collectors by the time the games take place in October.
Invictus Games Sydney 2018 Chief Executive Officer Patrick Kidd OBE says:
“These coins are a fitting tribute to the men and women who serve and have served in our Defence forces and their families. The picture on the coin celebrates the unconquered spirit that this community displays each and every day and that you will all witness when these Games come to Sydney in October.”
Credit: www.ramint.gov.au
Over 500 competitors from 18 nations will compete in 11 different sports during the Games, including:
- Archery
- Athletics
- Indoor Rowing
- Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge
- Powerlifting
- Road Cycling
- Sailing
- Sitting Volleyball
- Swimming
- Wheelchair Basketball
- Wheelchair Rugby
Will any of you change checkers be heading ‘down under’ to watch the Games this October? Or if you have any Aussie friends, make sure they keep an eye out for the coin in their change!
Secure your Invictus Games $2!
We’ve managed to get hold of 125 coins for UK collectors so you can now own this fantastic $2 coin from Australia, representing triumph over adversity.
UPDATED: Commemorative 50p Coin Mintages
Earlier in the year, we updated our Change Checker Guide to UK Commemorative Coin Mintages which included details of all the coins issued into circulation in 2017.
But The Royal Mint has just updated its mintage figures for 2017-dated 50p coins.
It won’t be a surprise that the 2009 Kew Gardens remains king of the 50p coins, but owners of the 2017 Sir Isaac Newton 50p will be glad to hear that the coin has managed to keep its sought-after 2nd place position on the chart. However, the final mintage has crept up by 1,500 bringing the total to 1,801,500
Whilst all four Beatrix Potter 50ps already had fairly high mintages when the figures were first revealed, the final mintages have since increased, the obvious change being the 2017 Benjamin Bunny 50p which has more than doubled. It has been confirmed that further Benjamin Bunny 50ps went into circulation during 2018, bringing the total mintage to 25,000,000.
Want to add the 2017 Jane Austen £2 to your collection?
Own it today in Brilliant Uncirculated quality. Secure yours here >>
200 years since the birth of a monster – The 2018 Mary Shelly £2
The 2018 Mary Shelly £2 was issued to celebrate the 200th birthday of one of the most infamous fictional characters in historic literature – Frankenstein’s Monster!
To celebrate this important literary bi-centenary, The Royal Mint released a commemorative £2. The reverse features the word ‘Frankenstein’ in electric gothic font, along with ‘Bicentenary of Mary Shelley’s The Modern Prometheus’ written around the edge.
The edge inscription reads ‘A spark of being’, the words of Dr Victor Frankenstein when he creates ‘creature’.
The monster behind the story
With film adaptations across various genres, from the quasi-rock opera The Rocky Horror Picture Show, to sci-fi classics like Prometheus, the tale of the dysfunctional Victor Frankenstein and his mad scientific invention is known by all of us in some shape or form.
Image credit: Universal 2004, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
In the gothic tale, written by Mary Shelley, an obsessed Victor Frankenstein attempts to bring a corpse back to life in his laboratory through mad methods of chemistry, alchemy and a ‘flash’ of electricity.
Do you have the 2018 Mary Shelley £2 in your collection? Let us know in the comments!