The £2 coin series commemorating 100 Years of the RAF

By Change Checker | March 5, 2018 |

In 2018, The Royal Mint announced a five coin £2 series commemorating the Centenary of the Royal Air Force.

The Royal Air Force was formed on April 1st 1918, in the early years of aviation. It was the world’s first independent air force, and is recognised today all over the world for its capability, courage and innovation.

RAF Badge £2

The first coin in the series was the RAF Centenary Badge £2 which was issued as part of the 2018 Annual Coin Set on New Year’s Day 2018.

Designed by Rhys Morgan, this coin celebrates the Royal Air Force as a whole, featuring the badge of the RAF and the years 1918-2018. The badge was originally used at the first Air Council meeting in 1918 and then registered in the 1920s with the Royal College of Arms.

Capturing the spirit of the RAF as a whole, this design symbolises the RAF’s resilience over the past century.

RAF Spitfire £2

The second coin in the series features perhaps one of the most famous aircraft ever built – the Supermarine Spitfire. The coin’s design, by brothers Richard and Neil Talbot, shows three Spitfires flying through the sky.

Designed by Reginald Mitchell, the Spitfire first flew in 1936 – its sleek, streamlined fuselage, beautiful elliptical wing shape and incomparable Rolls Royce Merlin engine making it one of the most graceful fighter aircraft ever designed.

RAF Vulcan £2

The third coin in the series features the legendary Vulcan bomber.

With it’s instantly recognisable delta wing, the Vulcan combined awesome capability with grace and beauty unmatched by another bomber from the jet-age. In flight, the aircraft was the epitome of power during its service from 1956 until 1984, with superb range and load-carrying capacity.

RAF Sea King £2

The fourth coin in the series pays tribute to the Sea King helicopter.

Known as the ‘angel on our shoulders’, the Sea King helicopter acted exclusively in a search and rescue role from 1978, with the final mission taking place on the 4th of October 2015, when a man found unconscious on Ilfracombe Beach was picked up and flown to hospital.

In 2012, Prince William himself flew a Sea King during a training exercise which ended in a rescue mission when two girls were swept out to sea in a riptide.

RAF Lightning II £2

The sixth and final coin in the series features the the F-35 Lightning II.

Entering service in 2018, the multirole Lightning II joined forces with the jet plane Typhoon to revolutionise the RAF’s fighting capability.

Your favourite design

We asked Change Checkers to vote for their favourite coin in the RAF Centenary series, and the results were incredibly close…

In first place with 28% of the votes was the Sea King £2, extremely closely followed by the Spitfire £2 with 27% of the votes.

Which RAF Centenary £2 is your favourite? Let us know in the comments!

Secure the RAF Centenary Collecting Pack

The RAF Centenary £2 coins are no longer available to purchase, however you can secure the RAF Centenary £2 Display Pack to store and display your coins in >>

 

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