| British Two Pound Coin |
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THE COMMEMORATIVE COIN (1986–1996) The British Commemorative two pound (£2) coin was minted from the same composition as the £1 coin, i.e. a nickel-brass alloy of approximately 70% Copper , 24.5% Zinc , and 5.5% Nickel . The coin weighs 15.98 grams and has a diameter of 28.40 millimetres. The only obverse used on the commemorative £2 coin is the head of Queen Elizabeth II by Raphael Maklouf , with the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F D TWO POUNDS. These coins tended not to circulate at the time of their issue, but they do seem to appear in circulation more often now that there is also a regular coin of this denomination. There were seven issues of this coin, with the following reverses and inscriptions: THE MODERN CIRCULATING COIN (1997–PRESENT)
In 1997 a new design went into production, intended for everyday circulation. It was the first bi-metallic coin to be produced for circulation in Britain since the tin farthing with a copper plug produced in 1692 , and is the highest denomination coin in current circulation. The coin consists of an outer gold-coloured nickel-brass ring made from 76% copper, 20% zinc, and 4% nickel, and an inner silver-coloured cupro-nickel disc made from 75% copper, 25% nickel. The coin weighs 12.00 grams and is 28.40 millimetres in diameter. The coin was introduced to test the public's opinion on the use of bi-metallic coins as a precursor to the possible introduction of the euro, as the one and two euro coins were planned to be bi-metallic. The design itself was first trialled in 1994 when the Royal Mint produced a short run of demonstration pieces to the new bi-metal standard. These pieces were not for circulation and were simply intended to test the manufacturing process. The coin was technically similar to the version which eventually entered circulation with the Maklouf efigy of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse and the image of a sailing ship similar to that previously used on the pre-decimalisation halfpenny piece on the reverse. The inscription on the reverse read ROYAL MINT TRIAL 1994 with an edge inscription based on the one pound coin which read DECUS ET TUTAMEN ANNO REGNI XLXVI, meaning "An ornament and a safeguard - in the 46th year of her reign". The 1994 pieces were never legal tender but were eventualy released for sale as part of a presentation set in 1998. Because of technical difficulties, the 1997-dated coins, which bear the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II by Raphael Maklouf , were not released to circulation until June 1998 (the same time as the 1998-dated coins). 1998 and later dated coins bear the effigy of the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley . The Maklouf-effigy coins bear the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F D on the obverse; the Rank-Broadley coins bear the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRA REG FID DEF . The reverse of the regular-issue coin, designed by Bruce Rushin , bears a concentric design symbolically representing technological development from the Iron Age , through the Industrial Revolution and the Electronic Age to the Internet , with the inscription TWO POUNDS above the design and the date below. It is worth noting that the design depicts nineteen interlocking cogs; due to this odd number, the mechanism could not actually turn outside a Möbius Strip . The coin has the edge Inscription STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS taken from a letter by Sir Isaac Newton to Robert Hooke , in which he describes how his work was built on the knowledge of those that had gone before him. "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." The comparative rarity of the Maklouf-effigy coins ("the ones with the necklace") has led to an Urban Myth that they are much more valuable than the other coins, but this is not true – there are over 13 million 1997-dated £2 coins in circulation. Another urban myth about the coin is that if you place it in the freezer overnight, the cupro-nickel centre will pop out. (This is the case with the similarly-designed Canadian Two Dollar Coin ). Special issues This denomination is now commonly used for commemorative purposes. However, unlike the earlier commemorative coins described above, these special issues are intended for everyday circulation and are regularly encountered as such. The following varieties have been issued (illustrations show the reverse designs; obverses are the same as the regular coin). In 2008,it is expected that the 2 pound coin will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1908 London Summer Olympics . SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
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