Royal Mint releases commemorative coin designs for 2018
The Royal Mint has released the designs for four new commemorative coin designs to enter circulation sometime in 2018, so it’s time for coin dealers and collectors to start checking their change!
£2 - the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”
1st January 2018 marked the 200th anniversary since the publication of Mary Shelley’s famous classic novel, Frankenstein, which has endured the test of time through the timeless questions it inspires about science, life and meaning. The coin features the words 'The Modern Prometheus' in the gold trim and the word 'Frankenstein' in the centre formed by an electrical pulse.
£2 - the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force
Featuring the RAF’s logo of an eagle in flight that has been used since shortly after its founding, a £2 coin will be released to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force, founded in April 1918 towards the end of the First World War.
£2 – the 100th anniversary of Armistace Day
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month famously marks Armistice Day and the official end of the First World War in 1918. To commemorate the centenary of this momentous day, a £2 coin will be released at some point this year featuring the quote ‘the truth untold, the pity of war’, which is an extract from Wilfred Owen’s poem, “Strange Meeting”, which discusses the horrors of war which are only realised by those who have fought it.
50p – the 100th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act
A new 50p coin will mark the centenary of the passing of the Representation of the People Act, which first granted women the right to vote. It features an image of a queue of men and women lining up to cast their vote. Whilst the Representation of the People Act is considered a suffragist victory, it only permitted women over 30 who had property rights to vote, whilst all men 21 and over could. Still, it marked a definitive step in the right direction for women’s rights!