2 Pounds - Royal Mint Trial

2 Pounds - Royal Mint Trial - obverse2 Pounds - Royal Mint Trial - reverse

© ZacUK

Features

Location United Kingdom (United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies)
Queen Elizabeth II (1952-2022)
Type Coin patterns › Mint token
Year 1994
Value 2 Pounds
Composition Bimetallic: copper-nickel centre in nickel brass ring
Weight 12 g
Diameter 28.4 mm
Thickness 2.5 mm
Shape Round
Technique Milled
Orientation Medal alignment ↑↑
Number
N#
109840

Obverse

Third crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the George IV State Diadem

Script: Latin

Lettering:
ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F · D ·
RDM

Translation: Elizabeth the Second by the Grace of God Queen Defender of the Faith

Engraver: Raphael David Maklouf

Reverse

A three-masted sailing ship at sea (The Mayflower)

Script: Latin

Lettering:
ROYAL MINT TRIAL
1994

Designer: Christopher Ironside

Edge

Milled with lettering

Lettering: DECUS ET TUTAMEN ০ ANNO REGNI XLVI ০

Translation:
An ornament and a safeguard
The 46th year of reign

2 Pounds - Royal Mint Trial -  obverse

© ZacUK

Mint

Royal Mint, Llantrisant, United Kingdom (1968-date)

Comments

Issued as part of a presentation pack ...





 Although the ship on the reverse is not named, it is the Mayflower. The reverse was designed by Christopher Ironside.
 A first bimetallic coin ‘trial’. The coins are dated 1994 but were actually released in 1998. The coins were all issued in packs, which also contain examples of the outer and inner blanks and a nickel-brass ring. The obverse used is a modified Obverse 1 – very similar, but the trial obverse actually has a dot · instead of a small cross + after the D and before ELIZABETH. The obverse lettering also appears weaker and slightly thinner than usual.
 
 Two Pound Trial Pack:
In 1994 the Royal Mint entered a brand new era of coinage, as they produced the first ever bimetal two Pound coin. The purpose of the Trial Two Pound coins was to be struck as Prototypes - in readiness for the planned new Two Pound coin that would be released for the first time in 1997, featuring the 'STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS' which was in honour of our history.
The Trial Two Pound coin featured a ship and the words 'ROYAL MINT TRIAL' and was sent out to the vending industry for the purpose of re-calibrating vending machines, prior to the circulation of the new coin.
 This pack contains the original blanks used, and demonstrates the stages of production, and goes into great details of how these coins were put together, finally showing the complete Trial coin.

See also

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Date Mintage VG F VF XF AU UNC
1994  4 575 There were just over 4,500 packs issued

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