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2 Pounds - Elizabeth II Charles Darwin, Silver Piedfort
| Issuer | The Royal Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 2009 |
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| Currency | Pound sterling (decimalized, 1971-date) |
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| Obverse description | The fourth definitive effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, designed by Ian Rank-Broadley, depicted as a right-facing diademed and draped bust occupying the silver inner field of the bimetallic-style piedfort flan. The engraver's initials 'IRB' appear below the truncation. The outer ring, rendered in gold-coloured relief, carries the Latin legend 'ELIZABETH·II·DEI·GRA·REG·FID·DEF' disposed around the periphery, separated by raised dots, translating as 'Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith.' A fine inner beaded border separates the legend band from the central field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The Darwin £2 was first issued in 2009 to mark the bicentenary of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species — a rare case where two major commemorative thresholds aligned in a single year. The standard version entered general circulation; this piedfort did not.
Piedforts from the Royal Mint are struck twice at double the standard planchet thickness, a French technique the Mint revived for collector issues in 1982.