Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
2 Pounds - Elizabeth II Shakespeare, Tragedy, Gold Proof
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 2016 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | At the centre of the field, a highly detailed human skull rendered in bold relief dominates the design, evoking the memento mori theme central to Shakespearean tragedy. A beautifully engraved Tudor rose with leaves and a thorned stem emerges from beneath the base of the skull, positioned at the lower right. The inscription 'WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE' arcs around the upper periphery of the inner circle, while the date '2016' appears in the lower exergual area flanked by small floral ornaments. The engraver's initials 'JB' appear discreetly within the design, and the entire composition is set within a raised beaded border against a deeply mirrored proof field. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | 2016 - Proof - 291 |
| Additional information |
One of four coins in the Royal Mint's 2016 Shakespeare series, this issue falls within the Tragedy subset — the broader program divided Shakespeare's work across Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies to mark the 400th anniversary of his death in 1616. The proof gold versions were struck in severely limited numbers against a much larger base of cupro-nickel circulation issues, and the Royal Mint released them in tiered collector sets as well as individually.
The anniversary itself carried unusual institutional weight: 2016 was the first year the Royal Mint had dedicated an entire annual coin program to a single non-royal literary figure.