In 1997 the Royal Mint released a Limited Issue Shoulders of Giants £2 Two Pound Proof Coin.
The elaborate reverse design by Bruce Rushin, comprising four concentric circles emanating from the heart of the coin, celebrates the development of technology from the Iron Age to today‘s age of cyberspace. With its continuing outward movement, this innovative design skilfully unites both past and present, while also alluding to the possibilities the future may hold.
The central area identifies with the Iron Age and features decorative whirls so familiar in ancient Celtic Art. The second ring, with its series of cogs and wheels, encompasses the dynamic growth of industrial development in Britain during the eighteenth century, while the third ring with its intricate pattern based on the silicon chip, embraces the computer age of the twentieth century.
The final outer ring represents the Internet and information superhighway which allows us to look at the present and contemplate the astonishing advances that have been made in computer technology. The obverse bears Queen Elizabeth II portrait by Raphael Maklouf. These legal tender coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks.
