In 2001 the Royal Mint released a Limited Issue Britannia £2 Two Pound Silver Coin struck in solid fine .958 Silver weighing one ounce of pure Silver.
Launched in October 1987, the Britannia bullion coins have carried two different yet beautiful award winning designs specially created by the sculptor Philip Nathan.
It therefore seemed an excellent idea to build on this success by commissioning him to produce an additional Britannia design.
He rose to the challenge with his customary skill and enthusiasm and for the year 2001, a third Britannia design has been added to the series.
In a style that is typical of Philip Nathan‘s work he has for this special coin, chosen to accentuate the British character of Britannia by depicting her with a lion. The association of Britannia with a lion is not unusual since a similar combination is found on farthings of George IV and is present today on the modern fifty pence piece.
But perhaps more spectacularly, what Philip Nathan's new design really calls to mind is the very famous and elegant 'Una and the Lion' Five Pound Piece of 1839. The rare coin shows the standing figure of a youthful Victoria guiding the British lion, a design that has long been recognised for its outstanding beauty and simple charm. And what can be more fitting in the year that marks the centenary of the death of Queen Victoria, than the appearance of Philip Nathan's similarly inspirational design on the Britannia coins of 2001 which has been Certified Slabbed and Graded by PCGS as MS67.
The obverse design of the Britannia £2 Two Pound Silver Coin is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank Broadley FRBS, FSNAD.