In 2005, to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot, the Royal Mint released a Limited Issue Piedfort £2 Two Pound Silver Proof Coin struck in solid .925 Sterling Silver.
The center of the reverse has a circular arrangement of state, the mace, crosier and sword with the denomination "TWO POUNDS" and the dates "1605" and "2005" with the edge inscription "REMEMBER, REMEMBER THE 5TH OF NOVEMBER" designed by Peter Forster. The obverse is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II designed by Ian Rank Broadley.
These legal tender coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks.
Piedforts are coins which have been specially struck on thicker than normal blanks. As their name suggests they are closely associated with France, where from the twelfth century they were apparently issued by the Kings as presentation pieces. In Britain the practice of striking piedforts is later and less frequent, but medieval and Tudor examples are known.
Limited Mintage Presentation of 4,585 Coins Worldwide
Piedfort Double the Thickness and Weight of its Standard Counterpart
Finished to Royal Mint's Proof Quality in Solid .925 Sterling Silver
Commemorating the 400th Anniversary of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot
