For 2006 the Royal Mint released a very special Limited Issue Britannia £2 Two Pound Silver Proof Coin struck in solid .958 Silver with special 24 Carat Gold plating and has been Certified Slabbed and Graded by PCGS as PR69 DCAM.
This coin is based on the very collectible 2001 version 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 recognized 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.
The obverse design is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank Broadley FRBS, FSNAD.
These legal tender coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks.