In 2011 the Royal Mint released a very Limited Issue Piedfort Silver Proof 6 Coin collection all struck in solid .925 Sterling Silver of the new coins for 2011.
The collection comprises the new £5 Five Pound Coin celebrating Prince Philip, 2 x £2 Two Pound Coins celebrating the Mary Rose and King James Bible, two £1 One Pound Coins celebrating Cities from the United Kingdom from Cardiff and Edinburgh, together with a 50p Fifty Pence Coin marking the 50th Anniversary of the World Wildlife Fund. All the coins in the collection share the obverse of Ian Rank Broadley‘s majestic portrait of Her Majesty, the Queen.
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 practise of striking piedforts is later and less frequent, but medieval and Tudor examples are known.
Limited Mintage of 1,540 Worldwide
Piedfort Double the Thickness and Weight of its Standard Counterpart
Finished to Royal Mint's Proof Quality in Solid .925 Sterling Silver
