The Royal Mint released two different designs for the WWI centenary, and they are not what you’d call “soulmates.” The first one, from 2014, shows a soldier with a rifle and a nurse holding a wounded poppet. It looks like they’re about to break into a duet from Les Misérables.
Then, in 2015, they dropped a design that is pure chaos. It features a single soldier, a massive cannon, and a ring of barbed wire. It’s like someone asked a toddler to “draw war,” and the toddler also had a crush on steampunk. The cannon is so big it looks like it could launch the soldier into a vending machine.
Here’s the punchline: most people can’t tell these coins apart from a standard two-pound piece. You’ve probably handed one to a cashier at a Tesco to buy a bag of crisps, and they’ve just grunted and thrown it in the till. You are a passive participant in historical preservation. Congratulations.
The Secret Message You’ve Been Ignoring
Look at the edge of the coin. Go on, fish one out of your wallet. I’ll wait. See that tiny writing? It says, “Lest We Forget.” That’s the official inscription, and it’s meant to make you feel a deep pang of respect for fallen soldiers. But in reality, it’s the most covert message ever stamped on currency.
Why? Because the edge of a two-pound coin is the most ignored part of any modern artifact. It’s the Bermuda Triangle of your pocket change. You’re more likely to read the fine print on a packet of allergy medication than you are to spin a coin and squint at its edge. The Royal Mint might as well have written, “Don’t forget the milk.”
£2 coin Rare 2 Pound Coin, The First World War mintingError 1914-1918
Also, fun fact: the standard two-pound coin has an edge inscription too. It says “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants,” which is a quote from Isaac Newton. So, for a brief moment, your pocket is carrying both a profound scientific observation and a war memorial. It’s a very British coin: a bit intellectual, a bit somber, and totally indifferent to your lack of change for the parking meter.
