Gold Two Kilos 2021 Queen Victoria - Gothic, Coin from United Kingdom - detailed information

Like many other mints, the Royal Mint issues bullion coins in precious metals, having much higher intrinsic value than their face value. Most of these by tradition are measured in troy ounces of fractions thereof, but the mint also introduced metric coins measuring one kilogram of pure metal, then also two and five kilograms (they are actually fractionally heavier as a whole, to account for the small amount of other metal in the alloy).

The 2 kg gold coins are denominated as Two Thousand Pounds (£2,000), although their intrinsic (bullion) value is much higher than their face value. The coins vary in design depending on the occasion; they are "one-year" types usually issued in parallel with smaller denominations with the same reverse designs.

The coins are legal tender but are not intended for circulation. They are targeted at collectors who appreciate the special editions as pieces of art or show pieces.

This coin is part of the third release of gold and silver coins in the collector series entitled the “Great Engravers", issued to highlight some of the Royal Mint’s great artisans who have made significant contributions to British coinage - many regarded as numismatic masterpieces. The first issue featured Una and the Lion, and the second The Three Graces.

The third release consists of two coins - one featuring the Gothic Crown reverse, and this one featuring the Gothic Crown obverse, with the iconic Gothic portrait of Queen Victoria.

The Gothic Crown was the career masterpiece of William Wyon RA. First issued in 1847, it was so popular that most Victorian numismatists collected them straight from the Bank of England as soon as they were issued. Featuring the reverse design created for the Gothic Crown, the coin displays a quartered shield design that has a long tradition in British numismatics. Inspired in part by the Scottish artist William Dyce RA, the design represents a stylistic departure for Wyon and is indicative of the wider artistic movement known as the Gothic Revival, which was highly fashionable at the time.