Two Pounds 1999 Technology, Coin from United Kingdom - detailed information

The obverse of the coins shows the crowned mature head of Queen Elizabeth II facing right (her effigy known as the "Fourth Portrait"). The Queen wears the "Girls of Great Britain and Ireland" diamond tiara, a wedding gift from Queen Mary (Her Majesty's grandmother) in 1947 - which she also has on the Machin and the Gottwald portraits.

In small letters below the head, the artist's initials IRB (for Ian Rank-Broadley).

Around the effigy is the monarch's legend: ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRA · REG · FID · DEF ·. Translated ffrom Latin: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith.

Representing the advances made in industrial and technological fields, the reverse design spirals outward from the Iron Age core, to the Industrial era, the age of the computer and finally ends with the outer ring symbolising the Internet. The central area contains a latent feature which, when tilted, transforms the image of four separate scrolls into an image of eight intertwined scrolls.

Around above, the value and denomination in words: TWO POUNDS; around below, the date: 1999.

The designer's initials BR (for Bruce Rushin) are incuse in an ornament in the right part of the second ring.

The coin was not included in the mint sets of the year, which had the Rugby World Cup commemorative £2 instead. It is scarce in higher grades.