Two Pounds 2017 Aviation, Coin from United Kingdom - detailed information

The bi-metallic £2 coin is the largest circulating coin denomination of the Pound Sterling. It was introduced in 1998 (earlier two pound coins were made of Nickel brass, were intended as commemorative, and did not circulate much). Being bi-metallic means that the coin comprises two separate components of differing alloys; the outer ring of the coins is made of Nickel-Brass (76% copper, 4% nickel, 20% zinc) and the inner circle is CuproNickel (75% copper, 25% nickel).

The Royal Mint maintains a "definitive" style of the £2 issued annually, as well as a large variety of one-year circulating commemorative types.

In 2017, the mint also started issuing some Non-Circulating Legal Tender (NCLT) £2 coins for collectors. These are included in the annual mint sets, but are not released into general circulation. Their themes celebrate important anniversaries or people, as well as iconic aspects of British culture and history.

This £2 coin commemorates the First World War Centenary (100th Anniversary of the First World War) and the role and contribution of the Royal Air Force in it. It is the fourth coin in a five-year series, on a journey from "outbreak to armistice".

The Royal Mint says:
"The first aircraft were wooden-framed fuselages covered with doped linen, with wooden wings attached and a basic cockpit. These aircraft were unreliable, crashed frequently and crews did not carry parachutes. Early engines were weak, making it difficult to become airborne with a man inside, while any weaponry added to the weight. In the early days of the war, fire was the airman’s worst enemy rather than enemy pilots.

As technology developed, air combat became an exciting form of warfare in the eyes of the press and the public. The exploits of fighter pilots, or ‘aces’, were particularly romanticised, portrayed as noble ‘gentlemen duellists’ in the skies above the horror of the trenches.

The edge lettering of this coin pays tribute to the first aviators to sacrifice their lives in the race for the skies, remembering the days of the war when ‘The Sky Rained Heroes'".

The reverse design was created by Dan Flashman of Tangerine Design, who were also responsible for the design of the 2014 Commonwealth Games fifty pence.

Unlike the earlier coins in the series, these £2 coins were struck in various collector formats but none were issued into general circulation.