Two Pounds 2018 Armistice, 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). It is the fifth and final coin in a five-year series, on a journey from "outbreak to armistice".

The Royal Mint says:
"A century after the Armistice was signed, bringing five years of terrible conflict to an end, The Royal Mint has struck a £2 coin as a tribute to the end of war. Every year we remember the fallen, a tradition that began just after the First World War, but this centenary, so much more than a moment in history, calls for a lasting tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

This official UK £2 coin, part of the final year of commemoration in our five-year series, features a design by artist Stephen Raw. He was inspired by Wilfred Owen, the famous war poet, who died in the conflict. Stephen’s design features an inscription taken from Owen’s poem, ‘Strange Meeting’. It was modelled in clay the artist took from the Sambre-Oise Canal where Owen was killed in 1918. This Brilliant Uncirculated edition is presented in a display folder that is filled with imagery and information that was sourced with the help of Imperial War Museums."

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