Two Pounds 2023 JRR Tolkien, 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 or are issued separately, 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 Life and Work of JRR Tolkien.

The Mint says about it:
"Inventing a credible world that exists entirely in the realm of fantasy requires a powerful imagination and, in the case of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, an abundance of intellect.

Before writing immensely popular works of fantasy fiction such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien’s mastery of languages positioned him well for his career in philology, the study of languages. Although he was well respected as an academic and scholar, first at the University of Leeds and later as a Professor at the University of Oxford, the publication of The Hobbit in 1937 set Tolkien on the road to global recognition. The classic fantasy tale has been a permanent fixture on children’s reading lists since its release and was followed in 1954-55 by the immensely popular The Lord of the Rings, which is widely regarded as the blueprint for modern fantasy fiction.

Whilst the fantasy world of Middle-earth and its rich mythology brought Tolkien’s writing and storytelling talents to the attention of a global audience, years earlier he experienced the brutal reality of the First World War. Serving as a Second Lieutenant in the Lancashire Fusiliers, he went on active duty at the Western Front, enduring four months of trench warfare as part of the Somme offensive.

NOT ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE LOST, a quote from the poem The Riddle of Strider, which features in Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, serves as the coin’s edge inscription."

These £2 coins were struck in various collector formats but none were issued into general circulation.