Posts Tagged ‘charles darwin’
The Royal Mint, London, earlier this year released commemorative £2(2 Pound) coins celebrating the births of Robert Burns and Charles Darwin. This has now been followed by the release of precious metal versions of both these coins, in gold and silver.
The coins feature the same designs as the previous coins, with each design now being released in both a gold and silver version.
The two gold coins will be made from 22ct gold and have a limited mintage of only a 1000 coins each. These will be sold for £525 each, and be displayed in a beautiful walnut-veneer presentation case along with certificate of authenticity. Yellow and red gold will be used to maintain the bi-metallic design of the coin.
The silver versions of both coins will again be presented in a black presentation case with a certificate of authenticity. They will be struck from .925 sterling silver. The Darwin coin is limited to only 5000 coins and a strike limit of 20 000 has been placed on the Robert Burns silver coin. The silver coins are priced at £32.50 on the Royal Mint website. All the coins are struck to proof quality.
Charles Darwin 1809 - 1882
Charles Darwin was born on 12 February 1809 and became one of the most influential men in world history. He qualified as a clergyman in Cambridge but did not take Holy Orders after graduating; his life was to take an entirely different course.
He declared himself as ‘born a naturalist’ and when he was invited to survey the southern coasts of South America aboard HMS Beagle in 1831, he recognised it as ‘the most important event of my life’. The journey took almost five years and he collected huge numbers of specimens, noting similarities as well as distinct differences amongst species depending on their territory. Many more years of research led, in 1859, to the publication of On the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection. Flying in the face of common wisdom as well as religious convention, Darwin’s theory brought respect and ridicule in equal measure but was to change the scientific world forever. Darwin died on 19 April 1882 and was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey.
Robert Burns 1759 - 1796
Robert Burns was a passionate poet and lyricist as well as a witty satirist of his religious and political peers. He was born on 25 January 1759 in a humble cottage built by his father, a struggling farmer, in Alloway, Ayrshire. Celebrated in works such as Tam O’Shanter, The Cotter’s Saturday Night and Ye Banks and Braes o’ Bonnie Doon, it remained a constant source of inspiration to Burns throughout his life as did the Scottish folk songs and legends taught him by his mother.
He published his first collection of poems in 1786. Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect was printed in Kilmarnock and received such acclaim that Burns was immediately shot to fame. Although his poetry did not bring him financial security, he remained a prolific writer. Thus when he died on 21 July 1796, he left a wonderful legacy of joyous songs and poems that, in celebrating humanity, touched the hearts and minds of people the world over. His most famous work is perhaps Auld Lang Syne, a song celebrating friendship and sung every year on New Year’s Eve.
For more images of the 2009 Royal mint coins visit the WNN Image Library
* - information and images courtesy of the Royal Mint
The Royal Mint, London, has made available a special commemorative coin set comprising of all the special issue design coins of 2009.
The 2009 Family Silver Collection contains all six UK silver Proof coins struck specially for 2009. The coins comprising the set are the magnificent 1 ounce silver Britannia £2 coin, a crown celebrating the 500th anniversary of the accession of King Henry VIII, two bi-metallic £2 coins celebrating the births of Charles Darwin and Robert Burns, a 50 pence coin marking the anniversary of the foundation of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and the new distinctive £1 coin featuring the Royal Shield of Arms. For a more complete description of the individual coins see our article on the 2009 UK coinage(published 2009/01/09).
Unlike the circulation or normal proof versions of the two bi-metallics 2 pounds, the new 1 Pound and 50 pence coins which are stuck from non precious metals, all the coins contained in the 2009 UK Family Silver Proof Collection are struck from .925 silver. The coins are all minted to a high proof finish.
A total of only 1 500 sets will be made available. The coins are presented in a stylish black case with a numbered certificate of authenticity and an informative booklet. The set is priced at £195.00
For more Images of the 2009 British Commemorative Coins go to the WNN Image Library.
ABOUT
Your One Stop World Coin and Banknote Information Agent
RECENT POSTS
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « May | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |||
Subscribe To Our Free eNewsletter
Get The WNN Widget here:
Loading ...Tags
"BERLIN MONEY FAIR" "COIN OF THE YEAR" 2009 america anzac australia austria bi-metallic bi metal britain burns charles darwin China clad colorized columbia commemorative darwin dollar double eagle Gold guam henry viii kew Lincoln mandela mariana Ox proof puerto rica quarters robert burns royal mint Saint Gaudens set Silver South Africa statehood territories U.S. mint uhr usa virgin islands VOTE zodiacWNN Images
