UK 2 pound trial coin of 1994, with Mayflower design

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Royal Mint monometallic and bimetallic trial 2 pound coins of 1994.

In 1994 the Royal Mint was trialling designs for a proposed circulating 2 pound coin. The mint used an design of the Mayflower ship on the reverse of the trial coins.

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In 2019 I learned that the Mayflower design was taken from a medal that was ordered by Slade, Hampton and Son, Ltd in 1970.

The medal commemorated the 350th anniversary of the Mayflower.

Christopher Ironside produced the design of the Mayflower back in 1970.

He died in 1992 but the Royal Mint decided to use his design on the trial 2 pound coins of 1994.

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The Royal Mint mass-produced these trials and sold them to customers in a special package in 1998.

According to the website numista:

The coins were all issued in packs, which also contain examples of the outer and inner blanks and a nickel-brass ring. The obverse used is a modified Obverse 1 – very similar, but the trial obverse actually has a dot · instead of a small cross + after the D and before ELIZABETH. The obverse lettering also appears weaker and slightly thinner than usual.

I cannot easily see these differences. Could somebody please point them out to me by posting suitable images?

See also: Proposed UK Coin Specification Changes, 1994.

[Alan71]

I think “obverse 1” refers to the 1997 circulation version, which does have a cross instead of a dot.  Also, I don’t think the trial coins were mass-produced especially to sell in that set, but genuine trial coins.  Certainly they look well-circulated.

[africancoins]

I have some e-mails from 1997 about this. I bought one of the bi-metallic trial packs in August 1997 from a coin shop. They were advertised on the Royal Mint website in August 1997. I have no idea of the full range of time during which the mint advertised them.

I was always under the impression that the main purpose of these bi-metallic pieces was for them to be sold in these packs.

Thanks Mr Paul Baker

[<k>]

I see now. So the UK circulation 2 pounds coin has a cross or plus sign as a legend divider (the correct technical term) at the bottom of the obverse. That cross appears so often on British coins that I wonder if it originally had a meaning.

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I bought one of the bi-metallic trial packs in August 1997 from a coin shop.

I was always under the impression that the main purpose of these bi-metallic pieces was for them to be sold in these packs.

I agree. And also the component parts of an unfinished second coin (pill and ring) were included in the pack.

[Figleaf]

That cross appears so often on British coins that I wonder if it originally had a meaning.

On medieval coins and a number of Renaissance coins, a cross in the legend means "start reading here". When machinery was introduced, it lost that function. On this coin, the device may have been an aid for the designer to draw an imaginary vertical line across the coin, anchoring the design. This is important to a designer. Clients would not want the eyes looking arrogantly down or looking up with an air of divine superiority.

Peter