First individually issued King Charles III £2 – celebrating Edward Jenner!
The incredible life and legacy of British physician, Edward Jenner, was celebrated on a UK £2 coin in 2023. Plus, this was the first UK King Charles III £2 to be individually issued!
Edward Jenner – ‘the father of immunology’
Physician to King George, Jenner pioneered the creation of vaccines and created the smallpox vaccine – the world’s first vaccine! His incredible work led to the worldwide eradication of smallpox, a huge feat in Britain’s history.
Credit: John Raphael Smith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The 2023 Edward Jenner £2 was issued to mark 200 years since Jenner’s passing, and was the second £2 coin in The Royal Mint’s Innovation in Science series.
On the reverse of the coin, Henry Gray’s unique design represents Edward Jenner’s crucial contribution to the world of vaccines. Plus, personally approved by His Majesty the King, Martin Jennings’ King Charles III effigy adorns the obverse.
Previous Innovation in Science coins
The 2023 Edward Jenner £2 was the 8th coin in The Royal Mint’s Innovation in Science series, which celebrates some of the most influential figures in scientific history. Whilst all the Innovation in Science coins have been extremely popular with collectors, a few have been particularly noteworthy…
2022 Alexander Graham Bell £2
The Alexander Graham Bell £2 was initially released as part of the 2022 Annual Coin Set to commemorate 100 years since the death of the Scottish born inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, and was individually issued later that year.
The reverse design featured a design depicting buttons of a telephone, but there was a message hidden amongst the keypad letters reading ‘PIONEER OF THE TELEPHONE’.
Alan Turing 50p
The innovative features on the Alexander Graham Bell £2 followed in the footsteps of the 2022 Alan Turing 50p issued the previous year.
Tucked behind a representation of machine cogs, in a touching nod to Turing’s code-breaking machine Bombe, enigma-inspired code features as an inscription. Hidden within the code are three secret messages, can you work out what they mean? Check out our blog to find out more >>
2019 Stephen Hawking 50p
The Stephen Hawking 50p, issued in 2019, saw worldwide interest and SOLD OUT at The Royal Mint within mere hours of release!
Not only did this popular science 50p completely sell out, but it was rumoured to be one of Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite designs!
UK 2023 Edward Jenner £2
With this coin marking such an important figure in science, and being the very first UK King Charles III £2 to be individually issued, it’s no surprise that it’s no longer available from The Royal Mint, and we completely sold out of our allocation!
