The 2025 George Orwell £2 is watching you…

War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.

You might recognise this motto from the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984), perhaps one of George Orwell’s best known works. And if you’re a fan of Orwell’s stories, you’ll be delighted to hear that a UK £2 coin has been issued to celebrate his life and works.

2025 George Orwell £2
2025 George Orwell £2

An ‘eye’ for detail

The 2025 UK George Orwell £2 has been issued 75 years after the passing of English novelist, poet, journalist and social critic, Eric Arthur Blair – better known by his pen name George Orwell.

The reverse design, created by Henry Gray in collaboration with the Orwell Foundation, features an illustration of an eye in reference to the all-seeing Big Brother from Orwell’s final novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the centre of the eye is a camera lens surrounded by the iconic tagline “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU”, and yet another famous quote from the story, “THERE WAS TRUTH AND THERE WAS UNTRUTH”, serves as the coin’s edge inscription.

2025 George Orwell £2 obverse and reverse
The coin’s design is based on Orwell’s final novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four

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Other works

During his life, Orwell penned several novels including Animal Farm, A Clergyman’s Daughter and Keep the Aspidistra Flying, as well as three nonfiction works, and he was even named the second-greatest British writer since 1945 by The Times in 2008, second only to Philip Larkin.

Animal Farm book cover
Animal Farm (1945)
Image credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

However, his 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four remains one of the most influential books in popular and political culture, with many words and phrases from the story becoming part of the English language.

Previous UK coins issued to celebrate British literature and legendary writers have proven incredibly popular with collectors. We’ve seen the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien, H.G. Wells, Mary Shelley and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle feature on UK coins in recent years, and George Orwell is a welcome addition.

2023 J. R. R. Tolkien £2
2019 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 50p

Secure your 2025 UK George Orwell £2

George Orwell £2 coin in Change Checker display cards

Secure the 2025 UK George Orwell £2 for just £9.99 (+p&p) >>

2 Comments

  1. David speed on January 15, 2025 at 4:03 pm

    Is the George Orwell £2 coin going to be on general release?..

    • Kate on January 15, 2025 at 4:12 pm

      Hi David, the George Orwell £2 is available to buy now in Brilliant Uncirculated quality, however it is not intended for general circulation.
      I hope that helps, Kate

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