The 2025 UK Royal Greenwich Observatory £2 – where space meets time
The 2025 UK Royal Greenwich Observatory £2 originally appeared in the 2025 Annual Coin Set, but has now been individually issued!
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350 Years of Navigation
In 1675, King Charles II commissioned what would become one of the most influential scientific institutions in the world – the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.
Located in Greenwich, the Royal Observatory is quite literally the place where the world divides into the East and West Hemispheres, and it’s been at the centre of science, astronomy and navigation for three and a half centuries.
Image Credit: Josh268950 via Wikimedia Commons
From establishing Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) to guiding explorers across oceans, this historic site has played a pivotal role in how we measure space and time. And now, that story has been beautifully captured on a £2 coin.
A treasure trove of symbolism
Designed by Henry Gray, the reverse of this £2 coin is a treasure trove of symbolism, paying tribute to the Observatory’s rich legacy.
Within the reverse design, you’ll spot:
The Shepherd Gate Clock – one of the first public displays of Greenwich Mean Time.
The constellation Ursa Minor and its brightest star, Polaris – a guiding light in the night sky for navigators across the globe.
The Prime Meridian line on a globe – separating the eastern and western hemispheres.
The coin also includes the edge inscription ‘PERFECTING THE ART OF NAVIGATION’, taken from the Observatory’s founding Royal Warrant.
Not the first ‘time’ GMT has featured on a UK coin
In 2018, The Royal Mint released a series of 26 10ps, each featuring a letter of the alphabet and representing something quintessentially British beginning with that letter. The G 10p represented Greenwich Mean Time with the letter ‘G’ and a globe showing the Prime Meridian line.
220,000 G 10ps were issued in 2018 and a further 84,000 entered circulation in 2019. All of the A-Z 10ps are widely regarded as the hardest commemorative coins to find in circulation, due to their tiny mintages and the fact that up to 75% of them are thought to have been taken out of circulation by collectors.
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Hi. I have.a 2016 William Shakespeare tragedies coin with the wrong edge inscription “For King. And Country “. Current waiting on it coming back from the Royal Mint Museum with the authenticity letter. The Royal Mint advised me that they are investigating it as the quantity in circulation is unknown to them
John
Hi John, that’s certainly interesting! Keep us updated on what The Royal Mint say.
Kate