UK RRS Discovery £2 Coin Celebrates 125 Years of Adventure
The UK 2025 RRS Discovery £2 has been issued to celebrate the world’s first purpose-built scientific research vessel, and the last traditional wooden ship of its kind in the UK.
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Discovering Antarctica
Built in Dundee in 1901, RRS Discovery became a pioneering vessel in Antarctic exploration. Its ground breaking voyages in the early twentieth century not only transformed our understanding of the world’s coldest continent, but also paved the way for modern oceanographic research.
Image Credit: Holger Uwe Schmitt, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Today, Discovery remains a proud symbol of British exploration, permanently housed in a custom-built dock in Dundee, where thousands of visitors each year step aboard to relive its remarkable history.
And now, for the very first time, this icon of exploration is celebrated on a UK coin.
A Coin ‘Designed for Adventure’
Marking both the 125th anniversary of the ship’s creation and the centenary of the Discovery Oceanographic Expedition, the 2025 UK RRS Discovery £2 is the perfect keepsake for enthusiasts of maritime history, exploration, and scientific discovery.
The reverse design by Gary Breeze shows RRS Discovery in her heyday, surrounded by Antarctic hallmarks that reflect her enduring link with exploration and science. Below the ship are two penguins, a whale tail and a polar projection map of Antarctica.
Did you know? The RRS’s first mission was the British National Antarctic Expedition in 1901-1904, carrying Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton. The expedition found Emperor Penguins and was the first expedition to sight an Emperor Penguin rookery and collect their egg.
Continuing a Tradition of Historic Vessels on UK £2 Coins
The RRS Discovery £2 joins a distinguished line-up of UK coins celebrating legendary ships and naval history.
The 2011 Mary Rose £2 was issued to honour Henry VIII’s flagship, which was raised from the seabed in 1982. With just 1,040,000 Mary Rose £2 coins in circulation, it ranks as less common on our Scarcity Index.
To commemorate the centenary of World War I, the First World War Navy £2 was issued in 2015. The coin features a dreadnaught type battleship which is often mistaken for HMS Belfast, and eagle eyed collectors will also know about the ‘flag error’ on these coins. Find out more >>
In 2020, the iconic Mayflower was featured on a UK £2, to mark the 400th anniversary of the ship that carried the Pilgrims to the New World.
And, most recently, the 2025 HMS Belfast £2 which was issued at the end of 2024 pays tribute to the iconic Royal Navy warship that remains as a floating museum on the River Thames.
With such a strong tradition of historic vessels being celebrated on UK coins, the addition of RRS Discovery feels especially fitting.
Secure your 2025 UK RRS Discovery £2
U missed out the 1994 trial £2 coin as that also has a ship on its design the mayflower ship
Ahh yes Neil that’s another interesting coin in keeping with the theme!
Kate