Aviation enthusiasts visiting the Imperial War Museums Battle of Britain Air Show at Duxford this weekend, on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 September, may receive a rather distinctive £2 coin in their change.
In 2017, The Royal Mint is marking the birth of the Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner to the RAF, with a specially designed £2 coin that remembers the First World War ‘War in the Air’ and the contribution of aviators during the conflict. A limited number of the coins will be placed with IWM Duxford programme sellers at the air show for lucky visitors to look out for in their change.
The design shows two airmen – a pilot and his observer of the Royal Flying Corps – in a Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8., performing a reconnaissance flight over an area of the Battle of Arras in April, 1917. The land below the plane is shown as a map, which the designer, Henry Gray of agency tangerine design, intended to be a reference to the work the Royal Flying Corps carried out, mapping and gathering intelligence on the constantly changing landscapes beneath them.
Further quantities of the coin will be entering circulation elsewhere in the country over the forthcoming months, but for anyone who wants to guarantee their own Royal Flying Corps coin, commemorative editions in Gold Proof, Silver Proof and collectable Brilliant Uncirculated (‘mint condition’) finishes can be bought at the IWM Duxford shop or online at www.royalmint.com.
