Numismatic

2017 Great Britain £2 Proof Silver First World War Aviation

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This 2017 British two pound coin honors the early pioneers of military aviation during the First World War. Struck in 0.925 sterling silver with a gold-plated rim, the coin contains 0.3568 troy ounces of precious metal. It serves as a tribute to the Royal Flying Corps, an organization that originally served as an aerial observation force to scout enemy positions from above, eventually evolving into the Royal Air Force in 1918. The reverse design captures a tense moment in April 1917 during the Battle of Arras. It depicts a pilot and an observer operating a Royal Aircraft Factory R.E0.8 biplane on a scouting mission, with the landscape below stylized as a map. Incised lettering along the edge of the coin honors the early flyers who lost their lives during the rapid development of aerial warfare. On the obverse, the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark is displayed alongside the 2017 date.