1.02 million Commemorative Mary Rose £2 coins have now been released into public circulation and the Mary Rose Trust would like to encourage anyone who finds one to donate it to the fundraising appeal for the completion of the new museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Last year, 1,511 commemorative precious metal versions of the coin were struck in 22 carat gold, reflecting the year of the Mary Rose’s maiden voyage. The coins have also been struck in sterling silver and pristine.
Shane Bissett, the Royal Mint’s Director of Commemorative Coins commented “We produced the Mary Rose coin as a tribute to the world’s only surviving Tudor warship – and hope it serves as a reminder of Britain’s rich heritage as a maritime nation.”
John Lippiett, Chief Executive of the Mary Rose Trust said "We are delighted to continue our relationship with the Royal Mint following production of the Mary Rose £2 coin. We have much work to do to secure the future of the ship and we are grateful to everyone who supports our fundraising drive to help us build the new Mary Rose Museum here in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Our hope is that when people find one they will send it back to us or, if they want to keep it, as it is so special, text COIN02 £2 to 70070 and donate £2.00 to the Mary Rose Trust to help us achieve our target by the end of this year.”
Visit www.royalmint.com for more information on the Mary Rose coin and www.maryrose.org for further information about the Mary Rose project or www.historicdockyard.co.uk for visiting details
Notes for Editors
About the Royal Mint
The Royal Mint has a history dating back over 1,000 years. By the late thirteenth century the organisation was based in the Tower of London, and remained there for over 500 years. By 1812, the Royal Mint had moved out of the Tower to premises on London’s Tower Hill. In 1967 the building of a new Royal Mint began on its current site in Llantrisant, South Wales.
There were estimated to be 28.4 billion UK coins in circulation at 31 March 2010, with a total face value of £3.9 billion – all manufactured by the Royal Mint.
1.2 billion UK coins were issued during 2009-10.
Of the higher denomination coins, it is the 20p piece that is most in demand – with more than 2.4 billion now in circulation.
About the Mary Rose
The Mary Rose is the only sixteenth century warship on display anywhere in the world. Launched in 1511, she was one of the first ships able to fire a broadside, and was a favourite of King Henry VIII.
After a long and successful career, she sank during an engagement with a French fleet in 1545. Her rediscovery and raising were seminal events in the history of maritime archaeology.
The new Mary Rose Museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, due to open late 2012 will, for the first time since her sinking, re-unite the ship and her contents, presenting a time capsule of Tudor life at sea from the perspective of the people on board.
