A fan of Shakespeare, his works or even the impact he’s had on both modern language and modern theatre? There’s no doubt you’re privy to at least one of the Bard of Avon’s plays, "Hamlet" or "Macbeth" being the likely candidates if you’re not an avid reader of all of his plays and poems. Read them all or read just one, a fan is what you are if you’re so inclined, which means you might be interested in these £2 coins, published by The Royal Mint in the United Kingdom in honor of Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary earlier this year.
They come in a three-coin BU set, each coin different to the last, as the reverse designer John Bergdahl and obverse designer Jody Clark intend them to reflect comedy, tragedy and history respectfully. For comedy, there’s a jester’s cap and staff, a grinning clown atop the staff, on one side and Queen Elizabeth II’s side-profile on the other. For tragedy, there’s a wearied skull with a single rose at its base on one side and the queen on the other. Lastly, for history, there’s a crown with a dagger piercing the air in its middle on one side and the queen, like comedy and tragedy, on the other.
All three are made of nickel-brass on the outside, with cupronickel on the inside. They also have individual edge inscriptions, though two of the three are from "Hamlet," easily Shakespeare’s most revered, most analyzed and most loved play. On comedy, it says, "All the world’s a stage." On tragedy, we read, "What a piece of work is man!" And on history, we read, "The Hollow Crown," which is attributed to Richard II.
The three-coin BU set is priced at £28 (approx. $36 as of right now) and is perfect as a gift to one’s self or to any Shakespeare fan we know. For only £28 this set is certainly worth the purchase for any coin collector, theatre lover or, as mentioned, Shakespeare fan. Each design certainly awakens memories of reading "Hamlet," "Macbeth," "Richard II" and all of the comedic, the tragic and the historical moments found in the words of William Shakespeare. As the short inscription for the coins say, treasure these coins for life.
The coins, themselves, are kept safe in their display folder which showcases quotes and famous sayings from the Bard’s plays as well as some information about Shakespeare himself. This way, you can recall the most iconic moments from the Bard’s works even more. The set can be purchased from The Royal Mint directly through their website here.
Honor your love for language, for theater, for Williams Shakespeare or all of the above by purchasing the three-coin BU set today. It’s worth every penny.
