Pobjoy Mint — British Antarctic Territory: Third £2 coin released in the “Glaciers” series featuring the Neptune Glacier

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The treasury of the British Antarctic Territory has released the third design in their new six-coin series featuring the territories of the Antarctic glaciers, which are named after planets of the solar system. The newest coin in the collection features the glacier Neptune. Named after the Roman god of freshwater and sea, Neptune is often referred to as the counterpart of the Greek god Poseidon and worshipped by Romans as both a god of water and horses. Depictions of Neptune were often influenced by Hellenistic culture since he was often associated with freshwater reservoirs before the sea.

The glacier, first sighted November 23rd, 1935, by U.S. polar explorer Lincoln Ellsworth, is located in the southeastern corner of Alexander Island in the British Antarctic Territory. It is six nautical miles long and two nautical miles wide, flowing south into the George VI Ice Shelf. Ellsworth first identified the glacier by air after photographing areas of this coast.

The coins are produced by the Pobjoy Mint at their facilities in Surrey, England, on behalf of the treasury of the British Antarctic Territory. The design shown on the reverse features an image of the god Neptune holding his trident with the planet Neptune in the background. The six glaciers named after the planets are also shown in the surround along the edge, three on each side. The text NEPTUNE is placed above the primary design, with the denomination TWO POUNDS placed below. The obverse side of the coin carries an effigy of His Majesty King Charles III, which is an exclusive design of the Pobjoy Mint. The legend surrounding the King’s likeness includes the authority of issue BRITISH ANTARCTIC TERRITORY and the year of release, 2023.

Denom.	Metal	Weight	Diameter	Quality	Maximum Mintage
Two pounds	Bi-metallic	12 g	28.4 mm	Brilliant Unc.	1,950
Two pounds	.925 Silver	12 g	28.4 mm	Proof with gold plating	175

There are a total of six glaciers named after planets in Antarctica, and the following with be featured in this series: Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus, and Venus. The Brilliant Uncirculated diamond finish bi-metallic coins are presented in a blister-pak type folder with illustrations and informative text. The silver Proof coins are plated in pure gold with Goldclad, encapsulated and presented in a custom case accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. For additional information about these and other coins issued by the treasury of the British Antarctic Territory, please click here for the Brilliant Uncirculated coin or here for the Proof coin.

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