Issued by the Royal Mint to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Richard Trevithick's Steam Engine.

The Industrial Revolution was a period that saw countries like Britain progress from being predominantly agrarian to being much more urbanised. The development of the steam engine played a crucial role in this transition.

Although steam-powered engines had been used from the early eighteenth century, they were often large and unreliable machines fixed into position to preform certain tasks. It was not until the beginning of the nineteenth century that a Cornishman, Richard Trevithick, revolutionised steam power by devising the first steam-driven locomotive engine.

Following a bet between Samuel Homfray, owner of the Penydarren Iron Works, and Richard Crayshaw, owner of the Cyfarthfa Iron works, in 1804 Trevithick built a steam engine that could haul ten tones of iron from the Penydarren works along a tramway to Navigation House in Abercynon; a total distance of nine miles. The journey was completed in four hours and five minutes. The first steam-powered vehicle had been driven on rail. Trevithick's engine was the first true steam locomotive.

This 2004 £2 coin was issued in a number of different finishes. Uncirculated for circulation, Brilliant Uncirculated in presentation folder and as proof coins. The proof coins were issued as silver proof, silver proof piedfort and gold proof. These proof issues come in a presentation box with a certificate.

The edge is milled with an added incuse design of two sets of curves, representing railway arches.

Obverse

The obverse bears the fourth definitive UK coin portrait of Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley with the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRA REG FID DEF

Reverse

Designed by Robert Lowe, the reverse bears an engraving of the original locamotive with the inscription TWO POUNDS R. TREVITHICK 1804 INVENTION INDUSTRY PROGRESS 2004

Specification

Diameter	28.40mm
Weight	15.98g
Alloy	22 Carat
Fineness	916.6
Actual Gold Content	14.63g
Actual Gold Content	0.4707 Troy Ounce
Obverse Designer	Ian Rank-Broadley
Reverse Designer	Robert Lowe
Mint	Royal Mint
Edge	Milled
Edge Inscription	Incuse design of two sets of railway curves
Mintage	1,500
Finish	Proof

2024 Christmas Opening Hours and Despatch Dates

General

Tuesday 24th December 2024 - Phone lines 9:30 - 14:00 (Last showroom appointment 12:00pm - Collections Only).
Wednesday 25th December 2024 - Wednesday 1st January 2025 - Closed (Urgent enquiries will still be answered during this time).
Thursday 2nd January 2025 - Normal Business Hours.
All orders placed between Friday 20th December 2024 and Wednesday 1st January 2025 will be despatched between 2nd - 5th January 2025.

Hatton Garden

Closed 20th December 2024 - 5th January 2025 inclusive.

Christmas Despatch 2024

Last despatch date for UKSTANDARD orders in time for Christmas – Monday 16th December.
Last despatch date for UKSPECIAL orders over £5,000 in time for Christmas – Thursday 19th December.
Last despatch date for UKSPECIAL orders below £5,000 in time for Christmas & UKSTANDARDS orders not in time for Christmas – Friday 20th December.

Internationals

Last despatch date for international orders in time for Christmas – Monday 2nd December.
Last despatch date for all internationals – Monday 16th December.

Distance Buy-Ins

Distance Buy Ins (DBI) – Last despatch date for DBI packaging – Packaging shipped out Monday 16th to arrive with customer Tuesday 17th to be collected by DPD Wednesday 18th to arrive with us Thursday 19th.

New Year

First despatch date in the New Year – Thursday 2nd January 2025.

Delivery Information

We aim to dispatch orders within 48 hours of receiving cleared funds. Our standard delivery methods are as follows.

Orders over £60 - Fully Insured Delivery.

Within the UK and BFPO - Next day fully insured and tracked. Delivery starts from £6.

Orders under £60

Within the UK and BFPO - Royal Mail 2nd Class. Your order will normally arrive within 2-3 working days. Delivery starts from £3.50.

If you wish to have your order sent by an alternative method (e.g., Saturday Guaranteed) please contact +441253343081 for more information. Please note, we will not dispatch high value orders over a bank holiday weekend.

For international delivery, please check with your local customs office for more information on custom duty and taxes.

Full delivery information can be found by clicking here.

Postal Insurance

We offer fully insured delivery on all special delivery options. We do need to pass on the cost of this insurance as it soon adds up shipping high value gold and silver products.

Orders under £1500 there is no additional fee.
Orders over £1500 we charge a fee in order to cover the increasing costs of insurance. For every £1500 we apply a £1 fee.

If you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to call the showroom on +441253343081 and one of our team can discuss your purchase.

Terms of Sale - Key Points

You can find more information on payment and identification requirements.

Bullion coins are provided as is and on occasion may have some minor scratches or edge knocks. These are not regarded as faulty or damaged goods as their precious metal content and value as a bullion coin is not affected. Any coin sold for a value less than a 180% intrinsic is considered a bullion coin.

Gold investment products are VAT free. Silver investment products are inclusive of VAT at the current rate unless otherwise stated.

All investment products are based on the live precious metal price. Prices will be fixed once the item has been added to the basket and recalculates just before checking out.

If your product is not a graded coin and is considered a bullion item, it should be noted that these are bought and sold on low premiums over their precious metal content and not solely for aesthetic purposes; therefore, some products may have edge knocks and/or marks. These edge knocks and marks do not alter the specifications of the coins.

Please note that all investment products are exempt from the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and therefore customers do not have the right to cancel their order once the order has been accepted. If customers no longer wish to go ahead with their investment purchase, there is an option to sell the products back to Chard (1964) Ltd instead. View our current buy back prices.

View our full Terms & Conditions.