Commemorating the Birth of a Famous Explorer
The Coin
The Reverse of this coin features an artist’s impression of the Polar Medal that was inaugurated for members of Captain Robert F. Scott’s first and incredibly arduous expedition to Antarctica in 1904. The design was created by Ernest Gillick and shows RSS Discovery, with a sledging party in the foreground. We thought this made a beautiful tribute for the 150th Anniversary of the British Explorer and a highly collectable piece for lovers of British heroes! Robert Falcon Scott’s name and year of birth and death are incorporated in the design.
The obverse features the Pobjoy exclusive effigy design of HM Queen Elizabeth II in exceptional detail. In order to maintain the exclusivity of this coin, we are producing just 2,000 Proof Sterling Silver and 10,000 in Cupro Nickel. This coin is issued on behalf of the British Antarctic Territory and the denomination of the coin in both metals is £2.
Behind the Coin
Captain Robert Falcon Scott was born in Plymouth, Devon on 6 June 1868. He was a navy officer most famous as an explorer of the Antarctic regions. His first expedition from 1901 -1904 was upon Discovery, which actually features in the design of the Polar Medal. The expedition was difficult and the crew had very little specialized equipment to help with the weather conditions. One of the objectives of the expedition was to explore and hence the crew pushed south towards the pole which resulted in the discovery of the Polar Plateau. At the end of the expedition the Discovery became trapped in the ice and explosives had to be used to free it!
After Ernest Shackleton returned from an expedition where he almost reached the South Pole, Scott was keen to plan a second expedition to try and be the first to reach it. This lead to Scott’s 1910 -1912 expedition on the ship Terra Nova in order to claim the Pole in the name of Britain!
On March 1, 1911, Scott began the long and ill-fated journey to the South Pole. During the journey support teams with horses and dogs turned back at set points in order to give Scott and four other men the best chance of reaching the Pole. On January 17, 1912, they reached the Pole only to find that they had been pipped at the post as a Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, had beat them by five weeks.
The defeated men began the long 800-mile journey back to meet the rest of the crew and encountered unexpected and extreme weather conditions. Scott’s companion Oates’ toes had become frostbitten and he voluntarily left the tent and walked to his death. Scott then walked a further 20 miles where he made camp for the last time. The weather prevented them from pushing any further and they slowly run out of supplies and perished. Scott’s last diary entry reads “For God’s sake look after our people”.
Coin Specifications
Presentation
The Proof Sterling Silver coin is shipped encapsulated in an acrylic capsule for protection and housed in a stunning red box with a Certificate of Authenticity. The Cupro Nickel coin is shipped in a unique Pobjoy Mint blue presentation pouch.
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