RAF Centenary Coin.
 

https://www.westminstercollection.co...style&prodsn=g

Shame there wasn't a more photogenic Lightning available.

Ghastly.................

Grotesque ...

Well for a fiver I suppose it's ok - it's not Westminster Mint's fault that the F35 is just pig ugly!

Lightning II
 

So the coin has a picture of the most advanced fighter aircraft ever to grace the RAF stable. Why is that such a bad thing?

Besides, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

BV

Four quid would be my tops for this lovely celebration of habits.

Its not. It's just the ugly F35 underneath it :E

Tacky and why buy that when for 2 quid you can have

https://blog.changechecker.org/wp-co...EV-768x426.jpg

https://blog.changechecker.org/tag/raf/

the other version of the first item looks better like this, but not much

https://www.westminstercollection.co...roof-coin.aspx

A better coin than the original

Terrane Ltd. - Official Supplier to the World's Armed Forces

Almost in the same league as the 'Elvis Presley Dambusters clock plate of Tutankhamun'..... Or pink plastic mosque alarm clock :yuk:

The £2 isn't quite as bad though, I must admit.

They could've put a proper Lightning on it, or even a Typhoon. The F35 isn't even British.

Beagle,

You really have a pink plastic mosque alarm clock? I only ever managed a very dark grey one, after several years in Kingdom! However, it still keeps time and I can keep it quiet!!

You are right, the £2 is reasonable!

We must move with the times (I am told!!!)

Bill

At least the coin shown by Nutloose is an actual legal tender coin worth two quid. The one in the OP's post is technically legal tender on Jersey, but just try spending one there!

The others aren't even coins, but medallions

These things cause coin dealer's hearts to sink when they get brought in for sale, usually when somebody has died. I used to just polite decline, rather than risk offence by offering about 25% of what they had cost in the first place, which quite honestly is the most that the damn things were worth. Westminster is but one of many other outfits flogging this stuff - one rejoicing under the name of The London Mint must sell a lot of coins to people who think they are buying from the Royal Mint - but of course they aren't breaking the law.

What I always say to people considering buying this stuff - who do you think is paying for all this expensive newspaper and TV advertising? The answer of course is - you are!

I knew an IT guy who worked for the Franklin Mint in the USA - the great granddaddy of this sort of marketing...

His views were similar to tankertrash - he reckoned the only good thing as that it encouraged people to collect rather than go out and maybe mug old ladies or join a political party.

He quit because the felt that id you weren't proud of your employer and/or their products you should move on fast,,,,,,,,

You are more of a traditionalist then? Were you a Fishhead?;)

I shall search for the RAF £2, but the chances of finding one here is microscopic thanks to our continued use of £1 notes!

Exactly; I bought a couple of them - one for my daughter and the other for my nephew. The former will be 12 this year and wants to join the Air Cadets and the latter is 8 and is plane mad. They will also each get an RAF Henlow 100th Anniversary commemorative coin too. If it peaks their interest and encourages 'air-mindedness' in the Royal Air Force's centenary year, then why on earth not?

Have you encouraged their schools to get involved in the RAF 100 Schools programme?

Could make for a very classy set of cufflinks, but at £10 perhaps a bit too classy...?

Can we get the £2 coin court mounted or just swing?

I have a 90th going cheap. They may have got in early in case there wasn't a 100 :)

The 100 gong proposal was doing the staffing rounds a couple of years ago. Slightly surprised that it has not come to pass.

Knowing the bean counters you'd have needed to have been on the strength on 1 April 1918 to qualify!

If you want a souvenir of the Royal Air Force Centenary, Airfix are about to launch a Sopwith Camel, Supermarine Spitfire, and Eurofighter Typhoon Combined Kit this month.

Meanwhile the box artwork can be downloaded free (as a Desktop, etc) here:-

https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/downloa.../index/cat/39/

Available pre-order for a reasonable sum... that's sorted one awkward present this year!

Went down the bank this week to ask about the £2 coin, and they said to go to the Royal Mint site. I have gone round in circles on there trying to find how to buy some of the £2 coins, and got nowhere.

As it's a Commemorative Coin, as against one in circulation, it would seem that the Royal Mint is only offering it as part of a set, the cheapest of which containing the RAF Centenary £2 coin being, "The 2018 United Kingdom Brilliant Uncirculated Annual Coin Set" at £55 (post free!!):-

https://www.royalmint.com/our-coins/...nual-Coin-Set/

Unlikely therefore to turn up in the bank or in your loose change, I would think. Private enterprise has already predicted your interest and thus offers it on a certain on-line auction site:-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-2018-...0AAOSwSwVaWLaM

Rather than bother with such bling, if the Airfix Kit doesn't do it for you, how about a day at the RAFM attending the RAFHS Seminar there on 20th March 2018 at 10.30 Hrs titled, "The First Hundred Years - Selected Milestones"? A year's membership is £18 (which includes 3 journals a year), and the day (including a finger buffet and wine) costs a further £20 per head. You'll already be showing a saving on the Royal Mint set, which we all know will soon lie forgotten at the back of a drawer. :ok:

Subjects covered include inter alia:-

Flying Training in WWI,
"Faster, Further, and Higher" in the 1930s
The RAF in Russia during WWII
Helicopters
Air to Air Refuelling

The RAF Historical Society site is here:-

https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/rafhi...alsocietym.cfm

Hmm

Ok if you live in Sussex Chugalug. For Mrs TTN and I it's well over £100 return by rail, assuming we can book advance tickets, and say £120 minimum for a bed for the night. Add on the RAFM charges, meals, Oyster cards and sundries that's well over £300 for a day out at the museum.

Maybe I'll have a go at the Airfix kits instead!

Fair enough, TTN. I would point out though that there are no further RAFM charges involved and car parking is free by arrangement.

At least you eschewed the bling! Good luck with the Airfix kit. I'm tackling the Spitfire kit with my grandson when he visits, though I seem to be all fingers and thumbs these days, so I'll be acting more in the role of his gofor. :(

Apologies for the delay in replying, but I didn't know anything about the programme; my daughter's History teacher does now though.:ok:

Might be a good idea to have a word with her Geography teacher too FS. The UK interactive map has the location of RNAS Capel in Kent (close to the present BoB memorial there) set firmly at the eponymous village in South Surrey (though correctly post coded!).

Ironically, my daughter lives in Surrey with her mother! Her geography teacher is something of a bone of contention though, being long-term supply cover and freely admitting at parents evening last week that she (a) didn't know who my daughter was and (b) couldn't remember what class she was in.

I see that "Westminster Collection" are now marketing an "official" RAF 100 ingot. Yours for £9.99. I have to say it looks quite pretty, although at 5 x 3 cm it's none too big. I probably can't post a commercial link, but I'm sure Google is your friend.

Well I went on their website where they are offering said ingot at £29.99, not £9.99. For that you get a 24 carat gold plated (1 micron at least) ingot made of solid brass!

About par for the course for this bunch. I won't be one of the lucky 19,500 owners of said ingot, should the whole "limited" production run sell out!