‘Live for the journey!’ Flying Scotsman £2 coin launched with the National Railway Museum

Collectable £2 coins celebrating the centenary of the Flying Scotsman are being launched by the Royal Mint, in collaboration with York’s National Railway Museum.

Some versions of the coin depict the steam locomotive in colour and the edge inscription on the coins reads: “Live for the journey”.

Synonymous with the golden age of rail travel, Flying Scotsman was built in Doncaster in 1923. It is now a star attraction in the NRM collection.

The new coins will be available to buy from the Royal Mint’s website from Thursday (23 February) and have been created in collaboration with the National Railway Museum.

The Royal Mint’s design team say the colouring that appears on the coins is inspired by Flying Scotsman’s LNER Locomotive Green livery, also known as Apple Green.

Working closely with the museum, the Royal Mint’s design team based the green on several images of the locomotive over the years.

Rebecca Morgan, director of collector services at the Royal Mint said: “Flying Scotsman is a wonderful example of British craftsmanship, design and engineering, which led to the creation of one of the world’s most famous locomotives.

“While The Royal Mint’s expertise and craftsmanship is closely linked with precious metals, it was important for us to highlight the skill and engineering behind the locomotive as part of the coin’s design to mark its milestone centenary.”

Judith McNicol, director of the National Railway Museum, said: “Flying Scotsman’s centenary is an opportunity for people to come together to celebrate and share their memories of this special locomotive.

“The National Railway Museum has organised a programme of events and activities to mark the centenary and featuring on the new coin is a real honour and a wonderful way to mark the occasion.”

Prices for the new coin range from £12 for a brilliant uncirculated version and £21 for a colour version to £1,225 for a gold coin.